Game Notes:
At Sunday's morning shootaround, Lakers coach Byron Scott announced that Nick Young will be out for the Sunday game and may be out as long as another "week or two or three" due to slow healing. Scott said the 29-year-old still has pain in his knee, but the swelling has been improving at a slow rate. Also, the Lakers will roll out a new starting lineup with Jordan Clarkson, Wayne Ellington, Wesley Johnson, Jordan Hill and Tarik Black taking the court Sunday night. Scott said he would likely stick with them for about 10 games.
Lakers versus Mavericks: Preview
In the early hours of Saturday Morning, the Los Angeles Lakers landed in LA after a challenging three-game road trip that featured the Lakers playing in three different cities in only four nights. After getting the day off to rest, the Lakers congregated on Sunday morning and assessed the healthy bodies available for Sunday evening.
The Dallas Mavericks are in town to help welcome the purple and gold back home, but the Mavericks have already beaten the Lakers twice in two meetings this season. Both those games took place in Texas, however, and Dallas has dropped four of its last five games.
For the Mavericks, Sunday's game at Staples Center is the dessert in a hard-to-digest meal of a Western Conference road trip. On Thursday, the Mavericks lost big in Portland and Friday featured another lopsided defeat in Oakland. On Sunday, Dirk Nowitzki and company look to get the train back on its tracks against the lowly Lakers.
Dallas is struggling, and the Mavs face the Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder immediately after the Lakers. In other words, Dallas will look to win the easy game on Sunday and avoid potentially falling into a serious losing funk.
The Lakers, who continue to firmly hold onto the fourth worst record in the NBA, have lost four games in a row. Despite positive play from rookie Jordan Clarkson and backup point guard Jeremy Lin, the Lakers have struggled to finish games and claim victories -- to the delight of a strong contingent of fans eyeing the NBA's draft lottery.
While social media and the internet may be cheering every missed shot, fans in the stands have continued to support their team on the court. When the Lakers won their last two home games to end February, Staples Center applauded at both of the final buzzers and joyous supporters celebrated with free tacos against the Milwaukee Bucks. Even celebrities like Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Harrison Ford and Floyd Mayweather haven't stopped coming to games and sit courtside despite the Lakers' struggles.
On Sunday, the stars should again be in attendance, and the Lakers will host the Mavericks at Staples Center for game no. 62 on the season.
