Hornets vs Lakers: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info and More

After getting beat down by Oklahoma City, the Lakers will be entertaining a much less dangerous guest on Saturday–the New Orleans Hornets; a.k.a the worst team in the Western Conference.

Of course, there's no such thing as an easy win in the NBA. The Hornets are just 13-38 this season, but they were still good enough to take L.A. to overtime when they met earlier this month.

The Lakers eventually prevailed thanks to strong efforts from Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. They'll need similar efforts on Saturday if they want to avoid their third loss in four games.

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

When: Saturday March 31, 3:30 PM EST

Watch: CST and FS West have the TV coverage, or you can watch the live stream on-line via NBA League Pass

Listen: Los Angeles—710 ESPN New Orleans—KMEZ 106.7 FM

Key Injuries:

Lakers

No significant injuries

Hornets

Chris Kaman (illness), day-to-day

Jarret Jack (ankle), day-to-day

Trevor Ariza (ankle), day-to-day

What They're Saying:

Much has been made about a potential Andrew Bynum-Mike Brown conflict, but Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated says that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak isn't too worried.

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Bynum has had a phenomenal season nonetheless, averaging a career-high 18.2 points and 12.2 rebounds through Wednesday, with a Player Efficiency Rating that ranks 12th in the league, up from 21st last season. Which begs the question of whether Bynum's three-pointer was really about three-pointers at all. Was he truly looking to expand his game, or was he testing his first-year coach?

"I don't think [Bynum was testing Brown]," Kupchak said. "I really think that he thought he could make it, because he made one the night before. Now he's come a long way this year, and his confidence level has soared. But sometimes you have too much confidence, and I think that might have been the case there."

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Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune writes that the injury-plagued Hornets could be getting a boost soon.

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In recent weeks, [Eric] Gordon has ramped up the intensity of his workouts, he said, building to the point where he’s ready for the final post-operative exam: a full-contact practice to determine if the knee is strong enough to play in the final month of the regular season.

“I’ve been working out hard, like I wasn’t injured,” Gordon said of his recent training regimen that has included non-contact work in team shootarounds. “At this point, it’s almost to the point where I should be getting back to play very soon.”

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Lakers Player to Watch: Kobe Bryant, SG

Kobe had another bad night against the Thunder, hitting just seven of his 25 field goal attempts. It was the fifth time in seven games that he failed to shoot at least 39 percent, and the Lakers are just 7-11 this season when he doesn't hit that mark.

I think the Lakers will win even if Kobe struggles, but he'd definitely help his team's cause if he can break out of his slump.

Hornets Player to Watch: Marco Belinelli, SG

Belinelli is only averaging 11.8 points per game this season, but he's emerged as the Hornets' best offensive weapon since their rash of injuries.

In their last two games, he's scored 49 points on 18-of-31 shooting. He's also drained 11 threes, including seven against Portland on Thursday. If he catches fire in L.A., the Hornets could ride his hot hand to victory.

Key Matchup: Carl Landry vs Pau Gasol

Like Belinelli, Landry has stepped up the past week or so. In his last four games, he's averaging 18.2 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the field.

Gasol has also had some monster performances recently, but he put up just 13 points and 7 rebounds against the Thunder. If he lets Landry get the best of him on Saturday, the Lakers could be in trouble.

Prediction:

Lakers 101 — Hornets 89

If they were fully healthy, the Hornets would have a decent shot at winning this. But with their numerous injuries, I just can't picture them beating the Lakers right now.

L.A. has too much talent for New Orleans, and they should be hungry after getting beat by OKC on national television. I'm expecting Kobe and the Lakers to send a message with an emphatic victory on Saturday.