Rest time is over and big tests loom for the Lakers

Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, defending against the Knicks' Nate Robinson, has averaged 39 minutes in four games without backup point guard Jordan Farmar.

It won't be an easy month for L.A., with Utah on tap tonight and New Orleans, Cleveland, Orlando, Houston and San Antonio on the horizon. The Lakers practiced Thursday, the better to prepare for an upcoming stretch of 14 games in 26 days. In other words, break time's over. Tonight's game against Utah will be only their second in eight days, a quirk in the schedule that allowed them to savor their Christmas Day victory over the Boston Celtics, among other things. But they'll have...read full article