Mar 6, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) dunks the ball against the New Orleans Hornets during the end of the fourth quarter at the New Orleans Arena. Los Angeles defeated New Orleans 108-102. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

Can Toronto claim its first victory on the Lakers’ home court since 2001? Perhaps, if they do the following:

1. Make Kobe work hard on defense. The man (or should it be The Man?) is 34, and still pouring in points from everywhere on the court. Can the taller Rudy Gay pop in some jumpers or drive on him? If those two can battle each other to a standstill, that will be huge. When Rudy is having a breather, Landry Fields should be able to bother Kobe, at a minimum.
2. Run – all night. Guys like Steve Nash and Metta World Peace are old and slow. If our guys can keep Dwight Howard from dominating the offensive boards, and get some odd-man-advantage fast break buckets, we can hurt this team.
3. Get production from the second unit. Sebastian Telfair, Alan Anderson and Terrence Ross played critical roles in Phoenix, providing both points and defense. The Lakers have promoted Earl Clark to the starting five, due to Pau Gasol’s injury. Their second unit features few big men as a result, so we can hope that Andrea Bargnani and Amir Johnson will have significant opportunities to score inside and out.

This game will be a dogfight. The Lakers are breathing down the necks of the Utah Jazz for the #8 spot in the West, and will be highly motivated in their home building. I expect the Raps will feature a tag-team of Jonas Valanciunas and Aaron Gray playing “Hack-a-Dwight” in an attempt to limit the damage Howard can do. If that succeeds (spoiler alert: ugly basketball ahead), and Kobe doesn’t run amuck, the Raps will win 105-102.

Brian Boake is a co-editor for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.

The East team was behind by 5 after the first quarter, and started the fourth quarter down 4. It was this quarter which provided some welcome tension, particularly when Kobe Bryant and LeBron James started to play one-on-one. The elder Laker “won” the confrontation, twice blocking King James’ shot attempts. The East stars were striving to overcome a deficit which twice reached ten points, and ultimately proved too much.

Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Eastern Conference forward LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat drives against Western Conference guard Kobe Bryant (24) of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

In a game of giants, it was the smallest player, Chris Paul, who came up big. He earned the MVP, draining 20 points (including 4/5 from distance) and adding an absurd 15 assists, many of them slick and imaginative.

Let’s hope that next season we’ll have a Toronto Raptor to cheer for in this flashy affair.

Here’s a lengthy collection of game highlights for your pleasure.

Brian Boake is a co-editor for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.