Lakers vs. Warriors Friday: Watch Live Stream 10:30 PM ET
The Lakers host the Warriors Friday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Live streaming of the game can be viewed at NBA.com. Absent at tonight's game will be Mike Brown who was fired Friday morning as head coach of the Lakers.
The Lakers are going into tonight's home game, which starts at 10:30 p.m. ET, with a 1-4 record. The Warriors have a 3-2 record.
Watch the game online using an NBA.com League Pass.
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The slow start forced General Manager Mitch Kupchak and ownership to let go of Brown.
"The bottom line is that the team was not winning at the pace we expected this team to win, and we didn't see improvement," said Kupchak.
Warriors coach Mark Jackson doesn't plan to let his guard down in tonight's game despite what the Lakers are going through. "They'll figure it out," Jackson said, according to Mercury News. "Our job is to make sure they don't figure it out while we're here. We understand what they're going through. But it's important for us to play to our strengths."
Assistant Coach Bernie Bickerstaff will take over as interim head coach for tonight's game as a search for a new head coach begins.
There are reports that former Lakers coach Phil Jackson is being considered. Kupchak didn't rule him out, saying, "I think we'd be negligent not to be aware that he's out there."
Also expected to be on the possible new coach list are former Suns and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan, former head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Fans and Lakers ownership have high hopes for the team this season after they acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.
The Lakers are heading into tonight's game less than 24 hours after Brown's firing. Kobe Bryant wrote on his Facebook page Friday: "As a team, we must focus our energy on tonight's game. We must block out the weight of today's news and simply do our jobs to the best of our ability."
