Lakers at Bobcats
A matchup with the Charlotte Bobcats has almost been a gimme for most NBA teams since the last week of November. It normally would be considered an automatic W for Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Not anymore. The Lakers will look to bounce back from their worst defeat of the season when they continue their seven-road road trip Friday night in Charlotte. Los Angeles had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 116-95 thumping in Boston on Thursday night. The Lakers, who are 8-17 away from home, will be without Pau Gasol for at least six to eight weeks with a torn plantar fascia.
The Bobcats return home after going winless on a five-game road trip that concluded with a 122-95 mauling in Cleveland on Wednesday night. Charlotte has lost 32 of their last 36 games and its three wins last month came against teams that are a combined 45 games under .500. Although the Bobcats have lost three straight against Los Angeles, it does has some positive history to lean on, beating the Lakers in their last three visits to Charlotte and losing by one point at Los Angeles in December.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Time Warner SportsNet (Los Angeles), SportSouth (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE LAKERS (23-27): Kobe Bryant got his wish: Dwight Howard returned from a three-game absence and played through his shoulder pain in the ugly loss to Boston. Howard did not play especially well, collecting nine points and nine rebounds before fouling out. He also struggled at the free-throw line, making only 1 of 6 attempts. As for the shoulder pain? "There were a couple times where I felt (it), but I just tried not to think about it," Howard said. Bryant's role as facilitator disappeared with Howard's return, as he failed to record an assist for the first time since Jan. 1.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (11-37): Backup point guard Ramon Sessions enters the matchup against his former team on a roll, scoring in double figures in 11 of the past 12 games. He is averaging 17.3 points in that span and has four 20-point games in the last seven. Sessions opted out of the final year of his contract with Los Angeles in June and signed a two-year deal with Charlotte after the Lakers brought in Steve Nash. He told the Los Angeles Times he never second-guessed the move. "I'm definitely having a good time. I was 100 percent behind my decision," Sessions said.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Charlotte, surprisingly, is one of only two teams - Boston is the other - that the Lakers don't have a winning record against. The series is tied at 8-8.
2. Howard had 16 points and 18 rebounds vs. the Bobcats in December. He averaged 20 points and 19.3 boards in three meetings last season while with Orlando.
3. Bobcats rookie F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist practiced Thursday for the first time since suffering a concussion, but still has to be cleared to play.