It was announced recently that the matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers on January 20 would no longer be shown on TNT. This was the second time this season a Lakers game has been dropped from being broadcast nationally, but it appears Time Warner Cable SportsNet will pick up the slack:
Programming note for #Lakers fans in L.A. area: Jan. 20 game vs. Bulls, which was dropped by TNT, will be shown on @TWCSportsNet.
— TWC SportsNet (@TWCSportsNet) January 3, 2014
Without Kobe Bryant in the lineup, the Lakers are starting to lose their appeal on a national stage. Not only is Bryant out for at least a few more weeks, but Jordan Farmar, Xavier Henry, Steve Nash and Steve Blake are all stuck on the sidelines with injuries as well.
Needless to say, the Lakers aren’t exactly an attractive sell to a national audience and may see more of these nationally televised games dropped. The Chicago Bulls are in the same boat with superstar Derrick Rose done for the season once again and no longer competing at a high level.
As of right now, Bryant is expected to return after the team finishes a brutal road trip on the east coast on Jan. 28 against the visiting Indiana Pacers. The Lakers schedule has the team playing 10 of the next 13 games on the road without Bryant, Nash, Farmar or Blake in the lineup.
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