The Los Angeles Lakers (16-21) will host the Milwaukee Bucks (19-17) at the Staples Center on Tuesday night.

Prior to Dwight Howard's return from an injury, Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni was aiming for his club to get a fresh start.  While Los Angeles may have received that with Howard's assistance, a failed performance against the Bucks could make it all irrelevant. 

After its sixth consecutive defeat on Friday at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, D'Antoni made the declaration that the Lakers' season was restarting on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which seemed to work out as they won 113-93.

"I don't know if it's so literal but at the same time, we realized we don't have time to fall further behind.  We can't give away games," point guard Steve Nash told ESPN.

"It's great to have Dwight back.  He's obviously huge for this team.  We need him down there anchoring the defense and drawing crowd on offense," he added.

Kobe Bryant, who led Los Angeles with 23 points and had his 21st consecutive game with 20-plus, spoke about the opportunities he sees ahead.

"We obviously ran into a tough patch last week.  We were struggling, were decimated by injuries and we just so happened to play some of the top teams in the league.  Now here's an opportunity to really pick it up and get going," Bryant said.

To finish off its four-game homestand, the Lakers take on two clubs with records above. 500 in Milwaukee and the 2011-12 NBA champion Miami Heat on Thursday.

Los Angeles will be without Pau Gasol, who is expected to miss his fifth straight game after suffering a concussion.

For those who have access to NBA LEAGUE PASS or would like to sign up, simply CLICK HERE to watch the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Milwaukee Bucks via live stream. Coverage of the NBA game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. PST on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

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