The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off of a remarkable 99-82 shredding of the San Antonio Spurs, while the Hawks are coming off of a 92-79 loss against the Knicks. They were horrible offensively in that game, and they cannot afford to do that poorly against a far better Lakers team. The Lakers won the last meeting between these two teams, and they are the favorites heading into this game- for good reason. So let's kick back and preview the biggest matchup of tonight in the NBA.

Kirk Hinrich really gives this team a point guard that isn't a liability in defense. He is much quicker than Mike Bibby, and thus doesn't get burned by the quicker point guards out there. Derek Fisher isn't a quick PG at all, so I think Hinrich matches up pretty well against him. Hinrich is a great passer that is average in everything else. Defensively, I think Fisher doesn't really do much against him. He can hit some shots if he gets open, but that's the furthest impact I think he can have offensively in this one. Maybe Steve Blake is the man that shows up today at the point for LA. Hinrich is better than all the point guards that Los Angeles has.

Joe Johnson will either have a great game, or his shot will struggle. However, he is one of the best players in the game and is underrated because many people don't think of him of the superstar that he really is. Johnson is a solid defender, but his main asset is his offense. Backup shooting guard Jamal Crawford is arguably the best sixth man in the NBA, and he is a great scorer. I expect Kobe to get the best of him as Crawford is a poor defensive player.

Marvin Williams is a decent player that was supposed to be the next big thing, but he never ended up being that. I don't think he's bad, but Ron Artest will switch off of him and start guarding Joe Johnson and Crawford during the game and let the big guys take care of things in the interior. Josh Smith has become a good inside presence instead of just a walking highlight reel chase down blocker that got burned. Smith is solid offensively, but he will get killed on the boards by Pau.

Andrew Bynum will have a lot of fun against Al Horford. It's not that Horford isn't a good player, it's just that he isn't a true center, and he gets exposed by guys like Bynum. Bynum is a rugged defensive player that powers you down and rips you on the boards, especially when you're a soft center. Luke Walton and Zaza Pachuila won't make much of an impact on the game, but I think Jeff Teague's speed can stretch Fisher a little bit. I really don't think the bench is much of a factor in this game. Lamar Odom probably won't be better than average in this game. I think the Hawks lock him down.

The Lakers match up really well in this game. Their frontcourt is going to be too tough to stop. The Hawks might be able to frustrate Kobe, Odom, and easily handle Fisher; but I just don't see them being able to cope with Gasol and Bynum off the boards and in the paint. Ron Artest is also going to cause some problems for the Hawks offensively. I think the Lakers are able to take this game with a 99-90 score with Andrew Bynum as MVP.