The Lakers have won six of their past seven games, slowly climbing upwards in the Western rankings. L.A. will play three more on the road, including tonight’s game, before returning home: Boston, Charlotte and Miami.
Earl Clark has another opportunity to shine tonight, as Pau Gasol will be out for at least 6 weeks and Dwight is still a game time decision. Helping out Clark will be Metta, who returns to the starting lineup tonight after serving a one game suspension.
The Boston Celtics recently lost All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. The team has still been doing well, though, going 5-0 with Avery Bradley starting at PG instead. Also, at 36, Kevin Garnett is still playing at a high-level with an average of 14.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a night. Kobe won’t be the only old dog putting on a show tonight. Nonetheless, this East Coast- West Coast rivalry game should be exciting.
Kobe Bryant sat down with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan to do a little trash talking today. When asked what team he would prefer, Lakers or Celtics, given all the circumstances surrounding the two teams this season, Kobe said “I’d take the Lakers, for sure.” Don’t forget; back in 1996 before the NBA draft, Kobe suited up in green and worked out with the Celtics. According to Bryant, it was hard for the lifetime Laker fan to stomach. Reluctantly, he gave in and participated in dribbling, shooting drills and half-court offensive drills with Dennis Johnson.
Dwight has now missed the last three games with a ‘sore’ right shoulder after re-aggravating his torn labrum. The center did participate in Lakers shootaround this morning; however, he is still listed as a game-time decision for tonight. Kobe has been hinting that Dwight needs to play through the pain. But Steve Nash has also been an advocate for getting Howard back on the court. The PG said today:
“I think everyone has got to play through some pain in this league …”
There has been conflicting reports throughout the day on the state of Dwight Howard. Whether or not it will be the case, Yahoo Sports has reported that Dwight will be playing tonight. Fans will have to wait till tip-off to see whether Dwight is suited up or not.
For more on the pregame report, click here.
Boston Celtics (25-23) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (23-26)
5:00 PM PST, February 7, 2013, TD Bank Garden
CA TV: TWCSN
Celtics Projected Starting Line-up
PG: Avery Bradley
SG: Courtney Lee
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Kevin Garnett
Key Reserves: G Jason Terry, G Leandro Barbosa, F Jeff Green
Lakers Nation News
Lakers News: Dwight Howard Active Thursday vs. Boston Celtics
Shootaround Report: Dwight Still A Game-Time Decision For Tonight
Kobe’s Adjusted Game From Mid-Range Helping Lakers Find Success
Kobe Bryant Discusses Experience with Celtics Prior to 1996 Draft
Lakers News: The 10 Most Disliked Athletes In America Features Two Lakers
Lakers Rumors: Dwight Howard Interested In Joining Houston Rockets?
Lakers vs. Celtics Pre-Game Report: LA Faces Fierce Rival Celtics
Lakers News: Pau Gasol Speaks To Fans Via Twitter About Injury
Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Wants Dwight Howard to Gain Sense of Urgency
Lakers News
Dissecting Pau Gasol’s Nightmare Season [ProBasketballTalk]
Pau Gasol Shouldn’t Need Surgery on Torn Plantar Fascia [ProBasketballTalk]
Mike D’Antoni and Mitch Kupchak will discuss roster Sunday in Miami [ProBasketballTalk]
With Pau Gasol Injured, What’s Next for the Lakers? [LA Times]
Preview and Chat: The Boston Celtics [Forum Blue and Gold]
Hits Keep on Coming For Lakers [ESPN]
Kobe Bryant Delivers Dunk for the Ages on New York’s Newest Basketball Stage [Yahoo Sports]
Injured Lakers Close to Breaking into Top Eight in West [LA Times]
What injury? Kobe challenges Howard to step up with Gasol out. [ProBasketballTalk]
Kobe Bryant Urges Dwight Howard [ESPN]
Kobe Bryant Tries to Push Los Angeles Lakers Through Frustration [ESPN Los Angeles]
Lakers’ Metta World Peace Gets His 11th Suspension in a Decade [LA Times]
Lakers Get Gritty To Get Back On Track [Hang Time Blog]
Dwight Howard vs. Kobe Bryant and 12 Steps to Full-On Anarchy [SB Nation]
Kobe Bryant Denies He’s Pushing Dwight Howard to Play with Injury [LA Times]
Kobe Bryant Wants NBA Stars to Take on a Bigger Role in the Players’ Union [Ball Don’t Lie]
Kobe and Dwight: Will They Ever Get Along? [ProBasketballTalk]
What We Know (Sort of, Maybe) [ESPN]
Howard Might Play Tonight in Boston [OC Register]
Kobe Bryant loves Rajon Rondo, Rob Gronkowski [SB Nation]
Injury Update: Pau Gasol Out Indefinitely with Torn Plantar Fascia [Forum Blue and Gold]
D’Antoni: I Don’t Have a System [ESPN]
Dwight Howard Fires Back at Kobe, Says He Has to Watch Out for Himself [ProBasketballTalk]
Dwight Howard Talks About His Back and Shoulder Injuries [LA Times]
Lakers’ Hopes Hinge on Recovery [ESPN Insider]
Lakers vs. Celtics: In Praise of Angry Old Men [SB Nation]
Kobe and Bill Belichick are Friends? Of Course They Are. [ProBasketballTalk]
NBA News
Another Game, Another Three-Quarter Court Alley-Oop From Wade to Lebron (VIDEO) [ProBasketballTalk]
Jerry Stackhouse on Union President Derek Fisher: ‘I think he has to go, too’ [Ball Don’t Lie]
Report: Judge Says Allen Iverson an Unfit Parent [Philly.com]
David Stern Says Seattle Group that Bid for Sacramento Kings has Filed for Relocation [ESPN]
Clippers’ Griffin Out With Strained Left Hamstring [NBA]
Warriors Intentionally Foul to Stop Rockets from Setting Record in Blowout [The Point Forward]
Westbrook, Harden to Coach All-Star Celebrity Game; Usain Bolt to Play [ProBasketballTalk]
NBA Playbook for Dummies: The Flex [SLC Dunk]
Rasheed Wallace Blames a Guy Who Wasn’t Even With the Team for Trading Him Away From Washington in 1996 [Ball Don’t Lie]
Big Screen Dream Team: The 10 Best Ballers in Film History [SB Nation]
Most of the Dallas Mavericks Won’t Shave Until the Team Hits .500 [Ball Don’t Lie]
Heat Outlast Rockets, Wizards Knock Off Knicks [SB Nation]
Mavericks Assure Vince Carter He Will Not Be Traded [ProBasketballTalk]
Report: Jason Richardson Out for the Season with Knee Injury [CBSSports.com]
NBA Players Union Could Target ATF Director as New Executive Director [Yahoo! Sports]
Alicia Keys Headlines All-Star Game Halftime Show [NBA.com]
Blogtable: What To Do With Bynum [Hang Time Blog]
Kevin Garnett on Trade Rumors: “I bleed green; I die green.” [ProBasketballTalk]
Philly Fan Buys 18 tickets to 76ers/Pacers Game for 72 Cents — Total [Ball Don’t Lie]
David Stern ‘Expects’ to Have HGH Blood Testing by Next Season [SB Nation]
Former Nugget Iverson’s home in foreclosure [Denver Post]
Clippers Likely to Get Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups Back Friday [ProBasketballTalk]
