The Lakers play the New Orleans Hornets tonight at home before they head on the road for a grueling seven games. They come off a great win against the Thunder, which has given tremendous hope and energy to the team. The Lakers have shown that they can play united, which has improved their energy and performance, especially on the defensive end. The Lakers have an all-time record of 45-17 against the Hornets with a 23-8 home record against New Orleans.
Kobe’s new passing role has been given much of the credit with L.A.’s recent performance. Over the past couple of games, Bryant has been the Lakers’ best facilitator. Nash seems to accept and even enjoy this switch-up since, for the entirety of the team, things look better. Being humble in this position is just another way Steve Nash proves he is a caliber athlete.
In the Lakers’ win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Bryant recorded 14 assists to go along with his 21 points. Lakers Nation took to Twitter and posed this question to the fans; “does Kobe Bryant need to continue this streak of 10+ assists per game for the Lakers to win?” After over 300 votes, 78.7 percent of fans voted “Yes,” while just 21.3 percent voted “No.” After such a great response, LN broke down our analysis of what we think Kobe should do. Take a look.
Steve Blake is reported to be back tonight against the Hornets. Blake has been injured since the beginning of November with an abdomen injury. Since Blake is still considered to not be 100%, he will have limited minutes.
A little pregame humor for fans came from Dwight and Kobe today during an exclusive Lakers Nation interview. The Hornets will soon become the New Orleans Pelicans and both players thought the name change was, well… comical. Kobe called it not intimidating enough. See for yourself.
Want to intern for Lakers Nation? Here is your chance! You must be able to commit 15-20 hours a week working out of our Los Angeles office (located in downtown L.A.), especially on game days. This is a paid internship position as our intern will be compensated with a monthly stipend depending on performance and time put in. Deadline is February 7, 2013 to get your applications in.
For more on the pregame report, click here.
New Orleans Hornets (15-29) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (19-25)
7:30 PM PST, January 29, 2013
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: TWC Sports Network, NBA TV
Radio: 710 ESPN (English) 1330 KWKW (Spanish)
Hornets Projected Starting Line-up
PG: Eric Gordon
SG: Greivis Vasquez
SF: Al-Farouq Aminu
PF: Anthony Davis
C: Robin Lopez
Key Reserves: F Ryan Anderson, G Austin Rivers
Lakers Nation News
Mike D’Antoni Has Removed ‘Bench’ Label, But Has Pau Gasol?
2013 Lakers Nation Sports Media Internships Now Accepting Applications
Is Lakers’ Success Dependent On Kobe’s Newfound Passing Role?
Video: Dwight and Kobe Not Impressed With New Orleans “Pelicans”
Lakers vs. Hornets Pre-Game Report: Lakers Look For Third Straight
Lakers Find Chemistry As Team Finally Appears To Turn Corner
Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Talks About New Facilitator Role
Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Defends Wife, Vanessa, on Twitter
Injury Update: Steve Blake To Return Tuesday, With Limitations
Lakers News
Have the Lakers Discovered How to Win Games? [Silver Screen and Roll]
New Orleans Hornets at Los Angeles Lakers [Silver Screen and Roll]
Is Dwight Howard a “Franchise Player”? [Silver Screen and Roll]
Dwight Loves Kobe’s Confrontational Nature, Steve Blake Returns, and More [Silver Screen and Roll]
Preview and Chat: New Orleans Hornets [Forum Blue and Gold]
Kobe Playing the Right Way [Hang Time Blog]
Lakers’ Stars on the Same Page [L.A. Times]
Assessing the Lakers’ Second-Round and Future Picks [Los Angeles Lakers Blog]
Dwight Howard: Meeting Helped L.A. [ESPN]
Kobe Passes Michael Jordan on Career Assist List [Lakers Blog]
Kobe Bryant Defends Wife Vanessa Over Twitter Comment [L.A. Times]
Lakers Making Most of Role Reversals [Hang Time Blog]
Can Kobe Keep Passing? [TrueHoop Blog]
Mini-Surge Renews Hopes that Lakers Can Still Find Their Rhythm [NBA.com]
Real Test for Lakers Starts Wednesday — Keep It Up On The Road [ProBasketballTalk]
Steve Nash Deferring Ball Handling Duties to Kobe Bryant [LA Times]
Lakers Have Shot at Six in Row [OC Register]
Steve Blake Set to Return from Abdominal Surgery [Lakers Blog]
LA Recovery Won’t Be Unprecedented [Hang Time Blog]
Metta World Peace Takes Little Credit for Big Lakers Win Over Oklahoma City [L.A. Times]
NBA News
Charlotte Bobcats vs. Chicago Bulls – Recap [ESPN]
Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors – Recap [ESPN]
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Philadelphia 76ers – Recap [ESPN]
Orlando Magic vs. Brooklyn Nets – Recap [ESPN]
Grizzlies Need to Stay the Course [Hang Time Blog]
Pacers vs. Nuggets Recap: Nuggets Pull Off Weird Victory [Denver Stiffs]
Celtics Go After Rudy Gay? Three Way Trade with Lakers? Not likely. [ProBasketballTalk]
Boston May Try To Trade For Kyle Lowry To Replace Rajon Rondo [Dime Magazine]
Andrew Bynum Dunking, Still Plans Return Soon After All-Star Break [ProBasketballTalk]
Houston Rockets Demolish Utah Jazz Hehind Harden, Delfino [The Dream Shake]
2013 NBA All-Star Game Snubs and Surprises [ESPN]
Jeremy Lin’s “Linsanity” Documentary Hits The Sundance Film Festival [Dime Magazine]
Three Stars of the Night: All Purpose Big Man Edition [ProBasketballTalk]
