Coming off two straight wins without Kobe Bryant in the lineup, the Lakers face the Phoenix Suns tonight in hopes of sweeping a back-to-back. The last time the Lakers were in Phoenix, they coughed up a double digit lead late in the fourth quarter and lost the first leg to their Grammy road trip.
[GET $5 FREE WHEN YOU ENTER EARLY FOR SPORTSBOOK’S $100,000 BRACKET CHALLENGE]Tonight, the Lakers will head into the desert without Kobe and Pau fresh off a 113-102 victory over Sacramento. With Steve Nash chipping in 19 points and 12 assists and Antwan Jamison scoring 27 off the bench, we asked you Lakers Nation: which Laker needs to step up tonight in Kobe’s absence?
Over half replied that Dwight Howard needs to step up ,while Nash and Metta World Peace finished second and third. Howard has 14 consecutive double doubles and looks to have his conditioning at a better place than earlier in the season.
With Kobe out it has been a collective team effort as coach Mike D’Antoni has tightened his bench even more, only playing 7 players last night. The Lakers will need those 7 and possibly someone else to step up on the second half of their back-to-back as they look to gain ground in the race for the playoffs.
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