LAKERS (31-13) @ NUGGETS (24-17)
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Time & Date: Friday, January 21, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. PST
TV & Radio: KCAL 9 (Local) ESPN (National) ESPN AM 710/1330 (Radio)
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
Denver Nuggets...
Los Angeles Lakers...
Note: Andrew Bynum is expected to play Friday but in case he doesn't we got L-Boogie!
Game Analysis: The champs seemed to get back on track until recent losses to the Clippers and Mavericks, however, they've been playing better since those nightmare games in December and hopefully they come out swinging against a potential playoff opponent. The Nuggets have been pretty mediocre in their last 10 games with the Melo Saga going on. They've only won 6 of their last 10 with losses to the Clippers (01/05), Kings (01/06), Hornets (01/09) and San Antonio (01/16). However, 7 of those games were at home of which, 6 were wins so they've done pretty well at home but we already know how Denver plays at home.
Game Strategy: There are 3 keys to a victory in Denver. 1) Stop Melo 2) Win Rebounding battle 3) Keep the crowd quiet. The rebounding is pretty obvious when you're going up against the likes of Nene, Birdman and K-Mart. As for the Melo strategy, two things will happen if he's not in rhythm 1) You're disrupting Denver's offensive flow and 2) The fans booed Melo even after his great performance in their win against the Thunder, imagine what will happen if he's playing poorly? Of course, Billups will probably have a field day with our PGs but our bigs should even that up with Kobe putting the icing over this much needed win. As usual, keeping Denver's bigs off the offensive boards and keeping J.R. Smith quiet are all important in keeping the crowd out of the game.
Key Match-Up: Ron Artest v.s. Carmelo Anthony: It's clear the Lakers don't need help in getting Anthony booed at home but can Artest keep Anthony from getting into his rhythm while no one but probably Billups/Lawson/Smith are producing Denver's offense? It's clear that the mismatch at PG will be exploited but that's where our offensive advantages inside are crucial in numbing the effect Denver's PGs have. However, will Artest need help in guarding Anthony? If so, then Denver may start dropping threes or getting easy inside plays. Great man to man team defense will win the game and it all starts with Artest doing what he does best: Physical defense!
Special guests of the game:
Some scrawny kid out of West Virginia:
and...
The gorgeous Minka Kelly
Fultz, Ball or Bust
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