The rising Charlotte Bobcats finish off a very tough six-game road trip tonight against the team with the best home record in the Lakers. The Bobcats have won three of the past four on the trip but were just routed last time out in Portland.
Los Angeles is a 9-point betting favorite on WagerWeb.com’s NBA odds.
The Lakers, meanwhile, are back home off a season-long eight game road trip (5-3). They lost in Memphis on Monday night when Kobe Bryant became the leading scorer in franchise history. Pau Gasol was a bit critical of the team after that loss, saying the Lakers didn’t get the ball inside enough (i.e. Kobe shot too much). Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for just 15 points (and 10 shots) against the Grizzlies. Kobe took 28 shots against Memphis and scored 44 points. Bryant is averaging 34.1 points in nine career games versus the Bobcats but the Lakers have won only three.
A win tonight would make Phil Jackson the winningest coach in franchise history – he’s tied at 533 victories with Pat Riley.
The Bobcats, led by shooting guard Stephen Jackson’s 21.2 points a game and small forward Gerald Wallace’s 19.2, have six players averaging at least 9.9 points a game. The Bobcats are 19-17 since Jackson arrived in November as they try to post a winning season and reach the playoffs for the first time since the franchise started in 2004. If Jackson scores in double figures Wednesday, he will match Wallace’s franchise record of 39 straight games with 10 or more points.
Believe it or not, the Bobcats have won six of the past seven versus the Lakers and three in a row in Los Angeles. This is the first meeting of this season. The Lakers lost only 17 games in 2008-09, but Charlotte accounted for two of them.
“They slow the tempo, they play the kind of game that maybe is a little bit uncomfortable for us,” Gasol said.
The Lakers have won seven in a row at Staples Center this season.
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