Warriors at Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have pulled a game ahead of the Utah Jazz for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. The Lakers will be trying to maintain that edge when they host the Golden State Warriors on Friday. The Warriors are playing the second night of a back-to-back after falling at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Golden State has already clinched its playoff spot but is still trying to lock up the No. 6 seed.
The Warriors lost center Andrew Bogut to a sprained ankle early in the 116-97 loss to the Thunder and could be without him on Friday. That should open things up for Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard on the inside, though Kobe Bryant figures to get the bulk of the touches again for Los Angeles. Bryant played all 48 minutes and scored a season-high 47 points in a 113-106 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday and has guided the Lakers to wins in five of the last six games.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (Golden State), Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (45-34): Bogut missed 38 straight games earlier this season to rest his surgically repaired left ankle - the same one injured on Thursday. The former No. 1 overall draft pick is only averaging 5.9 points but has made his contributions to the team on the defensive end with 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. An extended absence from Bogut could lead to more playing time with a small lineup that Golden State utilized in the first few months of the season, moving Carl Landry in alongside David Lee and going with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jarrett Jack in the backcourt during crunch time. The Warriors need to finish a game ahead of the Houston Rockets to avoid facing off against Oklahoma City or San Antonio in the first round. The Rockets hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Golden State. Curry is no stranger to ankle injuries himself but has been healthy most of the season and became the fourth player in NBA history to hit 250 3-pointers in a season on Thursday. His total stands at 252.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (42-37): Bryant scored 23 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to guide Los Angeles to a 104-96 over the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday and helped the Lakers win their first back-to-back set all season with 47 points the next night at Portland. Bryant’s scoring explosion has helped cover for Los Angeles’ continued struggles on the defensive end. The Lakers have allowed 103.7 points in the last three games after a strong stretch bridging March and April. Gasol has been strong the last two games as well, and Los Angeles is bringing Metta World Peace along slowly off the bench as he makes his way back from knee surgery. The Lakers will play their last three games at home but have to go through three playoff teams in Golden State, San Antonio and Houston.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Lakers took the first two meetings this season but fell at Golden State 109-103 on March 25.
2. Los Angeles G Steve Nash (hip) has missed the last five games and is questionable for Friday.
3. Curry needs 17 3-pointers over the final three games to match Ray Allen’s single-season record. He had 21 in a three-game stretch from Feb. 26-March 1.