Former NBA champions Dallas Mavericks will take on 15-time champions L.A. Lakers tonight. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast live on TNT.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant suffered an injured right foot last week and wasn't sure if he will be able to play tonight. However, he told reporters that there is an 85 percent chance that will play.
"It's just a matter of how sore it gets from now until I get to Staples (Center)," Bryant said. "I'm not going to play with an injury that will get progressively worse and limp through the season. I worked too hard for that. Since last night, I've had substantially less pain, and the strength has gotten better. That's very encouraging."
Bryant said his foot "bruised like crazy" and that it was "painful to walk on" when "all the swelling trickled down to the tendon."
Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki's have been out after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Friday. Nowitzki is expected to be out of the lineup for at least three weeks and the team is hoping that the 11-time All-Star will only miss two weeks of the regular season.
Nowitzki is considered the best international player in the NBA. He is also considered one of the best power forwards in the league.
About 23 percent of the NBA's GMs said that the Lakers will win the 2013 finals and more than half said the team will win the Western Conference finals.
Bryant was voted as the best shooting guard in the league and teammate Dwight Howard is considered as the best center and defensive player. The mangers believe that Howard's trade to Los Angeles will have the biggest impact on the team.
The mangers also think that Bryant and Metta World Peace are the two toughest players in the NBA.
Steve Nash's move to the Lakers came as "most surprising" move of the off-season.
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