The Los Angeles Lakers (3-5) will continue their pursuit to .500 when they go up against the Phoenix Suns (4-5) in a Friday night NBA showdown.

While new head coach Mike D'Antoni is already delving into the Lakers' matters, it doesn't appear that he'll make his debut on the Staples Center sidelines for a couple more days. 

D'Antoni officially began working with the team on Thursday, monitoring their running drills coordinated by interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff and his brother Dan.

"I'm really happy to be here - excited.  (We're) starting to put stuff in now.  Might take a little bit, but (general manager) Mitch (Kupchak) has said, and I'm sure you guys know, we're built to win this year,"  D'Antoni stated to ESPN.

"This is not a five-year project.  We have a window, and we're going to try to get through it," he continued.

Nonetheless, Los Angeles will look for Kobe Bryant to continue his torrid play.   Bryant has averaged an impressive 42.0 points in his past three home games versus the Suns.  To further help his cause, the Suns currently sport the worse defense in the Western Conference.

The Lakers three wins this season have all come on their home court against teams with a 7-18 record.  Los Angeles nearly took out the hard to beat San Antonio on Tuesday but ultimately suffered an 84-82 loss when Danny Green sank a 3-pointer with only 9.3 seconds left in regulation.

Despite the tough defeat, Bryant was satisfied with the Lakers being able to limit San Antonio to 38.9 percent shooting.  Overall, Los Angeles has held their opposition to just 41.9 percent, which is among the top five in the category.

CLICK HERE to watch the Los Angeles Lakers face off against the Phoenix Suns via free live stream.  Coverage of the game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 16.

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