Lakers News: Dwight Howard Will Power Los Angeles Through Late-Season Schedule

The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most polarizing stories of the NBA season. With just 19 games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers are tied with the Utah Jazz for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, and it appears all the turmoil could be dissipating.

Date Opponent Date Opponent March 10 vs. Chicago Bulls March 30 at Sacramento Kings March 12 at Orlando Magic April 2 vs. Dallas Mavericks March 13 at Atlanta Hawks April 5 vs. Memphis Grizzlies March 15 at Indiana Pacers April 7 at Los Angeles Clippers March 17 vs. Sacramento Kings April 9 vs. New Orleans Hornets March 18 at Phoenix Suns April 10 at Portland Trail Blazers March 22 vs. Washington Wizards April 12 vs. Golden State Warriors March 25 at Golden State Warriors April 14 vs. San Antonio Spurs March 27 at Minnesota Timberwolves April 17 vs. Houston Rockets March 28 at Milwaukee Bucks      

Center Dwight Howard has been the target of most of the negative attention. But with a playoff berth now at the Lakers’ fingertips, Howard is dedicated to helping his team do something special (as quoted by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne):

I'm a big thinker. So I just stayed in the hotel and thought about the first half of the season and how I could do better for our team. And I just told myself, 'I'm going to commit myself to being better for the second half of the season.'

That may not seem like much, but it’s a step in the right direction, especially after a first half that saw Howard miss time due to a shoulder injury and ultimately play with an ineffectiveness Los Angeles wasn’t expecting when it acquired the league’s premier big man.



Since the All-Star break, Howard is averaging 15.4 points per game—a modest number for the center, but he's done nothing to suggest he can’t be a big asset at the offensive end of the floor the rest of the ...

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