kobe bryant los angeles lakers
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are four games above.500. Reuters

On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers look to bounce back from one of their worst losses of the season when they visit the Charlotte Bobcats.

L.A. fell to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night 116-95. Kobe Bryant’s game leading 27 points wasn’t enough to keep the Lakers in the game. Dwight Howard played, despite his torn labrum, but only score nine points.

In Charlotte, Los Angeles will take on the worst team in the NBA. The Bobcats are 11-37 and haven’t won any of their last five games.

Opponents have had an incredibly easy time scoring on Charlotte. They’ve given up less than 93 points just twice all season long. They rank last in the league, allowing 103.4 points per game.

Howard will look to have a bounce-back performance against Bobcats. The only time the two teams met this season, registered 16 points and 18 rebounds. He help Los Angeles come back from an 18-point deficit to win 101-100.

Pau Gasol will miss his second straight game. The Lakers will be without the big man for, possibly, eight weeks.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be on the court for Charlotte for the first time in two games. The rookie has sat out with a concussion.

Even on the road, the Lakers are expected to win. They are favored by 6.5 points in Charlotte.

The contest is set to tip off at 7 p.m. ET. You can watch a live stream online by purchasing NBA league Pass Broadband.

Prediction: Los Angeles 112, Charlotte 104

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