The Los Angeles Lakers will need to get a home win if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive when they host the visiting San Antonio Spurs for Game 3 of the Western Conference first round game at 10:30 p.m. ET.
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Via ESPN:
Los Angeles still has two star big men, but even Dwight Howard realizes this patchwork roster is getting awfully flimsy. He won't use it as an excuse for whatever happens after the Spurs took firm control of the series in Texas.
"We have total confidence that we can come back and win this series," Howard said after a light practice at the Lakers' training complex. "We believe in each other. We worked too hard to get to the playoffs. We had to fight to get in. We're not just going to give up because we're down and we have a lot of guys that are injured."
But the Lakers realize they're in a tight spot heading back to Staples Center. Nash and Meeks, who has a sprained left ankle, are doubtful for Game 3 when the Lakers attempt to get started on just the third comeback from an 0-2 playoff series deficit in franchise history.
Coach Mike D'Antoni said Blake is definitely out with a strained right hamstring. Nash attempted to remain optimistic after getting two epidural injections and a cortisone injection -- his third pain-relieving injections in a week -- on his sore back and hamstrings.
"Fingers crossed that it helps at all, and second, that it helps that quickly," Nash said. "I have been called a doctor of chemistry by certain people in the media, but I couldn't make a prediction. ... I'm still in a lot of discomfort, not only from last night, but from getting a bunch of darts stuck in me."
