The Clippers look to avenge their early season loss to the stumbling Lakers on Sunday. Can the Clippers keep their 5-game win streak alive, or will the Lakers finally find an end to their losing streak?
Game Information
Where: Crypto Arena, Los Angeles, California (LAL Home Game)
When: Sunday, Jan 7, 6:30 PM PT
How to Watch & Listen: ClipperVision, Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570, AM 710
Projected Starting Lineups:
L.A. Clippers: James Harden – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Terance Mann – Ivica Zubac
L.A. Lakers: Austin Reaves – Taurean Prince – Cam Reddish – LeBron James – Anthony Davis
Injury Report:
L.A. Clippers: Moussa Diabate, OUT (Broken Hand)
L.A. Lakers: Anthony Davis, PROBABLE; LeBron James, QUESTIONABLE; D’Angelo Russell, QUESTIONABLE (Tailbone); Rui Hachimura, OUT (Calf); Gabe Vincent, OUT (Knee)
The Big Picture:
All streaks must come to an end. The Clippers finally beat the Pelicans in New Orleans last Friday ending a 5 game losing streak against their Cajun Kryptonite. On the other hand, LAC’s 11-game win streak against the Lakers came to an unfortunate end early in the season. Now, the Clippers look to keep their ongoing 5-game win streak alive while the Lakers look to end their 4-game skid.
In terms of matching up with their cross town rivals, the Clippers are a completely different team than they were in their previous encounter with the Lakers. Their overtime loss came just a day after they traded for James Harden (who was inactive), leaving the Clippers incredibly shorthanded and a bit discombobulated. This game also occurred before their signing of Daniel Theis, which was especially impactful considering the Lakers’ size and front court depth.
All that being said, to say that the Clippers have trended positively since the beginning of the season may be an understatement. According to Coach Lue, “We just got it figured out.” We can go on endlessly about all of the good things with the Clippers recently, but anyone who has paid attention to this team can attest to Ty Lue’s praise. The Clippers have won 14 of their last 16, and their only two losses occurred with Kawhi Leonard on the sidelines. Simply put, the vibes have been immaculate.
The Antagonist:
On the topic of vibes, what’s the opposite of immaculate? Horrible? Imperfect? Whatever it is, that’s the current sentiment over in the purple and gold locker room where LeBron angrily proclaimed, “We suck!” following a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Think that’s bad? He went on to say that Bronny would easily be able to play for the Lakers right now. (For those interested, Bronny is averaging 7.5/2.3/1.7 on 50/31/77 shooting splits).
To make matters worse, this isn’t just a small skid. Since winning the In Season Tournament, the Lakers have lost 10 of their last 13 games, leaving them in 11th place with a mediocre 17-19 record. The cherry on top for this awful-Lakers-Sundae is that there are reports of tension and disconnect between Darvin Ham and the locker room.
Despite all that’s going wrong, the Lakers aren’t a team that should be taken lightly. Anthony Davis has been having an All-NBA season on both ends of the court, LeBron James continues to play at a star level, and Austin Reaves is one of the favorites for 6th man of the year. The Lakers will be desperate for a win, and a team with two hungry super stars will come out firing.
Notes:
- End of an Arena Era: After years of sharing a stadium, the Clippers own Intuit Dome is slated to open up next season. With that in mind, this is the 3rd to last matchup the Clippers and Lakers will share as co-tenants of Crypto/Staples Center!
- Battle in the Standings: After Friday nights losses for both OKC and DEN, the Clippers are now tied in the loss column with the Nuggets and one loss behind OKC. Although there is a lot of season to be played, hopefully the Clippers can continue to climb up in the standings.
- R&R and B2Bs: The Clippers’ stars were able to call it an early night on Friday’s blowout against the Pelicans, notching only 30MPG each. This game is the first night of a back to back with the second night being against the surging Suns, so it’s crucial that the Clippers try to wrap things up early.