For the second and last time this season, the Black Mamba and King James will duke it out.
Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers (24-27) are starting to pick up some momentum, but to keep going, they're going to have to go up against the red-hot defending champion Miami Heat (33-14) when the Lakers host them at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla.
After a week filled with angry verbal jabs between Bryant and fellow Lakers All-Star Dwight Howard, the Lakers were looking like a smooth unit in their last game on Friday, when they beat the Charlotte Bobcats 100-93 behind Bryant's 20 points and Howard's double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. Having won seven of their last 10 games, the Lakers are looking to finally break above the .500 mark and close the first half of the season on a high note before the All-Star Game on Feb. 17.
Yet the Heat are starting to look more like the fearsome team that won the title last season, beating the Pacific Division-leading L.A. Clippers handily 111-89 on Friday behind James' 30 points and 20 points from Dwayne Wade. That win puts Miami's winning streak at four games.
The last time these two teams faced off on Jan. 17, despite a late surge by the Lakers, James' 39 points and Ray Allen's seven points in the final five minutes helped Miami pull off a 99-90 win at the Staples Center. The Lakers face a stiff challenge heading to Miami, where the Heat have posted an Eastern Conference-best 21-3 record this season.
Can Bryant, third in the league in scoring with 27.4 points per game, outduel No.4 scorer James (26.9 points) and lead the Lakers to victory? Or will the Heat be too hot to handle for Los Angeles?
Latinos Post breaks down the key match-ups for today's big game:
Shooting Guard: Dwayne Wade, Heat vs. Kobe Bryant, Lakers
As good as Bryant is, Wade was just better the last time they faced on Jan. 17, with a gassed-out Bryant having a dreadful 8-for-25 shooting night to finish with 22 points while Wade closed out with 27 points, outscoring Bryant and helping the Heat take the first game of this two-game series.
As of late, Bryant, who has been dealing with a sprained right elbow, has seen his scoring decline in the last five games, only scoring 20.6 points per game on 41 percent shooting. That's not good news for L.A. as he heads into battle with Wade, who has been on top of his game as of late, averaging 22.2 points since Feb. 1. Bryant will need some help containing Wade, but if he allows the Miami All-Star guard to take off again, the Heat will sweep this series.
Advantage: Even
Point Guard: Mario Chalmers, Heat vs. Steve Nash, Lakers
Chalmers is coming off a red-hot night against the Clippers on Friday, where he went 3-for-5 from downtown en route to 18 points. If Chalmers can get his three-ball going, that could easily sink the Lakers, who shouldn't underestimate him.
Nash is holding steady with 7.4 assists since February, but where he's really kicked it up a notch is on offense, where he is scoring 14.2 points per night, including a 17-point performance Friday against Charlotte. Nash will have to keep the offense moving and flowing, not an easy thing to do when Miami still knows how to shut down transition offense.
Advantage: Lakers
Center: Chris Bosh, Heat vs. Dwight Howard, Lakers
Neither one of these two All-Star big men were particularly impressive in their last meeting, Bosh scoring only eight points and Howard limited to 13 points.
Howard, who has been making headlines all week amid word of infighting and questioning the legitimacy of his torn labrum, has been slow to get back to form after sitting out the last three games, only scoring 12 points against Charlotte on Friday. Bosh has also been maligned, sitting out the last two games, Friday's game due to illness. If Bosh doesn't play Sunday, that opens up a big hole in the middle that the Lakers could exploit.
Advantage: Even
Power Forward: Udonis Haslem, Heat vs. Earl Clark, Lakers
Clark has really started to step up since grabbing the starting role at the four-spot, averaging 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds over the last five games, including a 17-point, 10-rebound night against Charlotte on Friday.
Haslem's defense will be a key factor in this matchup, as the 6'8" forward will have to focus on keeping Clark contained. Look for Haslem to lend a hand in helping to slow down Howard.
Advantage: Lakers
Small Forward: LeBron James, Heat vs. Metta World Peace, Lakers
World Peace had a decent game on offense with 16 points in their last matchup, but James torched him for 39 points in a stellar night for the three-time and reigning league MVP.
World Peace hasn't been much on offense lately, only scoring 7.5 points with 6.5 rebounds since February, not counting the one-game suspension he served for grabbing Detroit's Brandon Knight by the throat Feb. 3. James, meanwhile, has been on fire for the month of February, shooting 68.4 percent from the field and scoring 30.2 points per night.
World Peace cannot afford to let James dictate the pace of the game again, but with a player as multi-faceted as Miami's starting small forward, it often seems to go that way, anyway.
Advantage: Heat
Bench
Gasol is out for six to eight weeks, weakening the Lakers' reserve corps significantly. Antawn Jamison has been L.A's most reliable bench scorer, but Darius Morris and Chris are going to have to do more and step up for this matchup.
Ray Allen missed Friday's Clippers game due to illness and will likely be a game-time decision, but without him on the bench, Miami's reserves look much more depleted. They'll need better games from Rashard Lewis, who scored 10 points against the Clippers from the bench, and Chris Anderson, who scored eight points in 18 minutes, while getting defensive contributions from Joel Anthony and Norris Cole.
Advantage: Heat
TV Schedule, Live Score
Game time starts at 3:30 p.m. EST Sunday on ABC. Live score is available via TV Companion, here.
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