The Lakers will host the Pacers on Jan. 20, and the Purple and Gold Army's defensive defense has improved considerably. The Lakers ditched the starting five and used Howard to play the starting center. In this game, the Lakers will hit 7 major milestones.
First, James has played 1342 games in his career, ranking 16th in history, and as long as he participates in this game, his career appearances can equal Pierce to rise to 15th in NBA history.
Second, James has grabbed 9990 rebounds, and as long as he grabs 10 rebounds, he will reach the 10,000 career rebounds mark.
Third, Howard has played 1216 games, ranking 40th in history, and as long as he plays in this game, he will equal Nash and rise to 39th place in history.
Fourth, Howard has grabbed 14,457 rebounds to rank 11th in history, and with just eight rebounds, he will surpass Nate Thurmond to 10th all-time.
Fifth, Anthony has shot 1678 three-pointers to rank 29th in history, and if he shoots seven three-pointers in this game, he can catch up with Nash and tie for 28th place in history. Anthony was suspicious of an injury.
Sixth, Anthony has grabbed 5735 defensive rebounds and is ranked 48th in history, and with just 2 rebounds, he will surpass Elton Brand and rise to 47th all-time.
Seventh, Ariza has placed 32nd all-time with 1619 steals, and with just 2 steals, it will overtake Wade and Eddie Jones to 30th all-time.
The Lakers' previous use of the five small did not achieve good results, the defense became very bad, the record declined, it was difficult to win the strong team, and Vogel's coaching position was also shaken. Fortunately, the Lakers coaching staff is no longer obsessed with playing five small, and Howard is starting to be used again.
This game is against the Pacers with Miles Turner and Sabonis Jr., and the Lakers obviously still have to use Howard to play the starting center. This will help Warcraft impact milestones in this battle.