Game Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings

After a heartbreaking 88-87 loss to the Chicago Bulls Christmas Day, the Los Angeles Lakers look to bounce back against in-state division rivals the Sacramento Kings Monday night.

Date: Monday, December 26, 2011

Time: 7:00 PM PST

Location: Power Balance Pavilion, Sacramento

TV: NBA TV (National), KCAL 9 (Local)

Radio: 710 ESPN

Projected Starting Lineups:

Los Angeles Lakers		Sacramento Kings
PG	Derek Fisher	PG	Tyreke Evans
SG	Kobe Bryant	SG	Marcus Thornton
SF	Devin Ebanks	SF	John Salmons
PF	Josh McRoberts	PF	Chuck Hayes
C	Pau Gasol	C	DeMarcus Cousins

Game Notes

Devin Ebanks is slated for his second professional start at SF after going 4-for-5 from the field in 23 minutes of action on Sunday. Interestingly, Matt Barnes did not even see the floor Sunday. Neither did other small forwards Luke Walton or Jason Kapono. 

Pau Gasol will again start at center for Andrew Bynum, serving game two of a four-game suspension to start the season. Josh McRoberts will fill in at PF.

The Lakers are looking for their 10th win in 11 contests against Sacramento tonight. This will be the first road game of the Lakers' season and is the sandwich game of their one and only back-to-back-to-back stretch during the season.

What To Watch For

Kobe Bryant's torn ligament in his shooting wrist did not appear to affect his scoring, going 11-for-23 on his way to 28 points. It did, however, affect his dribbling and ball security and led to an uncharacteristically game-high eight turnovers—including a critical giveaway in the final minutes.

Kobe could be seen clutching his wrist during a timeout after hitting the deck following a double-clutch baseline bucket in the fourth quarter. How will the sore wrist respond after less than 24 hours of full-game action? And can he continue to fight through the pain during the whole season?

Despite the Lakers loss yesterday, there were plenty of positives, particularly the contributions from the new cast of characters.

Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy, who both played together in Indiana two seasons ago, looked great on the floor together, combining for 16 rebounds (eight rebounds apiece). They were good on defensive rotations and handled the ball well in the high post.

Another new face, rookie Andrew Goudelock, showed his deep range yesterday, going 2-for-3 from downtown on his way to six points. Fellow rookie Darius Morris surprisingly did not see the floor.

Will Goudelock have a larger role going forward due to his range from long distance? Or will Darius Morris compete for playing time and find his way into the offense?

Steve Blake had a strong performance on Sunday with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes off the bench. Starter Derek Fisher did not look nearly as sharp as he did in preseason, leaving the door open for Steve Blake to capture more minutes at PG if he can put together a string of consecutive strong performances to start the season.

With Bynum sitting out another game, expect Pau Gasol to be aggressive down low versus the combination of DeMarcus Cousins and Chuck Hayes. Gasol abused then-rookie DeMarcus Cousins last season but will see plenty of Chuck Hayes, a great post defender, this time around.

Pau turned in a solid performance Sunday with 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He should be demanding the ball more, however, instead of letting the offense dictate when he gets his looks. A player of his caliber needs more shots than the 14 attempts he got Sunday. Good things happen when Pau's on the block. Feed him the rock.

Keys To The Game

Turnovers and free throws.

These two components are essentially critical to any game, but it was obvious on Sunday that the Lakers lost the game and blew their 10-point lead in the final minutes on account of poor ball security and four straight missed free throws.

The Lakers need to learn how to close out games better and protect a lead, something they struggled with mightily in the playoffs last year. A contest like tonight gives the Lakers a great opportunity to get out early and maintain a lead wire-to-wire.

What's Ahead

The Lakers, who hopped onto a plane shortly after Sunday's loss to Chicago, will hop on yet another plane after tonight's game to head home for their third game in three days versus the Utah Jazz at STAPLES Center Tuesday.