Game Information

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

When: 12:30 PM PT

How to Watch: ABC, Fox Sports Prime Ticket, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Lakers: Avery Bradley – Danny Green – LeBron James – Anthony Davis – JaVale McGee

Clippers: Patrick Beverley – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Lakers: Talent Horton-Tucker Out (Foot)

Clippers: None

The Big Picture

The Clippers are on their most impressive stretch of the season, winning six games in a row including big victories over the Nuggets, Thunder, and Rockets. The team is finally healthy, and have looked as expected now that their roster is complete. The defense has been locked in (outside of one slip against the Sixers), with the starting unit in particular scrambling on that end in a terrifying manner. Paul George still might not be shooting at the level he was earlier in the season, but he appears to be healthy, and so does Pat Beverley. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell have stepped up their games up with the arrival of Reggie Jackson, and Ivica Zubac continues to improve on a seemingly daily basis. The past two weeks have demonstrated the starpower and depth of the Clippers, and it’s been fun to watch.

The Antagonist

The Lakers, of course, are no slouches themselves. The Lakers have won three games in a row, and are 9-1 in their last ten. They’ve been powered by their own superstars and a gritty, defense-first attitude, with very few let-ups over the course of the season. LeBron James somehow looks (nearly) as good as ever, and remains one of the three best players in the NBA. He’s not the athlete he was 10 or even 5 years ago, but he’s trying harder on defense than he has in years and is still a dominant post presence. Anthony Davis is a beast on defense and a matchup nightmare on the other end, a probable top five NBA player as well. The rest of the team fits smoothly around them, with low-usage shooters, high-intensity defenders, and rim-running big men making up the supporting cast. They’ve been the best team in the West all season, and are clearly the Clippers’ biggest rivals for control of the conference.

Notes

Guarding LeBron: As always when facing a team featuring LeBron James, slowing him is the main challenge. There was much discussion when the Clippers acquired Marcus Morris that they were doing so to help against Bron, with stats cited regarding how much Morris has guarded Bron in recent years. Unfortunately, the actual effectiveness of that defense is somewhat in question, but Morris is certainly at least a solid enough option on James. When push comes to shove, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will probably get the task, especially since Morris is also a decent option on Anthony Davis due to his heft. The Clippers could try to go small and out-shoot and out-athlete the Lakers, or they could go big with JaMychal Green to match the size and rebounding. It will be interesting to see how both teams approach this third matchup with the playoffs coming in just over a month.

Pat Beverley, Lakers Agitator: As long as he’s been in a Clippers uniform, Pat Beverley has loved playing against the Lakers. There was that infamous game two years ago, the first game of the season, where he shut down and rattled then-rookie Lonzo Ball. There was last year’s game, where he was a key contributor to a late season win and made several huge rebounds to seal the game. And, this year, despite a combined 4-14 shooting in the two previous Lakers games, Beverley has been a plus 39, with an average of 9.5 rebounds per game. A ferocious presence night in and night out, Beverley seems to take particular pride in his play against the Lakers. It’s an early 12:30 start, a time that throws off many players – but it’s likely Pat will not be one of them.

Marcus vs. Markieff: The Lakers signing Markieff Morris a couple weeks ago added a new twist to a Lakers-Clippers matchup that already had plenty of intriguing storylines. The Morris brothers always play hard against one another, and will be sure to be talking plenty of trash throughout the contest. Marcus plays a more prominent role for the Clippers than Markieff does for the Lakers, but both were brought in for their toughness and ability to stretch the floor. Twins sharing the court together is always entertaining, and never more than with two guys like the Morris brothers.

Wait for Joakim: News dropped yesterday that the Clippers will sign veteran center Joakim Noah to a 10 day deal, and expect him to remain on the team for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, fans won’t get a look at Noah until next week, as his signing is not official and he has yet to join the team. This is particularly tough for the Lakers game, not necessarily because Noah will be needed (though that is the sort of team he would be most needed for), but because he has an incredibly long history of playing against LeBron James. Chris Herring (of 538) found that a quarter of Joakim Noah’s technical fouls (and he’s had a lot) have come against LeBron James’ teams, which is remarkable. Watching him against LeBron is just fun.

Comment on this post or on the forum if you have access (we are still working on the log-in issues), and get excited for what should be a great basketball game!

3 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments