SPORTSTICKER NBA PLAYOFF PREVIEW (SAN ANTONIO-LA LAKERS) San Antonio at La Lakers 5:30 pm EDT INGLEWOOD, California (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Lakers face a virtual must-win situation today when they battle the San Antonio Spurs in Game Three of their Western Conference semifinal series. After dropping the first game on Monday, Lakers missed a golden opportunity to even the series in San Antonio on Wednesday, suffering a 79-76 loss. In the final 18 seconds, Kobe Bryant missed a pair of free throws, was part of a botched-inbounds pass and missed a desperation 3-pointer at buzzer for Los Angeles. Bryant's errors down the stretch in Game Two overshadowed his best postseason game as he scored a playoff career-high 28 points. Bryant has scored 49 points in the first two games of the series. For the Lakers to get back in the series, center Shaquille O'Neal has to find a way overcome the frustration being caused by San Antonio's "Twin Towers" of Tim Duncan and David Robinson. O'Neal took just 11 shots, making seven and missed 8-of-10 free throws and committed four turnovers in Game Two. O'Neal, who shot 58 percent from the floor during the regular season, is shooting just 43 percent (13-of-30) in this series. Duncan score 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds and put the Spurs ahead for good in Game Two when he converted a hook shot with 8.4 seconds remaining. He is averaging 23 points in the series. San Antonio has been getting it done in the postseason with defense, holding its opponents to just 79.8 points per game. Los Angeles was the second highest scoring team during the regular season at 99 points per game, but has been limited to an average of just 78.5 points in the first two games of this series. It's quick turnaround for both teams as the Lakers also host Game Four on Sunday. -=-=- 