Tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET the Los Angeles Lakers (16-29) will tip off against the toughest team in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers (34-9) at the Staples Center in L.A. in a matchup that can be live streamed by clicking this link. Pacers fans can listen to the game on the radio by turning their dials to 1070 The Fan, while Lakers fans can do the same on 710 ESPN.
The Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in NBA history, but all that legacy may not be able to save them against a team giving up just 90.2 points per game. That defense has faltered a bit of late though, especially in the first halves of games when Indiana's let teams shoot 51.5 percent over the last three contests.
"Teams are not scared of us," said Pacers guard Lance Stephenson. "They're coming out aggressive and they're playing harder. We've got to commit to the challenge and play harder than them."
The Lakers have proven they can score the ball even without Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, but proving they can stop anyone is key. "Can we turn it around? I think we will," said Pau Gasol.
"If we stick together, continue to work hard and get a couple of bodies back that are key, we can be a lot better and we can get much better results." It would be harder to do worse. Los Angeles has lost four straight games, and will be without Nash for the 38th consecutive game. Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni had hoped his veteran point guard would return for this one.
One saving grace could be Indiana's 13-8 road record. The Pacers are 22-1 on their home floor, proving to be far more vulnerable away from their own building. The Lakers are below .500 at the Staples Center however, so even that advantage is minimal.
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