After winning their first game of the season in relatively straightforward fashion, the Clippers will face a much stiffer contest tonight against the crosstown rival Lakers.
Game Information
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
When: 7:00 PM ET
How to Watch: Clippervision, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Isaiah Jackson
Lakers: Luka Doncic – Austin Reaves – Matisse Thybulle – Ziaire Williams – Walker Kessler
Injuries
Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)
Lakers: Collin Sexton Doubtful (Calf), Jake Laravia Questionable (Ankle), Cam Carr Questionable (Oblique), Adou Thiero Questionable (Knee)
Prior Game Notes
The Clippers dominated the Kings more or less from start to finish in their opening game, but the Kings were so bad it was hard to tell what the Clippers were doing well and what the Kings were failing at miserably. Still, it was a fun game for Clippers’ fans, as nearly everyone on the team had a highlight or two. Darius Garland was the best player in the game by a mile, as the Kings could not stop him from getting wherever he wanted on the court. Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn played with their usual energy and defensive intensity, Brook Lopez and Isaiah Jackson formed an effective center combination, and Gradey Dick looked great off the bench. Most importantly for the Clippers, however, was the play of 5th pick Keaton Wagler, who was terrific (a few classic rookie warts on defense aside) – he drained open threes with confidence, got to the rim multiple times, rebounded, and made tons of plays for others. Keaton won’t always play this well, but him looking that good in his first real NBA game (even against the Kings) was still fantastic to see.
The Antagonist
The Lakers largely remade their team this summer outside of the pillars of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, with all three of their other starters as well as most of their core bench pieces being new to the franchise. Game one of the new squad went well for the Lakers, as they beat the snot out of the rival Warriors on national TV on opening night. Luka and Reaves were dominant on offense, and Luka’s pairing with Walker Kessler, who the Lakers invested a huge amount of assets in, was spectacular, with Kessler scoring over 20 points and not missing a shot. The Lakers are expected to be a strong playoff team and through one game looked every bit of that caliber.
Notes
A Step Up in Difficulty: The Clippers were fortunate in playing the Kings at home in their first game of the season. Honestly, considering how bad the Kings are, that game will probably one of their 5 to 10 easiest games of the entire season, even with the Clippers dealing with a ton of injuries. The Lakers will present a much steeper challenge, and that large increase in talent and competence could be a bit of a shock to the Clippers. Hopefully the Clippers are able to weather what you know will be an early Luka-Reaves barrage and not get snowed under. If they do go down quickly, it will be a true “welcome to the regular season” moment after scoring at will against the defenseless Kings.
Getting Rui Going: I’ve been vocal about my thoughts on Rui Hachimura being overrated by the fanbase. That said, he’s going to be relied upon on offense until the Clippers’ reinforcements come, and the Clippers desperately need him to be better than he was on Wednesday, when he went 3-13 from the field (1-6 from two) and had more assists than turnovers. His midrange creation looked hesitant and robotic (in a bad way), and any attempts to create off the bounce were disastrous. I won’t judge too harshly on one game, but the Clippers will need a much improved Rui if they’re going to hang with the Lakers on offense.