WESTERN CONFERENCE

Lakers vs. Sacramento

BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES

Sunday at Lakers, noon

Tuesday at Lakers, 7:30 p.m.

Friday at Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.

May 13 at Sacramento, 2:30 p.m.

May 15 *at Lakers, TBD

May 17 *at Sacramento, TBD

May 19 *at Lakers, TBD

* If necessary. TBD--to be determined

THE BREAKDOWN

* Regular season (seeds): (2) Lakers 56-26, (3) Sacramento 55-27.

* Season series: Lakers, 3-1.

* Scouting report: With a week left in the season, the Kings led the Lakers by two in the loss column, before three road losses did them in. Otherwise, hot or not, the Lakers would be sweating bullets at the thought of playing the Kings without home-court advantage. The Kings are a lot better than last season, with Bobby Jackson and Doug Christie improving their backcourt defense. Peja Stojakovic, coming a year ago, has arrived. Now it’s rookie Hedo Turkoglu who’s coming. When Chris Webber was sidelined, Scot Pollard averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds.

* Prediction: Lakers, 4-2 . . . but a King upset isn’t out of the question if the purple and gold doesn’t bring the same stuff it has been bringing.

REGULAR-SEASON STATISTICS

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MATCHUPS LAKERS SAC. Avg. pts 100.6 (3) 101.7 (1) Avg. pts allow. 97.2 (23) 95.9 (13) Avg. reb. 44.7 (5) 45.0 (3) Opp. avg reb. .41.3 (7) 45.9 (29) FG% .465 (3) .449 (10) Opp. FG% .438 (11) .432 (7) Three-point% .344 (20) .354 (13) FT% .683 (29) .771 (5)

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Note: League rank in parenthesis