Trap Game: Lakers Try to Avoid a Letdown

Lakers (2-1) vs. New Orleans Hornets (3-0)

November 6, 2007, 10:30 PM Eastern (7:30 PM Pacific)

Staples Center- Los Angeles, CA

The Lakers are riding an impressive two-game winning streak, beating both the Suns (in Phoenix) and the Utah Jazz by double figures over the weekend. The biggest concern coming into this matchup will be to avoid an emotional letdown after having knocked off two of the top contenders in the Western Conference in three days. As great as the last wins were, they will only take on real significance if the Lakers can use them as a springboard to strong start to the season.

The quality of play tonight should be relatively high, as the unbeaten Hornets, led by the supremely gifted Chris Paul, lock up with the Lakers. With just one game on the NBA schedule on Monday night, and neither of these teams playing in it, both teams should be relatively fresh and ready to go from the opening tip.

Lakers’ Notes

For the Lakers, this game has letdown written all over it. Though they may not be in the class of the Suns and the Jazz, the Hornets are definitely not to be overlooked. They pretty loaded with talent and a likely playoff team in the loaded Western Conference It will be very important for the team’s leaders (Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher) to preach consistency to the younger members of the team, reminding them that two quality wins don’t automatically make you a contender.

As the Lakers look to continue their streak of balanced offensive performances, it will be vital to create some early open looks for Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton and Derek Fisher, as well as some quality opportunities in the post for Andrew Bynum. With Kobe likely to be guarded by Morris Peterson (he, of the Toronto Raptors’ defense in Kobe’s 81-point game) or David West or Rasual Butler, it’s pretty reasonable to pencil him in for at least 30 points, but it will be more important for Kobe to get his teammates rolling as well.

Defensively, the New Orleans Hornets present one of the biggest challenges of the Lakers’ early schedule, as they feature an elite point guard with a full compliment of diverse weapons. Led by Chris Paul, the Hornets offense is not only highly skilled, but among one of the most versatile in the league They feature threats in the paint (Tyson Chandler and David West), in the mid-range game (West, Peja Stojakovic, Rasual Butler), and on the perimeter (Peja, Butler, Morris Peterson), not to mention the issues created by Chris Paul’s (or Bobby Jackson’s) penetration. The best strategy for dealing with the New Orleans offense is three-pronged: 1) attack Tyson Chandler (he may block a few of your shots, but he will commit some fouls), 2) make Chris Paul be the Hornets’ primary weapon by giving him open jump shots rather than driving and passing lanes (and staying at home any time he does beat his man), and 3) if you have to give defensive help in the paint, DO NOT LEAVE PEJA STOJAKOVIC! When he’s healthy, which he is right now, Peja is still the deadliest spot-up shooter in the NBA and should NEVER be left alone on the perimeter.

In addition to Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown will be out of lineup Tuesday night with an injury to his right heel. As a result, the Lakers’ starting lineup should look like this: Kobe and Derek Fisher in the backcourt, Luke Walton and Ronnie Turiaf at forward and Andrew Bynum in middle.

Hornets’ Notes

Led by Chris Paul, the NBA’s future-best-point-guard, the New Orleans Hornets are putting together a very strong start to their 2007-08 season, with consecutive blowout wins over the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trailblazers (sure these are bad teams, but the Hornets really took care of business), and an impressive 93-88 road win over the Denver Nuggets. The Hornets have gotten some stellar play from Chris Paul (18.7 ppg, 9.7 apg, 6.3 rpg, 3 spg) and one of the NBA’s best young big men, Tyson Chandler (12.3 ppg, 13.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg; can you believe he’s only 25 years-old?) and one of the NBA’s underrated offensive players, David West (16 ppg, 7.7 rpg). Hornets’ coach (and 3-time world champion as a Laker) Byron Scott also has a collection of viable, but certainly not spectacular options on the bench, with Bobby Jackson and Rasual Butler ready to step in on the perimeter and Melvin Ely and second-year center Hilton Armstrong backing up Tyson Chandler in the paint.

The Hornets are not nursing any notable injuries and should field a starting lineup comprised of Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic and David West up front, with Chris Paul and Morris Peterson in the backcourt.

What should we look for tonight?

Tonight’s match-up with the Hornets could end up being the Lakers’ biggest test of the young NBA season. Like the Jazz, the Hornets feature a talented and intelligent point guard who runs the show flawlessly. This game sets up as a classic “trap” game for the Lakers- they’re feeling great after back-to-back wins over quality Western Conference opposition. With the Lakers’ next game at home against the winless Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night likely to result in another victory, if they can avoid a letdown tonight, they will go into next week’s Texas Two-Step (11/13 @ San Antonio, 11/14 @ Houston) riding a four-game winning streak, with a chance to make a real impact on the early NBA season. Look for tonight’s game to be entertaining and free-flowing, with neither team able to open up much of a commanding lead. Expect the final margin to be no more than five or six points. The Lakers’ level of focus will ultimately determine which side of that margin they’re on.