Lakers-Hornets matchup: Five things to watch
A few things to keep an eye on when the Lakers (26-16) visit the New Orleans Hornets (10-32) Wednesday at the New Orleans Arena.
1. How will the Lakers’ focus look? On paper, the Lakers should have no problem coasting to an easy win against the Hornets. You may have heard New Orleans doesn’t have Chris Paul anymore. They’re injury-depleted with Emeka Okafor (sore left knee), Eric Gordon (right knee contusion) and Carl Landry (second degree MCL sprain). The Hornets also rank second-to-last in total offense (88.19) and 19th in field-goal percentage (43.8%).
Yet, the Lakers entered last week against Detroit and Washington, the two worst Eastern Conference teams, with the same optimism. No need for the Lakers to play roulette again with this one. Get off to a fast start. The Hornets are 0-20 when they trail at halftime. Hold onto a double-digit lead. It will allow the bench to further develop and avoid any scenario involving what happened last week.
2. Will the Lakers show fatigue? A huge variable on how the Lakers play will hinge on their energy level. They’re a day removed from their 111-106 double overtime victory Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. That game featured the Lakers playing heavy minutes, including Kobe Bryant (52), Andrew Bynum (49), Pau Gasol (46), Metta World Peace (38) and Steve Blake (36). Blake’s high minutes reflected his performance. But everyone else stayed put to secure a win.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they’re only 1-5 on the second game of road back-to-backs this season. In those games, the Lakers averaged 90.66 points, conceded 97.83 points and appeared tired. Granted, this sample size reflected games against the New York Knicks (Linsanity), Oklahoma City Thunder (too much speed) and the Orlando Magic (too much Dwight Howard). But it wouldn’t surprise me if the Lakers struggled a bit.
3. The Lakers’ offense needs to remain balanced. To the Hornets credit, they’ve held 31 of their 42 opponents under 100 points, rank 10th in total defense (93.4) and second in three-point field-goal percentage (31.2%). That’s why the Lakers simply need to keep exerting a strong one-two punch between Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, who scored late-game plays against both Boston and Memphis. No need to make it harder than it should be.
4. Trevor Ariza could have a big game. In the Lakers’ first-round series against New Orleans last season, Ariza’s numbers ballooned to 15.5 points per game and a 41% clip, a sharp increase from his regular-season average of 11 points on a 39.8% mark. Accounts say the former UCLA and Lakers standout has become more consistent with his shot selection and efficiency. Considering his familiarity with the Lakers, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to play well again.
5. How much rest will Brown give the Lakers? This answer predicates partly on how well the Lakers establish and maintain a lead. But this could be an interesting scenario. As much criticism as he’s deservedly received for not limiting minutes during blowout wins or losses, he’d be justified in doing so this time around. Just when he gave his starters rest against Detroit and Washington, the tide turned for the worse.
RELATED:
Pros and cons in Lakers’ pursuit of Dwight Howard
All things Lakers, all the time.
Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
