Lakers News and Rumors Recap: No Exceptions, Defeat New Orleans

While Lakers fans wait on pins and needles to see how their purple and gold fare in the coming weeks, the roster is trying to focus and stay positive.

Nash made some statements about his coaches yesterday. Mike D’Antoni has been given a lot of criticism this season over the state of his team. But Steve offered a different perspective, which comes to the defense of his head coach. Stating the bold team personalities, a slew of injuries, and other factors, Nash described this season as a “coach’s nightmare”:

“I wouldn’t say he’s happy with where we are, just because it’s been a coach’s nightmare in a lot of ways. You’ve had a lot of guys either injured for great stretches, unfamiliar with one another, no training camp to really get the necessary hours in and finding our balance and who we are as a team. So I know it’s disappointing for him and frustrating because he hasn’t been able to really have a full shot at it.”

Kobe Bryant also had some choice words to say about his relationship with Dwight Howard. Not everything has been smooth this season; both players have seen a few bumps in the road, especially when it came to their dominant relationships butting heads. Bryant has always been hard on teammates. This doesn’t always sit well with his comrades, and often times made Howard feel alienated this season. But rest assured, Bryant’s intentions are good:

“It’s like a relationship with your brother. I am trying to bring the best out of him.”

Five games remain for the Lakers season tonight in the quest for the 8th seed of the playoffs in the west. Los Angeles is currently tied in the loss column with the Jazz (41-37), but are 2-1 in their series with Utah. This means, in the case of a head-to-head tie breaker, the Lakers would lose the 8th seed to the Jazz. The Lakers need to win every game coming up. Here is a look at the two teams’ schedules:

LAKERS	JAZZ
Hornets	Thunder
Trailblazers	Timberwolves
Warriors	Timberwolves
Spurs	Grizzlies
Rockets	N/A

Both have more or less even matchups. The Lakers do have to play the Spurs, who have been amazing this season, and could be tough to beat. If L.A. cannot overcome San Antonio, they need to win all four of their next games and have the Jazz lose one game to get the 8th seed. If the Jazz win four and the Lakers win four, then the Lakers are out of the playoffs due to the tiebreaker. Ideally, the Jazz need to lose one game to keep the Lakers hopes alive.

The Lakers take on the New Orleans Hornets tonight at 7:30PM. The good news; Metta World Peace will be playing. It’s been less than two weeks since Metta had surgery, and it was announced that he would be out 4-6 weeks. Miraculously, Metta made it back much sooner and D’Antoni said Peace would play around 20 minutes tonight. The bad news; Steve Nash is out for tonight’s game and will most likely not play tomorrow. His hip and hamstring are still bothering him.

For more on the pregame report, click here.

New Orleans Hornets (27-50) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (40-37)
7:30 PM PST, April 9, 2013
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: TWC SN, NBATV
Radio: 710 ESPN (English) / 1330 ESPN (Spanish)

Hornets Projected Starting Line-up
PG: Greivis Vasquez
SG: Eric Gordon
SF: Al-Farouq Aminu
PF: Anthony Davis
C: Robin Lopez

Key Reserves: PF: Ryan Anderson, G: Xavier Henry, PF: Lou Amundson PG: Brian Roberts

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