Preview

The Lakers (36-33) host the Washington Wizards (24-43) on Friday night at Staples Center.  Kobe Bryant (ankle) and Pau Gasol (foot) are both expected to return from injury against the Wizards. Coach Mike D'Antoni said he intends to return Gasol to the starting lineup although he might give it a few games for Gasol to build up his conditioning. The Wizards are better than their record.  Point guard John Wall missed 33 games, which killed Washington's playoff hopes before they began.

The Lakers (36-32) have yet to win on two consecutive days this season.  After a victory Sunday, they have the chance to get their first such pair of back-to-back wins in 14 tries as they visit the Phoenix Suns (22-45) on Monday. The Suns, losers of four straight, are tied for the worst record in the Western Conference.  The Lakers lost in Phoenix on Jan. 30 in a game where Dwight Howard reaggravated his injured shoulder (torn labrum). The Suns almost made it two in a row on Feb. 12 but the Lakers had a fourth-quarter surge to win.  Kobe Bryant scored just four points with eight turnovers but Howard finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds.

The Lakers (35-32) return home from a three-game road trip to host the Sacramento Kings (23-43) on Sunday night at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant is doubtful after trying to play on Friday in Indiana with a severely sprained ankle, suffered Wednesday in Atlanta.  Bryant played only 12 scoreless minutes against the Pacers but the Lakers were able to pull out a 99-93 win. The Kings might be without center DeMarcus Cousins, who is dealing with...

The Lakers (34-32) visit the Indiana Pacers (40-24) on Friday night. The Pacers are the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. Defensively, Indiana is a bear, holding teams to just 89.7 points a game. The Lakers score 102.4 points nightly, but can they get close to that with Kobe Bryant on the shelf with a severely sprained ankle? Earl Clark, still starting for the injured Pau Gasol (foot), also sprained an ankle Wednesday but is expected to be available in Indiana. The Lakers lost a close one at Staples Center to the Pacers in late November on a last-second layup from point guard George Hill.

It seems "overexposure" is not in Justin Timberlake's vocabulary. The man with a preference for suit and ties continues his publicity tour -- this time with a one-hour special on The CW. The network that's home to eternally youthful vampires and a chiseled bowman will air the music special titled "Target Presents the IHeartRadio Album Release Party With Justin Timberlake" (breathe here) on March 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT (an encore will air March 22). The special will feature the 32-year-old pop star discussing the making of his long-anticipated new album "20/20 Experience" -- a preview of which is already making the rounds on iTunes -- along with performances filmed during the release party at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.

Here are six books (and book events) to which I'm especially looking forward: a preview of the writes of spring. April 2 "The Flamethrowers" by Rachel Kushner Scribner Rachel Kushner's first novel, "Telex From Cuba," was a sensation: Set in the years before the Cuban revolution, it was a national bestseller and a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award. Her follow-up, "The Flamethrowers," operates in the space between creativity and politics, the saga of an artist who travels from Lower Manhattan in the late 1970s to become immersed in the white hot center of Italian radical politics.