After earning just their second road win of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have a long road trip ahead of them. The Lakers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-101 on Sunday, January 29, improving their road record to a dismal 2-7. The Lakers will travel across the U.S. and even into Canada during their upcoming six-game road trip. Hopefully, that record will see some vast improvement once the Lakers get back out on the road, but not before they face the Charlotte Bobcats on January 31. The matchup against the Bobcats will be their only home game until February 14.

The Bobcats, who are equally as bad on the road as the Lakers are, have the misfortune of playing the Lakers at Staples Center – where the Lakers are 10-2 on the season. Then again, with the Bobcats record being 3-18, I’m not too sure it would matter where these two teams played, it would still be a rough go for the Bobcats.

The Bobcats have won just one road game all year and the Lakers nearly lost in Minnesota after blowing 18 point lead. However, the Lakers will now look for their first back-to-back victories since their five-game winning streak ended in the middle of January. Also, against the Timberwolves, the Lakers topped the 100-point mark for just the first time in 13 games, something Lakers will look to duplicate against the Bobcats. The Bobcats however will be looking to avoid their ninth straight loss and just their second win of the month as their only victory in January has come against the Golden State Warriors on January 14.

As a fan, watching the Lakers play lately has been a bit of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. The only beacon of consistency, in my opinion, has been Kobe Bryant—who not only leads the Lakers, but the league, in scoring. The recent emergence of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum as central contributors will definitely help the Lakers mold into their new offense of rhythm. Playing with Mike Brown has not been easy for some Lakers as they have moved away from their traditional triangle offense that was so well-known by many Laker fans.

With he Bobcats struggling from injuries, I don’t expect the Lakers do have too much trouble improving the home record to 11-2—as the Lakers have won two straight against the Bobcats at home. The victory would also give the Lakers a small piece of momentum before they head out on the road – something they desperately need if they wish to improve upon their dreary road record.

I have to believe that the Lakers would not surrender an opportunity to put away a team like the Bobcats before heading on the road for such a long road trip. If they want to stay competitive in the Western Conference they’re going to need to continue beating teams they’re supposed to and begin winning on the road.

Prediction: Lakers 103 – Bobcats 92

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where they post fresh content daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp

Sources:

NBA.com. Lakers vs. Bobcats Preview. NBA 2012.

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San Jose Sharks Second-Half Preview: Fan Breakdown

Pau Gasol Tries to Shake “Soft” Image – Fan Opinion

Lakers Hold Off Timberwolves 106-101: Fan Reaction

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By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The Washington Wizards may have found the recipe for winning this season: playing the Charlotte Bobcats.

Well, that and a balanced offensive attack.

The Wizards (4-16) defeated the Bobcats for the second time in four nights Saturday 102-99 as six players scored in double digits, including JaVale McGee, who led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

The week’s two wins equal the Wizards’ total number of victories in their first 17 games combined.

John Wall added 13 points and 10 assists for the Wizards (4-16). They also got 21 points from Nick Young, while reserves Trevor Booker and Jordan Crawford chipped in with 16 and 12 points, respectively.

“We had good balance,” Wall said. “I think tonight nobody cared about who scored. We just went out there and played basketball. That’s what you’ve got to do to win. Some nights it’s going to be different people leading in scoring and you’ve just got to live with it.”

Washington’s victory offset a terrific performance from rookie Bobcats rookie Kemba Walker, who had 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Walker became the first rookie this season to register a triple-double.

Three rookies accomplished the feat a year ago: Wall, Blake Griffin and Jordan Crawford.

Coach Paul Silas has asked Walker to look for his teammates more since moving over to point guard following the injury to D.J. Augustin last week. On Saturday night Walker seemed to heed the message.

He seemed to see the floor better than he has in his previous three starts at the point.

“I was just more patient tonight,” Walker said. “I’ve been watching a lot of film with the coaches and they’ve been showing me certain opportunities that I have on the court that I haven’t been taking. Tonight, I just took those opportunities and that just made things a lot easier.”

Silas said Walker, the ninth overall pick in the NBA draft, is starting to develop some point guard skills, which is encouraging.

“He really is coming along and he’s a really good rebounder for his size,” Silas said. “He gets in there all the time and he’s putting up numbers on the board scoringwise. This is really going to help them, as I told all the guys.”

For two teams battling to stay out of the NBA basement, it was a fairly intense game.

Wall said he could sense the Bobcats (3-18) wanted this game after losing earlier this week to the Wizards. The Bobcats have lost eight straight.

“We knew they wanted revenge for what we did to them on Wednesday night so we were coming out knowing it was going to be a tough match,” Wall said. “We figured out how to close out the game down the stretch.”

Well, sort of.

The Wizards made it more interesting than it needed to be.

Trailing 102-99 with 41.2 seconds left, the Bobcats had a chance to tie, but burned almost the entire shot clock, unable to get a look at an open 3-pointer as the Wizards stepped up the defense. Eventually, Boris Diaw drove the lane but missed and McGee quickly grabbed the rebound.

The Bobcats immediately fouled.

McGee had a chance to put the game on ice but with the Wizards leading by three missed two free throws with 6 seconds remaining. The Bobcats got the rebound off the second miss and called timeout.

They set up an inbounds play but Matt Carroll missed a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“I caught it a little deeper than I wanted and I was kind of hurried,” Carroll said. “I had a good look, but it just didn’t fall.”

It was Washington’s first win on the road.

“It feels good to get this first one because it’s much earlier than last year,” Young said. “It took us like 30-something games last year, so this is a big improvement.”

McGee was the latest center to have a field day against the Bobcats, exposing their lack of an interior defense. McGee shot 9 of 14 from the field and had good success using his hook shot.

Booker also ripped up the Bobcats, hitting on all 6 of his shots, most of those in and around the lane.

“Book, with his ability to roll to the basket and catch and finish was huge,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. “I don’t think he missed a shot did he? I mean 6 for 6, that was huge.”

The Bobcats got a good effort from Diaw, who was back in the starting lineup and contributed 21 points and 10 assists. Byron Mullens scored 23 points, while Carroll and Tyrus Thomas each added 13.

Notes: Washington shot 53% from the field and won despite being outrebounded by the smaller Bobcats 42-32. … The Bobcats were playing without five players, including their two leading scorers: Gerald Henderson and Augustin. Augustin has missed the last four games with a toe injury, while Henderson sat out after re-injuring his back in Friday night’s loss to the 76ers.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 28, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Washington Wizards may have found the recipe for winning this season: playing the Charlotte Bobcats.

Well, that and a balanced offensive attack.

The Wizards (4-16) defeated the Bobcats for the second time in four nights Saturday 102-99 as six players scored in double digits, including JaVale McGee, who led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

The week’s two wins equal the Wizards’ total number of victories in their first 17 games combined.

John Wall added 13 points and 10 assists for the Wizards (4-16). They also got 21 points from Nick Young, while reserves Trevor Booker and Jordan Crawford chipped in with 16 and 12 points, respectively.ebounds and 11 assists. The 6-foot-1 Walker joined Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw as the only players in franchise history to record such a feat.

“We had good balance,” Wall said. “I think tonight nobody cared about who scored. We just went out there and played basketball. That’s what you’ve got to do to win. Some nights it’s going to be different people leading in scoring and you’ve just got to live with it.”

Washington’s victory offset a terrific performance from rookie Bobcats rookie Kemba Walker, who had 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Walker became the first rookie this season to register a triple-double.

Three rookies accomplished the feat a year ago: Wall, Blake Griffin and Jordan Crawford.

Coach Paul Silas has asked Walker to look for his teammates more since moving over to point guard following the injury to D.J. Augustin last week. On Saturday night Walker seemed to heed the message.

He seemed to see the floor better than he has in his previous three starts at the point.

“I was just more patient tonight,” Walker said. “I’ve been watching a lot of film with the coaches and they’ve been showing me certain opportunities that I have on the court that I haven’t been taking. Tonight, I just took those opportunities and that just made things a lot easier.”

Silas said Walker, the ninth overall pick in the NBA draft, is starting to develop some point guard skills, which is encouraging.

“He really is coming along and he’s a really good rebounder for his size,” Silas said. “He gets in there all the time and he’s putting up numbers on the board scoringwise. This is really going to help them, as I told all the guys.”

For two teams battling to stay out of the NBA basement, it was a fairly intense game.

Wall said he could sense the Bobcats (3-18) wanted this game after losing earlier this week to the Wizards. The Bobcats have lost eight straight.

“We knew they wanted revenge for what we did to them on Wednesday night so we were coming out knowing it was going to be a tough match,” Wall said. “We figured out how to close out the game down the stretch.”

Well, sort of.

The Wizards made it more interesting than it needed to be.

Trailing 102-99 with 41.2 seconds left, the Bobcats had a chance to tie, but burned almost the entire shot clock, unable to get a look at an open 3-pointer as the Wizards stepped up the defense. Eventually, Boris Diaw drove the lane but missed and McGee quickly grabbed the rebound.

The Bobcats immediately fouled.

McGee had a chance to put the game on ice but with the Wizards leading by three missed two free throws with 6 seconds remaining. The Bobcats got the rebound off the second miss and called timeout.

They set up an inbounds play but Matt Carroll missed a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“I caught it a little deeper than I wanted and I was kind of hurried,” Carroll said. “I had a good look, but it just didn’t fall.”

It was Washington’s first win on the road.

“It feels good to get this first one because it’s much earlier than last year,” Young said. “It took us like 30-something games last year, so this is a big improvement.”

McGee was the latest center to have a field day against the Bobcats, exposing their lack of an interior defense. McGee shot 9 of 14 from the field and had good success using his hook shot.

Booker also ripped up the Bobcats, hitting on all six of his shots, most of those in and around the lane.

“Book, with his ability to roll to the basket and catch and finish was huge,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. “I don’t think he missed a shot did he? I mean 6 for 6, that was huge.”

The Bobcats got a good effort from Diaw, who was back in the starting lineup and contributed 21 points and 10 assists. Byron Mullens scored 23 points, while Carroll and Tyrus Thomas each added 13.

Notes

• Washington shot 53 percent from the field and won despite being outrebounded by the smaller Bobcats 42-32.
• The Bobcats were playing without five players, including their two leading scorers: Gerald Henderson and Augustin. Augustin has missed the last four games with a toe injury, while Henderson sat out after re-injuring his back in Friday night’s loss to the 76ers.