<div align="center"> </div> <div align="center"><font color="Purple">Los Angeles Lakers </font> (36-20) @ <font color="RoyalBlue">Washington Wizards </font> (18-38) </div> <div align="center">Time: 12:30 p.m. PT Location: MCI Center TV: KCAL</div> Season Series: Lakers 1, Wizards 0 11/26/03 Lakers 120 Wizards 99 Previous Games: Kings @ Lakers 103-101 L Bulls @ Wizards 95-87 W Last 10 Games: Lakers 7-3 (Lost 1) Wizards 4-6 (Won 2) Head Coaches: Phil Jackson/Eddie Jordan Probable Starters: Gary Payton/Gilbert Arenas Kobe Bryant/Juan Dixon Rick Fox/Jerry Stackhouse Brian Cook/Kwame Brown Shaquille O'Neal/Brendan Haywood Sixth Men Derek Fisher/Jarvis Hayes Injury Report Lakers Karl Malone Jamal Sampson Wizards Larry Hughes Chris Whitney <div align="center">Players To Watch </div> <div align="center">Kobe Bryant & Gilbert Arenas</div> <div align="center">Bryant: 23.3 pts, 5.10 rebs, 4.8 assists, 1.76 steals Arenas: 17.6 pts, 5.10 rebs, 4.9 assists, 1.70 steals </div> Keys To The Game <u>Lakers</u> Get Kobe the ball to continue his hot streak Give Shaq more touches at all times and FG opportunities Payton to get more involved with offense rather than shoot only 10 shots Defense on all areas especially the perimeter <u>Wizards</u> Double-team Shaq in the post Control the glass Allow Gilbert Arenas to be a playmaker and to come close to another triple double Use the transition as an advantage Laker Fever's Prediction This is a game the Lakers simply can't give away. This is a game where you simply have to put a W next to because this team hasn't been playing decent basketball all season long. If Shaq can receive more touches in the paint and score more field goals, and maintain a consistent flow, the Lakers should be fine. Let's all just hope Kobe doesn't try and force too many shots and turnovers. Lakers by 13.
Lakers win, but play piss-poor defense in the process in the belief that they're up against a team that can't score on them.
The Lakers should have no problem winning.Brian Cooks is starting.I'd like to see what he can do.Kwame might have a good game or choke.Kobe will be dominating in this game.I predict the Lakers win by Double Digits.
This game will be another close one against a bad team. The Lakers are tired physically and I imagine emotionally after last night's loss AT HOME to the QUEENS. I wouldn't be surprised if the Wizards actually upset the Lakers tonight. The Wizards team is built on speed and they are going to exploit the Lakers tonight with their speed. The Lakers have played down to the level of their competition all season, and I don't see anything different happening tonight. I'm sure half the team has overlooked tonight's game and are eager to play the Nets instead this Saturday.
My prediction is Lakers by 13. Although, after last nights game, I won't be surprised if we lose. And nice preview, btw.
Lakers will be tired, but their is no way their dropping one to the Wizards. Their defense will let up too many scores, and the Wizards are an aggressive team, so I look for the LakeShow to only take this one by 8. It will be close, but if they go to Shaq down the stretch, they should be able to put this game away early in the 4th.
Nice preview, but I didn't know Wiz's starting two is Juan Dixon? (where's Larry Hughes) Anyway, Lakers should win this game. They will be focused because this is one of the games in the second half where they're trying their best to get a good playoff seed. They gotta take this game! Lakes by 18
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PupMelo:</div><div class="quote_post">Nice preview, but I didn't know Wiz's starting two is Juan Dixon? (where's Larry Hughes) Anyway, Lakers should win this game. They will be focused because this is one of the games in the second half where they're trying their best to get a good playoff seed. They gotta take this game! Lakes by 18</div> Larry Hughes is injured and out for atleast another 2-4 weeks. He has a broken wrist.. It seems like the Wizards also can't keep a full lineup. It's unbelivable that so many starters have been injured all over the league this season, I've never seen anything like this. Is there any team that hasn't suffered from an injury in their starting lineup?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PupMelo:</div><div class="quote_post">Nice preview, but I didn't know Wiz's starting two is Juan Dixon? (where's Larry Hughes) Anyway, Lakers should win this game. They will be focused because this is one of the games in the second half where they're trying their best to get a good playoff seed. They gotta take this game! Lakes by 18</div> Yea, like Purple N Gold said, he broke his wrist... I would love to see this lineup right here: Arenas HAYES stack kwame brendan not much of a change, but Kobe will eat up Juan, Hayes is bigger, he can keep up with Kobe on the Defensive end, and his shot has been falling lately, saying that the Lakers should win by 8+
Lakers will dominate this game,Arenas will have a 25+ point game but it ain't enough against the Lakers,I predict LA will lead by 24 at most but end up winning by 12.
Lakers lead by 2 after the 1st. The defense is looking horrible, as usual. Were giving up too many open looks and wide open layups through the lane. Shaq is in early foul trouble as he left the game with 2. And who the hell does Rick Fox think he is to take 5 threes in a quarter? Sure they were open, but we could have easily looked for a better shot, 0-5. Kobe can't miss right now, look for a 2nd quarter takeover.
<u>Halftime</u> Lakers 58 Wizards 49 LA showed signs of pulling away in the 2nd, but with their lack of defense, Washington battled back and was able to pull the game within 9 at the half. Kobe is doing just about everything for the Lakers right now, and Slava also had his flashes of success in today's game. We are getting solid production out of our bench, which is something new. We should be able to hold onto this one, Payton is getting used by Arenas though, and Haywood is standing tough inside against Shaq. Speaking of Payton, even after his comments, he's scoreless at the half on 0-3 shooting. Edit: 3rd quarter, Lakers play horrible. There they go again with their second half struggles. Arenas killed LA in the 3rd, Payton just cannot hang with him. Washington might pull this out, down the stretch they have the energy and they hustle. Get the ball to Shaq early, and let Kobe finish it off, we have to do it now, or they will steal this one right out of our hands.
Yeah, Kobe just went out with a triple double. But tonight some of the big stars are Kareem Rush hitting the big threes.
Well, the Lakers pulled away with this one, as expected. The ball movement in the 4th quarter was amazing, creating tons of open shots. Washington hung in there but down the stretch the Lakers are just too much. I still don't like the fact Shaq was ignored early in the quarter, they should focus on getting him the ball more instead of settling for outside shots(Kobe). But I'm happy we were able to grab this one, at the begenning of the 4th it looked like this one was going down to the wire, but LA key shots and the Wiz had no answer. Kobe records his first triple double this season with 25 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists. We got a great overall performance out of him today, which is the reason we won this game. Shaq dominated as usual, but only got 2 rebounds? I thought we were lazy on the boards today, and the Wizards hustled a lot more which was keeping them in the game. Anyways, have to give props to Gilbert Arenas. He tore it up today and is the ONLY reason this game was close at a point. He continiously had a answer for the Lakers every time down the floor. Kwame Brown and Stackhouse also gave nice performances as well. This team is going to be scary once Hughes returns to the lineup. <u>Final Score</u> Los Angeles 122 Washington 110
So NOW people finally see maybe..that Kobe IS back...i don't know how much games he's played so far ..but since all-starbreak he's been on fire..he's living up to the "old ""KOBE..however..he's a lot better
