TV: League Pass
- The Lakers will be without All Star center Andrew Bynum when they host the Nets tonight at Staples Center, coach Mike Brown confirmed. Bynum left in the first quarter of a victory Sunday night against the visiting Warriors after landing on the foot of teammate Josh McRoberts, sustaining a sprained left ankle. Bynum, who is averaging 17.9 points and 11.9 rebounds, skipped the morning shoot-around while undergoing treatment. McRoberts will start at power forward and Pau Gasol will switch to center, Brown said. Troy Murphy will likely receive extra minutes as well. Murphy and Gasol are distinctly different offensive players than Bynum, scoring most their points from the perimeter.
- The Nets will be trying to win four in a row for the first time since March 2011. Two of their last three victories have occurred on the road, but that’s not such a surprise, considering New Jersey is one of just two teams in the NBA with a better road record than home.
- What type of reception New Jersey forward Kris Humphries receives from the L.A. crowd is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for certain, he’s having the best season of his eight-year career. Humphries is averaging career-highs of 13.4 points and 11 rebounds. He posted nine double-doubles in the month of March. With Murphy or McRoberts likely trying to defend him, Humphries could find the match up to his liking.
– Dan Arritt
awww we will miss bynum
aww we will miss andrew go lakers