LOS ANGELES -- Let's see: The Bulls held Dwyane Wade four points below his early-season scoring average in a Nov. 1 loss at Miami. They bottled up LeBron James in the fourth quarter of a Nov. 5 road victory in Cleveland. And they positively frustrated Carmelo Anthony on Nov. 10, harassing him into 8-for-22 shooting in a 90-89 home loss.
Those players represent the league's second- through fourth-leading scorers. The top? Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, of course.
John Salmons will draw the starting defensive assignment tonight on Bryant, who is coming off a 40-point explosion against Detroit and is averaging 31 points per game.
Salmons will get plenty of help, not only in the form of double-teams, but with Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng also taking turns on Bryant.
"With any great player, all you can do is try to make it tough on him," Salmons said. "Try to get him off his sweet spots and contest his shots. They're going to score."
Yes, but did anybody predict this kind of defensive debate would even be taking place this season for the Bulls? They have allowed only Boston to surpass 100 points and quietly rank fourth in points allowed.
Of course, Bryant puts all this to the test.
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