Lakers Seeking Revenge Against the Bobcats

It’s almost unheard of for the Lakers to be this motivated for a game against a non-contender, but they sound fired up heading into tonight‘s matchup against a different-looking Charlotte squad. The LA Times reports: “That’s why Lakers forward Matt Barnes, who probably will play Friday against Charlotte after missing 25 games following right knee surgery, values his return for other reasons. ‘The way they celebrated and were talking trash the last time the team was out there, that’s really been on everyone’s mind,’ Barnes said. ‘They’re aware of that. So it’ll be a different outcome tomorrow. I guarantee.’ … ‘They’ve been successful for sure and it’s something that bothers us,’ Pau Gasol said of the Bobcats. ‘Hopefully tomorrow, they won’t be and we’ll be getting our way and paying them back for the disaster game we had over there this season.’ … ‘They’re talented individuals and they elevate their play when they go against us,’ Kobe Bryant said. ‘If they played the rest of the league the way they play against us, they’d be up there in the playoffs.'”