GT: Bobcats @ Lakers Jan 31st 10:30pm EST

[BigSlam]

I can't believe it's not butter....

[HornetJail]

Please Kemba, come back and have a career night against Kendall Marshall. You know you want to...

[JDR720]

I feel like this is a loss and Ryan Kelly will kill us

[HornetJail]

I feel like this is a loss and Ryan Kelly will kill us

if we lose to a laker team this bad and some **** like ryan kelly beats us, i'm done

[Diop]

I feel like this is a loss and Ryan Kelly will kill us

if we lose to a laker team this bad and some **** like ryan kelly beats us, i'm done

then we should officially tank, but I think we will win and we will continue to talk about playoffs.

[ZackB23]

Either we win and drop in the standings or lose and get bumped up. It makes my head hurt.

[Hugo The Hornet]

I don't believe we'll go to lose night. The Lakers also have bad luck and if Kemba Walker go to play tonight, I believe we can beat them. ****, they only in the 14th place.

[gehenherzog]

We SHOULDN'T lose tonight...but I don't trust us. We tend to lose to these teams that we should beat (Utah, Philly, Orlando, etc.)

Lakers are playing real bad right now. I think they've lost 11 of the last 13. Should be a perfect game for Kemba to return and at least get limited minutes. I would like to see Pargo get into our rotation as a 2 guard (although he's undersized) with Kemba in the lineup. He is definitely our best shooter with Gordon having a permanent spot on the end of the bench.

Prediction: Bobcats 103, Lakers 93

[gehenherzog]

Pau Gasol will play tonight
Kemba is likely to play

Lakers open up a 2 point favorite. If I was a betting man, I would take the Bobcats.

[KingExecutive]

Somewhat bold prediction: Kemba won't play tonight.

Still think Bobcats win tonight though

[mrknowitall215]

Game #48: Bobcats @ Lakers 3-on-3 Preview

1- The Lakers are one of the worst defenses in the league and have been serious reeling on this end recently – 110.7 (-4.5) defensive rating in the past 5 games. Pau Gasol is probable tonight, but does he have a shot at guarding Al Jefferson?

Spencer: Sure, Gasol has a chance at guarding Jefferson and making life tough on him tonight. That being said, Charlotte needs to go right at that matchup early on – it’s hard to imagine the Lakers being able to pull this one off if Jefferson was able to somehow get Gasol in foul trouble early on. Needless to say, I don’t believe in Jordan Hill and Robert Sacre ability to limit Big Al.

Greg: The Lakers have actually been slightly worse on defense with Pau on the floor, and in general give up good looks at the rim: They lead the league in opponent attempts in the restricted area. Jefferson (and the rest) should be able to penetrate the defense and get more point-blank looks than usual, which only helps.

Michael: Even with Gasol in the lineup, expect big Al Jefferson to put up some points. The Lakers’ defense is highly questionable, especially on the inside, so Jefferson should have every opportunity to go off. A perceived all-star snub could work to add some additional fuel to Jefferson’s proverbial fire, not that he needs any. Jefferson has been averaging 26.9 points per over the Bobcats’ past ten games, and similar production should be expected tonight against the Lakers’ porous defense.

2- Outside of Big Al, who’s the key player for the Bobcats in order to get out of Staples with a win?

Spencer: Ramon Sessions. Although Kendall Marshall has been a pleasant surprise for the Lakers since garnering the starting PG role, he certainly hasn’t helped them much defensively. This is a matchup that Sessions should be able to exploit – there’s really no reason Ramon shouldn’t be able to get past Marshall on the bounce tonight, and you know what that leads to – yup, lots of trips to the foul line.

Greg: They need Gerald Henderson to pick up the scoring slack without Kemba Walker, but he’s struggled a bit over the last 10 games. He’s still scoring at a decent clip (14.7 ppg) but he’s shooting under 40 percent from the field and 25 percent from behind the line. His saving grace has been at the free throw line, where he’s averaging 5.3 attempts per game. Over that same 10-game stretch, the team is 4-1 when he scores at least 15 points, and 1-4 when he doesn’t.

Michael: Ramon Sessions needs to continue his solid play in Kemba’s absence for the ‘Cats tonight. As noted, the Lakers defense isn’t the best, and if Sessions can initiate the Bobcats offense well then the team could capitalize. Sessions needs to provide a perimeter compliment to Jefferson’s post presence to help keep that shaky defense honest and spaced out. Sessions will spend a lot of time matched up with the inexperienced Kendall Marshall, and his ability to control the game from the point guard position will go a long way in helping the ‘Cats claim a victory.

3- PICK IT. Big opportunity for Charlotte tonight. Who ya got?

Spencer: Charlotte. Here’s me hoping that the Bobcats can go on the road in a very winnable game and make a statement to the rest of the east that they will not roll over and die as we approach the second half of the season.

Note: There’s a slight chance that Kemba returns tonight, but my gut tells me they’ll wait until at least tomorrow, if not Tuesday in Golden State.

Greg: I don’t think these two teams are that far off in terms of talent, and you could give L.A. the edge just because of their home court and an extra day of rest. But I like this matchup, and think Charlotte ekes out a win tonight.

Michael: I see the Bobcats taking advantage of an opportunity and getting a rare road win in L.A. tonight. The Lakers don’t have a real answer for Jefferson down low, especially if Gasol sits, and if a couple other Bobcats can contribute on the offensive end it will give them an edge. Limit Nick ‘Swaggy P’ Young’s output, and Charlotte should be in position to get another W.

http://queencityhoops.com/blog/2014/01/ ... 3-preview/

[vorbis]

kemba with "setback," likely out tonight

[gehenherzog]

kemba with "setback," likely out tonight

Means he'll be out tomorrow as well or will play 10-20 minutes. Play on Tuesday for sure with Plenty of rest.

[JDR720]

Kemba probably wont play until the next home game

[Liver_Pooty]

I figured Walker being out 10 days or so was a little optimistic. He needs to rest it until its completely 100%.

[catch20two]

Tonight we'll get see if Nick Young is better than Hendo. Personally I already think he is but I like the suspense of seeing matchups through.

[fatlever]

its much easier to make a list of shooting guards getting heavy minutes that are NOT better than hendo.

[BigSlam]

Lakers feed for me tonight.



They are doing a massive feature on Marshall to during their pre-game. Oh how I would LOVE to have Marshall on our roster.

Funny - for a guy who cant shoot, they just said he is leading the NBA from behind the arc hitting at a clip of 47%.

[Liver_Pooty]

I've had a few beers, and im jacked up for this game. This game smells like a let down, but its up to Jefferson as usual since Walker is still out. Henderson needs to take it to Young right off the bat. Bad thing is that Nick Young is capable of going off as well.

[BigSlam]

I've had a few beers, and im jacked up for this game. This game smells like a let down, but its up to Jefferson as usual since Walker is still out. Henderson needs to take it to Young right off the bat. Bad thing is that Nick Young is capable of going off as well.

Doesn't Meeks start and Young play off the bench as their 6th man?