Before we dive into the story lines, here is the Lakers schedule for their first-round series against New Orleans.

Game 1: Sunday at Staples Center/12:30 p.m./ABC

Game 2 – Wednesday at Staples Center/7:30 p.m. TNT / FS West

Game 3 – Friday at New Orleans / 6:30 p.m. ESPN / KCAL9

Game 4 – Sunday, April 24, at New Orleans / 6:30 p.m. TNT / KCAL9

Game 5 * Tuesday, April 26, at Staples Center / TBD TBD / FS West

Game 6 * Thursday, April 28, at New Orleans / TBD TBD / KCAL9

Game 7 * Saturday, April 30, at Staples Center TBD TNT / FS West

1. How healthy will the Lakers be? There are plenty of encouraging signs. After Lakers center Andrew Bynum hyperextended his right knee Tuesday against San Antonio, his MRI the next day revealed he simply has a bone bruise and should be ready to play in Game 1 of the Lakers-Hornets first-round series Sunday at 12:30 p.m. After experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired right knee, Lakers forward Matt Barnes also had an MRI on Wednesday and results "showed no new damage," according to the team, and is expected to suit up. Lakers guard Steve Blake is out an indefinite amount of time because of the chicken pox. With exception to Blake's illness, the Lakers are fortunate the injuries to Bynum and Barnes aren't considered as serious and the Lakers' first-round schedule ensures they'll have plenty of time to rest. But anyone knows it's best to take a cautious outlook on anything connected to Bynum, injuries and timetable because all of his injuries have entailed lengthy recovery times and limitations and all initial estimations have always proven to be wrong.

1. Expect a playoff atmosphere Thursday night. For once, the Lakers are touting this as a big game. The Lakers (53-20) have only a half-game edge over Dallas for second place in the Western Conference and whichever team wins would also win the regular-season series, two games to one. A Lakers victory would widen their lead over Dallas to 1 1/2 games and at least keep them up to speed with San Antonio, which had lost five straight games to Boston before playing the Celtics on Thursday night.

By no means will this make or break either team's chances for home-court advantage, however, because the Lakers have eight games left in the regular season and the Mavericks nine. Even though a Dallas win would give the Mavericks a 2-1 regular-series edge over the Lakers, that doesn't automatically mean the Mavs would have home-court advantage if the two teams finished with the same record. That's because the Lakers have already clinched the Pacific Division and that's more important than head-to-head record. The Mavericks would have to surpass San Antonio and clinch the Southwest Division to win the  tiebreaker, and because the Spurs hold a four-game lead over Dallas that scenario isn't likely. But if it did it's safe to presume the Lakers and Dallas would then be competing for the first and second seeds.

Both teams enter this contest peaking at the right time. The Lakers have won seven consecutive games, have won nine in a row at Staples Center and are 15-1 since the All-Star break for various reasons, including Andrew Bynum's defensive resurgence, Ron Artest's improved shooting, Kobe Bryant's health with the exception of a sprained left ankle that kept him limited for three games and Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom's both putting together consistent performances. Meanwhile, the Mavericks boast a league-leading 27-10 road record, have won five consecutive games and have shown improvement in several statistical categories compared with their regular-season averages during that stretch, including team defense (85 points vs. 95.81), opponent's field-goal percentage (43% vs. 45%) and opponent's three-point field-goal percentage (24% vs. 34.7%). So much for Phil Jackson's belief that the Mavericks would be in trouble after Caron Butler suffered a season-ending knee injury in early January.

1. The Lakers showcased their best defensive effort of the season in their 109-87 victory Sunday over the New York Knicks

The Knicks tried to pick up the pace and play in the open court, but the Lakers cut off them off. The Knicks tried to pound the Lakers inside, but they just fought right back. The Knicks featured four players in double figures, but the Lakers made them all work for their points.

It's not everyday the Lakers put together this type of effort. In fact, the Lakers usually provide the same reel in each game that becomes easy to dissect but difficult to correct: poor shot selection and turnovers lead to transition buckets, failing to close out while defending three-point shots, little communication on pick-and-roll plays that lead to drives to the basket, late or no help defense allowing for easy penetration. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson expressed plenty of concern for the Lakers in matching up against the Knicks, even if the team recently installed new wrinkles in their defense that emphasized stronger communication to ensure consistent defensive rotations, more emphasis on defending the perimeter and cutting off baseline drives. But maintaining that discipline can prove tough against a team that leads the league in scoring, can punish teams in the open floor and on drives to the rack.

But the Lakers didn't allow that to happen against New York.

In a game that Jackson believed would be dictated by pace, the Lakers played energetic but maintained defensive toughness. Ron Artest's clothesline of Amare Stoudemire in the third quarter earned him a flagrant foul 1, a move perhaps as unjustified as when he put his hand on Shawne Williams' throat in the first quarter that led to a technical foul. But that kind of grittiness defined the Lakers' mind-set for nearly the entire game.

"Ron is tough. It's just a fine line with him because you don't know where he stands with the officiating," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said. "It's tough for him to be physical. A play that Steve Blake makes, a physical play that Ron Artest makes might get him ejected or suspended. He walks a very fine line in this league."

Stoudemire, who entered the game averaging 26.3 points and 9.3 rebounds a game, nearly matched that point total with 23, but it came on seven-of-24 shooting. Artest and Bynum swarmed Stoudemire on a double team in one possession. Odom and Gasol double teamed him on another. And Odom and Bynum then teamed up on him. Among the Knicks' players to score in double figures -- Stoudemire (23), Wilson Chandler (19), Landry Fields (12) and Raymond Felton (12) -- only Fields shot 50%. The Lakers limited the Knicks to 36% shooting and a scoreless drought of four minutes in the third quarter.

"I think we can definitely win a championship with this type of defense," Jackson said. "The idea of facing a team that is a high scoring team that has smalls on the floor and their biggest guy Stoudemire is at 6'10" and most of them is under 6'8" from there on out is a challenge for our big guys to stay in the game and guard them. They're athletic. For us to handle the ball, so they don't get run outs and take care of the three-point line so they don't shoot the three-pointers, that was really the purpose we had defensively. We got some of that accomplished. There's still a little ways to go before I think we perfect that if there is such a thing as perfecting a defense."

2. Bynum's block on Stoudemire was clean and he shouldn't have gotten ejected, but he should've backed away

 Setting up on the right block, Stoudemire pulled up for a jumper only to have Bynum swipe it clean. Not according to referee Leon Wood, however, who gave Bynum his fourth foul with the Lakers leading 81-70 andh 11:26 remaining in the game.

Bynum stared in total amazement, yelled, "Are you serious" to Wood, and then received a technical foul. The call created plenty of boos from the 18,997 at Staples Center, with the fans yelling "Bull..." Bynum's arguing and near bump ofo Wood warranted a technical because it clearly was a demonstrative reaction to a bad call. But he shouldn't have gotten ejected. Instead of walking away from Wood, Bynum stood near his vicinity and continued to voice his displeasured, receiving another T and an automatic ejection.

"I said, 'Are you serious.' I don't know if that really warrants a technical or a double technical like that. I was pretty surprised. You could watch the telecast and read my lips, 'Are you serious,'" said Bynum, who hadn't been ejected since Dec. 2007 in a game against San Antonio. "He's a grown man. I don't know if I showed him up or not."

"He wouldn't acknowledge me. I asked him a question and he put his head down like a bad lab."

1. Dealing with Derrick Rose

Easier said than done. Rose has reached elite point-guard status in the league, now averaging 25 points and eight assists a game. The saying goes you don't stop great players, you only hope to contain them. The question is how will the Lakers deal with Rose? You have to stop him before he gets into open space in transition and team defense is critical in the half-court game since very few players in the league can stop him from getting into the lane with one-on-one defense.

With the Lakers down to two healthy big men -- Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom -- it will be interesting to see if they try to funnel Rose into traps and away from the lane. It's no secret that Derek Fisher and Steve Blake have trouble handling quick and athletic guards, plenty of which play in the NBA. Derrick Rose is quick, athletic and strong, with the ability to finish at the rim. Keeping his forays to a minimum and making him give up the ball are critical.

2. Controlling the tempo for the sake of Gasol and Odom

With Andrew Bynum, Theo Ratliff and, now, Derrick Caracter out of action, it will be key for the Lakers to control the tempo by running a disciplined offense that maximizes possessions, keeping the Bulls from getting into transition and limiting their turnovers. The Lakers have plenty of firepower on offense, so controlling the boards and not hoisting up too many long-range jumpers that lead to long rebounds will be critical.

3. How Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer play together

With Boozer having recently returned to the court from injury, combined with a lack of depth in the frontcourt for the Lakers, this will be interesting to see unfold. Boozer's presence in the low post actually takes away from Noah's game, since he's best when moving down the lane off a pick-and-roll play or rolling through the lane while Rose occupies the defense with his forays from the perimeter. Word in Chicago is that Noah's game has been thrown off a bit by the return of Boozer, who had 29 points and 14 rebounds in a 99-90 victory over Oklahoma City earlier this week. Still, the two make a formidable combo up front for any team to handle.

4. Speading the workload around the triangle

With Gasol and Odom having to log heavy minutes tonight, look for Kobe Bryant to shoulder a bigger burden on offense. This doesn't always work to the Lakers' advantage, because when Bryant goes into scoring mode, it often disrupts the flow of the triangle. Shannon Brown had 21 points the last time these teams played, a 98-91 Lakers win on Nov. 23rd. Then again, when Kobe gets his game going and becomes more of a facilitator than a scorer, he single-handedly changes the complexion of the game.

5. Chicago farewell for Phil Jackson

This should be the coach's final game in Chicago, barring a meeting in the NBA Finals, which I wouldn't count on, but in the Eastern Conference one never knows. Not to get too sentimental, but he had some good times in that city (not counting the contentious end of his run there). I don't think this will have any direct impact on the game, but it's part of the pageantry that goes with the NBA.

--Dan Loumena

1. The Lakers ended their four-game losing streak. The significance of the Lakers' 113-80 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday at Staples Center is fairly minimal, considering that the Kings (4-13) entered the contest having lost 11 of their last 12 games and had a limited Tyreke Evans and tons of youth.

But here's where the victory is significant: It would not be healthy for the Lakers (14-6) to wait four days before playing a game after a loss. The Lakers already showed a stoic and levelheaded demeanor following their fourth loss in a row, but piling on another one would only have increased the frustration and tension. Having to then sit with that before a game Tuesday against Washington would only heighten their antsiness to get out and end that streak. After all, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson readily acknowledged that the team felt "frustrated" with losing four consecutive games for the first time since April 2007. So now instead of furthering that streak, the Lakers have a half-week stretch in which they don't have to field questions about their latest loss and they don't have to overly scrutinize their weaknesses.

Still, it's critical to consider the opponent.

"It's hard to make a judgment," Jackson said. "Have we broken free from the bonds that have held us, or are we still mired in what we're doing and we just got a weak sister in this particular time of the year?"

It's typical that Jackson gives his players a day off after a large block of games, particularly when the schedule shows a three-day cushion before the next contest. But the Lakers want center Andrew Bynum to practice as much as possible, so on Saturday, he'll take part in a half-court four-on-four scrimmage to test his surgically repaired right knee. With the Lakers' starters planning to rest, however, Jackson said he doesn't really know how valuable that practice will be. He also said he plans to keep the practice short because afterward the Lakers have their annual holiday event, sponsored by East West Bank, that entails hosting a clinic and providing gifts for underprivileged children. Jackson also said Monday's practice might be fairly limited because the Lakers have a holiday party.

(In an interesting aside, Jackson didn't seem too concerned with correct spelling when he wrote this on the white board in the locker room following the game, specifying Saturday's schedule: "11 report, Children Holiday, Joyfull ,Blessed, Gift, Xmas party, 1230ish").

Jackson's mild complaint about the Lakers adjusting their practice times based on the team's "social calendar" prompted a reporter to jokingly suggest that Jackson is exclaiming "Bah! Humbug!" a la Ebenezer Scrooge.

"It just turned December," Jackson said, smiling. "I begin celebrating Christmas on the 21st."

The Lakers certainly wouldn't have been in much of a festive spirit Saturday, however, without a win.

2. Pau Gasol proved healthy enough to play. He had spent all Friday morning receiving treatment and stretching his strained left hamstring, but the routine almost proved pointless, considering he arrived at Staples Center 35 minutes late in connection with an undisclosed personal matter.

It turned out the team's warm-up was all Gasol needed to determine he could play, though he later said the hamstring "felt a little sore and a little tight." His 16 points on six-of-eight shooting showed he could overcome that discomfort. He displayed his usual post efficiency, such as when he saw a cutting Shannon Brown through the lane and pivoted a few steps before banking in a jumper. Gasol was in slow motion running up and down the court, but considering how efficiently the Lakers played on offense and defense, it was good enough.

I didn't push it too hard," Gasol said. "I was able to play through it."

"He looked all right," Jackson said. "I thought he moved OK, played inside the framework we were trying to do tonight. It was a real aggressive offensive game for him, but he did fine."

Most important, Gasol played only 27 minutes, after logging at least 40 minutes per game in four of the last five contests. Always eager to find a way to needle Gasol, Jackson told him he might to reenter the game after rookie Derrick Caracter picked up his fifth foul with 3:53 remaining.

Said Jackson: "He got quite animated and asked Derrick to watch his fouls. It was the most animated he was all night in a lot of ways."

Even though Gasol knew Jackson was joking, he didn't want to take his chances and told the coach, "Ron [Artest] is ready" before also offering a warning to Caracter.

"He [Gasol] just said play smart the last four minutes," Caracter said, "and don't get the last foul."

1. Will the Lakers come out with more energy?

The stakes against Houston (5-12) Wednesday night aren't as high as when the Lakers hosted the Rockets in a nail-biting, hair-wrenching seven-game series in the 2009 Western Conference semifinals. But it's rare for the Lakers (13-5) to lose three consecutive games and even rarer for the team to lose four straight, the last time happening in April 2007.

It's very difficult to draw definitive big-picture conclusions in the first quarter of the season, namely because there are so many more games to go. It's not a stretch to argue that tonight's game bodes importance simply so the Lakers can stop the damage being done in the past week. A Lakers win or loss won't severely help or worsen their current struggles, but prolonged losing will yield higher scrutiny, exposing team frustrations it may have been able to minimize.

 Fortunately for the Lakers, they face the Rockets (5-12), who have lost their past four games against the Lakers in Toyota Center.

2. The Lakers won't have to worry about defending speedy guard Aaron Brooks.

That should bring some solace to Derek Fisher and Steve Blake, who were repeatedly exposed by Memphis guard Mike Conley, Indiana guards Darren Collison and T.J. Ford and Utah guard Deron Williams in the Lakers' past three losses. As much as some want to bag on Fisher, most if not all of his defensive lapses are partly rooted in the team itself not helping him out on screen and rolls and in double teams. Considering Brooks burned the Lakers for 24 points on seven-of-16 shooting in the season opener, his continuous absence because of a sprained left ankle should make the Lakers' defensive responsibility easier this time around.

That doesn't mean, however, this warrants them a day off. Aside from the obvious want to hone in on their rotations, the Lakers should also be aware of Houston guard Kyle Lowry, who has averaged 7.3 assists since replacing Brooks at the point. Brooks plays with more quickness, but Lowry is still tenacious and can expose the Lakers' poor D with his playmaking abilities. 

3. Shane Battier vs. Kobe Bryant always features a chess match.

Battier, the No Stats All-Star, enters any contest against Bryant knowing he won't fully limit him, but he'll consider it a job well done if he makes him work for his points and his production comes at the expense of everyone else. As much pleasure as Bryant has gotten out of this matchup over the years, he needs to stop falling into that trap. With the Lakers lacking much offensive rhythm and ball movement, the last thing the team can afford is Bryant resorting into his score-at-all-costs mode. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson pinned that imbalance on his teammates as well, saying they're responsible for passing the ball to Bryant. Lakers fans long argue whether these instances point to Bryant's scoring mentality, team passivity or a combination of both. Frankly, it all depends on what is happening in each game. The mechanics are rather simple: When Bryant has the hot hand, let him ride it out. When his shots aren't falling, it's time to switch from isolation to the triangle.

4. Lamar Odom may need to produce more.Don't take this the wrong way. Odom has played consistently, has played heavy minutes with Pau Gasol during Andrew Bynum's absence and has never used the soreness in his right foot as an excuse. But with Gasol becoming more and more visibly tired, Odom might be the solution in easing the workload off him. It's not particularly fair to Odom, but it's probably the most practical, considering Derrick Caracter has shown a tremendous learning curve.

5. Will the Lakers go small?With Yao Ming remaining absent from the lineup and the team's desire to rest Gasol, this might be a feasible option. Jackson has at times played Ron Artest and Matt Barnes at power forward, but that takes away the Lakers' post presence. The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen remarks that strategy could give the Rockets fits in playing Brad Miller and Jordan Hill off the bench. That lineup could also make it easier to guard Kevin Martin, who's shot only 30.8% in his past four games but lit up the Lakers in the season opener with 26 points.

I also talk about the Lakers with Don Best TV's Pat Williams in the video below.

--Mark Medina

Twitter.com/latmedina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Photo: Lakers forward Lamar Odom tries to keep his balance as he looks for a teammate after beating Rockets center Brad Miller to a rebound in the Lakers' season opener on Oct. 26. Odom was called for a foul on the play. Credit: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times.