The Clippers let a big first-half lead slip before coming back to take the win over the Lakers in the closing seconds, 105-102. Sound familiar? It was a lot like their last contest, only longer. Read on for this full recap of the Clippers’ victory over the Los Angeles Lakers:

Summary

Basketball is a game of runs reviews; a tale of two halves; role-player heroes; adventures in transition; and more. Here’s what you need to know:

— The lead story of this game was going to be about two disparate halves. But the officials turned the last 30 seconds of game-time into 30 minutes, so let’s talk about that first.

With 24.5 seconds remaining and the Clippers leading 103-102, LeBron James landed out of bounds while trying to pass the ball away. Robert Covington intercepted the ball but his first gathering dribble was called out of bounds. In real time, it seemed clear that LeBron’s foot was on the floor before he’d gotten the ball away, but it was fast and it was close, so we’ll be fair.

Tyronn Lue challenged the call on the floor.

The officials watched the replays. For more than 10 minutes.

Eventually, they realized what most everyone else knew and awarded the Clippers the ball while resetting the clock to 25.6 seconds. The Clippers inbounded the ball to a gassed Reggie Jackson in the backcourt, who dribbled sideways for a while before drawing an apparent bailout foul with 17 seconds on the shot clock. Close one. The Lakers challenged.

Many more minutes later, the officials rescinded the foul and gave the Clippers a side-out with a single second to advance the ball into the front court. Nic Batum passed to Reggie way back near their own defensive baseline. Reggie crossed half-court four seconds letter. Lakers’ ball.

Fortunately for the Clippers and their place in the standings, Carmelo Anthony missed the go-ahead three-pointer, Reggie Jackson splashed two free throws, and LeBron heaved a literal last-second miss to seal the season-series victory and playoff-seed tiebreaker for the Clippers

As long as it took you to read that, rest assured that it took much longer to happen.

— Let’s talk actual basketball things, of which the Clippers were much better in the first half than in the second.

After a cautious post-All-Star-break start for both teams, the Clippers’ offense cranked into motion, eating when either LeBron or Dwight Howard was off the floor.

Luke Kennard connected on 4 of 6 threes, a couple coming from Highland Park, to record 14 of his 18 points before halftime. He was a man in motion, encapsulating a first-half team effort that crackled with defensive intensity and crisp ball movement, neither of which were matched by the creaky Lakers.

For 24 minutes, the Lakers’ offense failed to get unstuck. They attempted 11 wayward threes before finally connecting on their 12th. Their offense mostly consisted of Dwight Howard rebounds. His first-half double-double, on the way to 14 and 16 for the game, helps explain how the Lakers trailed by just 10 at the half while being outshot 51% to 38%.

Two very different teams came out for the third quarter. The Lakers discovered their urgency. The Clippers, whose current roster leaves little room for margin, failed to execute to the same level.

Half-time wasn’t the exact turning point — the Lakers had already begun clawing into the Clippers’ largest lead of 16 in the second quarter — but the third quarter clarified that the game had indeed turned. Law Murray of The Athletic observed that the Clippers’ 16-point third-quarter shortfall represented their worst mark for any quarter this season.

Much of the Clippers’ struggles were in transition, going in both directions. Officially, they lost the fast-break battle by just 5 points, but that hardly accounts for missed opportunities. And the Lakers made the most of theirs, executing their open-floor chances to build both rhythm and crowd enthusiasm. It was here that the difference in available playmakers really became apparent.

The fourth-quarter was more closely contested, teeter-tottering as Brian Sieman is fond of saying. But it was the identity of the key contestants that made it really interesting.

— With Reggie Jackson faltering under the weight of his playmaking burden, the Clippers needed somebody to step up. Terance Mann and Amir Coffey did.

Terance was the leading Mann, coming through with timely buckets and pacing the Clippers with 19 points and 10 rebounds. His energy is game-breaking, and tonight he showed a real feel for the moment, taking over at critical junctures to break the Lakers’ rhythm.

Coffey provided the fourth-quarter buzz — pats self on back — tallying 12 of his 14 points in the final frame. He still has his adventures in transition, but he brought the necessary downhill element to force cracks in the Laker wall.

Even for the Lakers, it was the secondary players who largely carried the night. LeBron was listed as questionable yesterday, but started and played a game-high 36 minutes. He struggled under heavy defensive attention, recording a game-high in points with a pedestrian 21 on 33% shooting. The Clippers made him pass early, and the lack of incisive opportunities is reflected by his 3 meager assists against 6 turnovers.

With LeBron neutered, Carmelo Anthony and Talen Horton-Tucker managed a heavier load. (Yes, Carmelo is a role player now.) Carmelo did his thing from the low-post while also homing in from beyond the arc. He scored 18 off the bench with 4 made threes.

Horton-Tucker put forth one of his better efforts of the season, scoring all 16 of his points in the second half. Much to the relief of the Lakers, he looked dangerous off the bounce and connected on both of his three-point attempts.

— Reggie Jackson scored 17 points in another high-usage role. He added six assists but turned it over five times. He was conspicuously spent by the fourth quarter.

Robert Covington finished plus-19 in just 20 minutes. He scored 10 points and was an absolute wrecking ball on defense. He probably should’ve played more.

Ivica Zubac won’t put this game on his CV. He was bullied by Dwight in the first-half and played sparingly in the second after drawing an early fourth foul. Isaiah Hartenstein played 28 capable minutes in his stead, matching Reggie for the team-high in assists.

Marcus Morris Sr. scored the Clippers’ first 6 points and made a tough go-ahead jumper in the final minute. He didn’t do a lot offensively in between.

Russell Westbrook scored 18 points in 33 minutes and didn’t turn the ball over once. Laker fans will still find ways to be mad at him.

Austin Reaves only scored 6 points but made 2 blocks, including a power swat on Reggie Jackson. He did positive things all night after earning a starting nod.

Thanks for reading this recap of the Clippers’ win over the Lakers. Stay on the lookout for more game coverage and analysis and an episode of TLTJTP soon.

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Clippers vs. Lakers Recap: Game of Reviews
Thomas Wood

The two Los Angeles basketball teams will always be compared to one another, for better and for worse. They have never been more tightly connected than they have been over the past 18 months, when both squads are true championship contenders at the same moment for the first time. That has led to endless debates about which team is better, more likable, more fun, and so on. In 2020, the Lakers seemed to definitively answer that question by winning the NBA championship in dominating fashion, while the Clippers suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. However, surprisingly, while the Clippers made their own roster adjustments and brought in a new coaching staff, the Lakers changed their team composition to a greater extent. Here’s a look at how the teams have shifted since the 2020 season, and how their matchups might be affected as a result.

Lakers Additions: Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder, Marc Gasol, Wesley Matthews

Lakers Subtractions: Danny Green, Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley

Clippers Additions: Serge Ibaka, Luke Kennard, Nicolas Batum, Ty Lue

Clippers Subtractions: Montrezl Harrell, JaMychal Green, Landry Shamet, Rodney McGruder, Doc Rivers

Interestingly, the Lakers made not just more roster changes, but pursued swaps that shifted the fundamental nature of their roster. Yes, they still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and will therefore be a very good team, but their identity has shifted. Last year, they were a team that physically beat up on opponents with size, strength, and length, but relied heavily on James and AD for shot creation. The additions of Gasol, Schroder, and Trez boosted their offense and alternate shot creation abilities significantly, but at the cost of size and physicality on defense. This will presumably help them in the regular season, but might cost them in the playoffs (or maybe it won’t!). Either way, it was a very interesting gamble by the Lakers to try to reduce Bron and AD’s offensive burden at the cost of a clearly championship-caliber team and identity.

The Clippers, on the other hand, despite their disastrous showing in the playoffs, are going into 2021 with the same top 6 players that they closed 2020 with. Sure, they have swapped out guys 7 through 9, and Ibaka and Kennard could certainly play larger roles than Lou Williams and Ivica Zubac in the Clippers’ 2021 campaign, but still, the core of the roster is remarkably similar. Moreover, the fundamental identity of the team is relatively similar – a defense-minded squad that mostly relies on its two superstar wings for shot creation and scoring, with a health dash of scoring guards off the bench mixed in. Instead, the primary ingredient the Clippers are changing in their cocktail is that of head coach, with Ty Lue replacing Doc Rivers. We won’t see how that change will manifest until the season is really underway, but the offense and defense promise to be a bit more fluid and adaptable.

In terms of the direct matchup, the changes on both sides of the roster should make things look quite a bit different. JaMychal Green, probably the Clippers’ best option on LeBron James, is gone, with Serge Ibaka the likely go-to now. The Lakers do have other legitimate offensive threats outside of AD and Bron, with Schroder probably posing the biggest threat. The Clippers don’t have anyone on their roster who is a great option on super quick smaller guards, with Pat Beverley a step slow and George and Kawhi just a bit large and unwieldy. They will all be fine on Schroder, probably, but there will almost certainly be a game or two where he cooks the Clippers.

Conversely, the Lakers of last year did not have many weak points on defense, and now they have two in Schroder and Harrell. Now, it’s quite possible neither of those guys sees many minutes closing out games due to those defensive deficiencies, but still, the Clippers have to attack them while they’re on the court. They know firsthand Harrell’s weaknesses on the glass and in pick and roll coverage and should hammer him in such actions. Schroder is a somewhat feisty defender, but he is simply undersized compared to the Clippers’ wing scorers, and if they can facilitate a switch Schroder probably won’t stand much of a chance.

In other words, I think the Lakers’ offense has become more worrisome, while their defense has softened a little. The Clippers’ own defense should be somewhat sharper with Ibaka replacing Harrell, but there’s no denying that Trez brought a ferocity and paint-scoring acumen that has not been filled. I would expect Clippers-Lakers games to be somewhat higher scoring affairs than last season, but still maintaining the intensity and quality of play that made them enjoyable in 2020.

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2021, but a potential Lakers-Clippers playoff series might still be top of the list for many NBA fans. All of the powerhouse matchups are still present, but now the games will be charged by the added dynamics of the Trez switching teams plot and the context of the 2020 season. The roster adjustments made by both the Lakers and Clippers should make the actual games themselves take on a somewhat different tone than last season, bringing yet another intriguing factor to play. All said, tonight cannot come soon enough.

Assessing the Clippers and Lakers Roster Adjustments
Robert Flom

The Clippers just announced that starting power forward Marcus Morris is out for tomorrow’s opening night game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Morris missed all of preseason with knee soreness, and that is the same injury keeping him out against the Lakers.

New arrival Nicolas Batum started in Morris’ absence in preseason, and it seems highly likely that he starts tomorrow’s game as well. Batum has mostly played small forward and shooting guard in his career, but is a better defender against forwards at this point in his career. A low-usage veteran who can theoretically stretch the floor, make plays for others, and defend multiple positions, Batum is a fine fit with the starting lineup. However, he lacks Morris’ shot creation and scoring, and his shooting dipped significantly last season.

Patrick Patterson will probably back up Batum at power forward, with Mfiondu Kabengele and Daniel Oturu in deep reserve. Before playing those guys, the Clippers could also play Serge Ibaka at forward alongside Ivica Zubac, or bump Kawhi Leonard down a position and play him at the four. Ibaka is really not a power forward at this point in his career, and Kawhi’s minutes there have been limited to reduce wear and tear, but in the short term both are viable enough options.

The greater issue, however, is the long term. Morris has now been out for weeks with a vague “soreness” designation, and while he has been practicing at least a bit, that lack of clarity on his situation is worrying. This Clippers team does not have another starting level power forward on the roster, as they did last year with JaMychal Green, and both Batum and Patterson are major steps down from Morris. If Morris misses a lot of time, the Clippers’ starting unit and bench lineup will be worse, which might result in a shakier start to the season. More worrying, the Clippers will not be able to build up as much chemistry in the starting unit as they might like – lack of reps was a huge issue last season, and it’s one of the big problems that should be remedied this year.

Maybe Morris is only out for a few games. Hopefully so, because while one game against the Lakers doesn’t mean a whole lot, each contest that passes without him damages the Clippers in the now and throughout the length of the season.

Marcus Morris Out Against Lakers on Opening Night
Robert Flom

After over 4 months without meaningful basketball, we’re all a little eager to talk hoops. So, in addition to 213Hoops contributor Thomas Wood’s excellent game recap from last night, I wanted to chime in this morning to offer five takeaways from Clippers – Lakers on opening night.

Now, as exciting as the game was, and as important as it felt, I feel the need to start by reminding us all that at the end of the day, it was just one regular season basketball game. Sure, these teams share a city and are the presumptive pairing for the Western Conference Finals in September, but they’re also both using low-importance seeding games to warm up for real action in the upcoming playoffs. On top of that, the Clippers’ Orlando camp was disjointed, as Marcus Morris arrived late, Ivica Zubac and Landry Shamet had delayed arrivals due to positive COVID tests, and Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell had to depart the bubble for family emergencies. While the other four played last night, Williams is unavailable as he undergoes a 10-day quarantine, and Harrell is still with family outside of the bubble.

So, my apologies, but you won’t find a meltdown over a 2-point regular season loss on 213Hoops. As I share my takeaways from last night, you also won’t find major overreactions. I’m not going to say that Marcus Morris is a bad player based on his abysmal game against the Lakers (even considered alongside his other abysmal game against the Lakers in March). But, we all watched 48 minutes of basketball last night, so let’s look at five takeaways from Lakers-Clippers and figure out what we learned:

Clippers Lakers Takeaway Number One: The Clippers need Patrick Beverley

Signing Reggie Jackson to a rest-of-season minimum deal was a steal for the Clippers. After months of discussing uninspiring potential mid-season point guard additions, Jackson, a 300-game NBA starter, fell into the Clippers’ lap. He was great for them in 9 regular season games off the bench before the season’s suspension, and provides a far better fill-in option at point guard when normal starter Patrick Beverley is unavailable than any of LA’s alternatives.

But he’s still not Pat. Jackson, who had an embattled and hotly criticized tenure as a starter in Detroit, showed some of his worse attributes on Thursday, often allowing his speed to carry him into tricky situations and difficult drives. He finished with 3-10 shooting, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers in 34 minutes, and his presence on the court rarely inspired confidence.

Beverley, playing on a de facto minutes restriction as he returns to action following a family emergency, contributed 12 points in 16 minutes, including 8 fourth quarter points as the Clippers fought back to make it a tight game in the closing minutes. While Jackson makes more things happen offensively than Pat, those things aren’t always good–in a lineup replete with high-efficiency scorers, there’s something to be said for a point guard who is patient with the ball and defers to the stars while playing elite defense and hitting a high percentage of his threes.

Jackson has an important role to play on this team, but tonight was a reminder of just how important Patrick Beverley is to the Clippers.

Clippers Lakers Takeaway Number Two: Zubac and Shamet need time

Look, sometimes we just have to be patient. Ivica Zubac and Landry Shamet are not only two of the Clippers’ best players, but they’re the Clippers two best young players, both 23 years old. While Zubac had a stellar year for the Clippers, and Shamet was inconsistent but remained the team’s best pure shooter, it’s possible that both will see their minutes reduced in the Orlando bubble.

After each testing positive for the coronavirus in early July, Zubac and Shamet did not arrive in Orlando until last week, missing not only weeks of important team practices but also going weeks without doing conditioning work or getting shots up. It takes a while for a human body to build from weeks of inactivity to having the conditioning to perform at a high level in the NBA, and symptoms of COVID–such as fatigue–can take weeks or months to clear up after a patient has otherwise recovered.

There’s no way around it: both Zubac and Shamet were awful last night against the Lakers. But I can also say with full confidence that neither is an awful basketball player. Give them time to get their legs under them and figure things out–even if it means reduced roles in Orlando and a healthy start next season.

Clippers Lakers Takeaway Number Three: Amir Coffey has climbed the depth chart

This might be the least consequential of the bunch, but I promised five takeaways from Clippers – Lakers and I intend to fulfill that promise. Plus, who doesn’t love Coffey–the undrafted guard who starred for the Clippers in summer league last year, signed a two-way deal, and ultimately was chosen to come to Orlando over the team’s first-round pick from the same draft.

It’s basically impossible for Coffey to earn regular minutes on this team, as the Clippers have star-studded wings and quality guard depth. But beyond the starting unit of Beverley, George, and Leonard, and the second trio of Jackson, Williams, and Shamet, it’s likely that at one point or another in the playoffs Doc will run into the right combination of minor injuries, foul trouble, and off nights and need a few minutes from someone. Tonight, with Williams quarantined and Beverley and Shamet both limited, Coffey was that someone for Doc Rivers, playing a few minutes in each half and contributing a made three in his only recorded stat.

Rivers’ choice to trust Coffey over veteran wing Rodney McGruder is not only noteworthy as a predictor of where he will turn in future situations, but also compelling when considering each player’s future with the team beyond this season.

Clippers Lakers Takeaway Number Four: JaMychal Green and Patrick Patterson both deserve minutes

I’m not sure that there’s a right answer for Doc Rivers at the power forward position. Currently firmly entrenched at starter is versatile scorer Marcus Morris, the veteran forward who was averaging 20 points per game and shooting 44% from deep for the New York Knicks before the Clippers paid a high price for him at this year’s trade deadline. Then, battling for backup minutes are JaMychal Green and Patrick Patterson, two more traditional stretch 4s who play a lot of pick-and-pop game while battling defensively.

The biggest problem Rivers faces isn’t which backup forward’s number to call on a given night–it’s that both backups have been far superior than the guy starting ahead of them since his arrival in Los Angeles. Now, last night was just Marcus Morris’ 13th game as a Clipper–even without his New York efficiency, we have a decade of data to look at and know he won’t be as bad over a large sample size as he’s been so far.

Going away from Morris now would be a mistake, not because it would make the trade look bad, but because he is a potentially valuable weapon for the Clippers in the postseason. But even last night, where Morris played 19 minutes to Patterson’s 22 and Green’s 29, it felt indefensible for Rivers to keep his starter on the floor for as much of the fourth quarter as he did.

I don’t have a broad, sweeping conclusion to the discussion of how to handle these power forward minutes. Maybe it varies drastically based on match-up. Maybe Morris can pick up extra minutes as the second-unit small forward, where he’d get more touches playing behind Kawhi Leonard instead of along side him. There may come a point where JaMychal Green needs to be inserted into the starting lineup over Morris, but we aren’t there yet.

For now, the takeaway is just that the Clippers have a legitimate question mark at the power forward position.

Clippers Lakers Takeaway Number Five: The small-ball lineup has potential

The most important of my five takeaways from last night’s Clippers – Lakers game also has to do with the team’s power forwards. After Rivers frustrated fans all season by limiting JaMychal Green’s time at center following his excellent performances as a small-ball 5 in last year’s playoffs, limited depth has finally forced Green to center in Orlando.

With Zubac and Noah each unable to play huge minutes, and Montrezl Harrell not with the team, Green has consistently gotten center minutes in the team’s scrimmages and opening seeding game. When Green and Patterson play together, the Clippers’ offense takes on a new dimension: with two floor-spacing bigs, the opposing center is dragged out of the paint, freeing up driving lanes for the Clippers’ stars. When defenses collapse around Leonard and George, Patterson and Green are reliable spot-up and pick-and-pop shooters that punish the opposition. It’s been a sneakily effective way for the Clippers, who have sometimes struggled to find a good flow offensively to open up passing lanes and create more fluid possessions.

The Clippers aren’t the Rockets–playing small probably shouldn’t be their identity. When they go small, they miss Zubac’s rim protection and rebounding, Noah’s passing and defensive mobility, and Montrezl Harrell’s energy and elite interior scoring. But just as each of those centers brings a unique wrinkle to the Clippers’ lineup, so does the defensive versatility and floor-spacing ability of the Patterson-Green pairing (and perhaps a Morris-Green pairing, if Marcus can make a shot as a Clipper).

Doc Rivers will have to be willing to stick with them when they’re losing on the glass (though more minutes for Patrick Beverley going forward will help the team’s rebounding) and getting pounded inside, but this tandem has the potential to create more additional points than they concede, and potentially force larger, slower big men off the floor by making them defend on the perimeter.

There you have it: my five takeaways from last night’s opener between the Clippers and Lakers. If you disagree, or noticed something I didn’t mention, let me know in the comments!

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Five Takeaways from Clippers – Lakers
Lucas Hann

Unfortunately, we don’t get to celebrate with the Orlando bubble’s first game recap: Lebron and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the LA Clippers in the clutch tonight, 103-101. The Clippers had too many fouls, too many turnovers, and too few fit players. A sweet-shooting second half nearly brought them back anyway. LeBron James just wouldn’t have it.

Game Recap

It was fun, because basketball is back. Then it was not fun, because the referees had to come back too. Then the teams adjusted and found their legs and suddenly we had something that resembled basketball as we remembered it, and by the end we’d been served one hell of an appetizer, even if the last serving went the other guy’s way.

The Clippers don’t yet have everybody back, and not everybody who is back looks like their old self, but there were enough tastes of 2020-vintage Clippers basketball to fight a highly motivated Lakers squad into the final seconds of a 103-101 loss.

It was LeBron James, because it’s so often LeBron James against so many opponents, who slayed them in the end. LeBron shook off the night’s struggles (16/11/7 but with five turnovers and six-for-19 shooting) to follow up his own miss for the go-ahead basket with 12.8 seconds remaining (and four Clippers watching). Then LeBron turned around and shaded Kawhi Leonard until he surrendered the ball to Paul George, who couldn’t match his three-point heroics from less than a half-minute earlier. George looked for a foul, because 57 fouls had already come, so what a difference the 58th might have made.

Oh, you want to hear about the 57 fouls? No, you really don’t. But I’ll tell you that they came early and often and kept a lot of good players off the floor. Kawhi left the first quarter early with two fouls. So did Ivica Zubac. So did Patrick Beverley, in his first bubble action.

George, Zubac, Beverley, and Marcus Morris Sr. all drew their third fouls in the second quarter, many of them quickly. They each drew a fourth foul in the third quarter. Zubac got his within two minutes of the post-half tip. Paul George got his after tarring the Lakers with threes in what was shaping up to be his star quarter. In the fourth quarter, the referees called a lane violation, just for the practice I assume.

To be magnanimous toward the opponent, the whistles weren’t only blown in the good guys’ direction. 27 fouls went the Lakers’ way, with Dwight Howard earning five in only 13 minutes of action.

With fouls overflowing, the contest found little rhythm in the first half. The Clippers and Lakers combined for 34 free-throw attempts and just seven-for-30 deep shooting, and 24 minutes of gametime took nearly 90 minutes of my lifetime. Few shined beyond Kawhi (19 of his 28 points) and Anthony Davis (20 points and 12-13 free throws on his way to a game-high 34). Reggie Jackson added 10 first-half points as a starter before conspicuously struggling at both ends in the second half.

As alluded to, Paul George began the second half with a deft touch, and after Kawhi had erased most of the Lakers’ early lead with a domineering second quarter, the third looked like it was George’s to name until his critical fourth foul. But heavy damage had already been inflicted, and with the Lakers’ offense cratering, they fell behind on a Clippers 14-1 run before resurrecting themselves with a 9-1 counter run. Anthony Davis started hitting threes, as did the Clippers (7-11 in the quarter), and like that the game was surging.

The fourth quarter began with the tide flowing purple and gold. The Lakers ravaged a handcuffed Clipper second-unit for a 15-3 run. With key contributors Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell only recently returned to isolation in the bubble, key returnees Beverley and Landry Shamet short of total game fitness, and key starters in foul trouble, Amir Coffey joined Reggie Jackson in a toothless lineup that provided little at either end.

Doc Rivers eventually returned his stars to the floor, and with a quietly effective JaMychal Green hitting key threes, the Clippers clawed their way back to level and then some, trading for the lead multiple times before the key sequences detailed above. It wasn’t enough to win, as LeBron and the Lakers ultimately beat the Clippers, but it was finally exciting, and if these two teams complete their heavily-predicted journeys to the conference finals, we may well be treated to seven more.

Lakers vs Clippers Notes

• Alex Caruso completed the Lakers’ five-man closing lineup, and his defense and activity were impactful. His athletic save of a ball heading out of bounds in the final minute was one of many plays that nudged this game toward the Lakers’ side of the ledger.
• Those that argue in favor of Marcus Morris Sr. as the missing piece will not be submitting this game for the jury’s consideration. Morris finished with 19 scoreless minutes. Dan Woike and other insightful Twitterers noted that Morris has yet to convert a basket against the Lakers in a Clipper uniform.
• In arguing for the sheer ineffectiveness of several of tonight’s Clipper bench lineups, which consisted largely of Doc’s 11th-, 12th-, and 13th-most preferred players, I will submit for your consideration Exhibit A, Dion Waiters, who finished a game-high plus-17 in 21 minutes I’ll otherwise describe as solid and workmanlike, and Exhibit B, Kyle Kuzma, who feasted for 16 points and a plus-12 rating. I will also add to the record Landry Shamet’s minus-19 rating and zero-for-five three-point shooting in 21 relief minutes. Shamet, like others, was still clearly without his best legs after joining the Orlando bubble late.
• On a positive note, the Clippers’ small lineups with Patrick Patterson and JaMychal Green were aces. The pair were stout enough to resist their larger Laker counterparts, while their spacing proved to be critical in widening the lane for Kawhi’s interior rumbles. Patterson even flashed some nifty passes. You will see them together again.

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Game Recap: LeBron, Lakers beat Clippers in the clutch, 103-101
Thomas Wood

Overview: The 2019-20 NBA season begins . . . again. And just like when the NBA season began for the first time, back what feels like 10 years ago in October, we have a Clippers-Lakers game preview to kick things off.

Game Information

Where: Orlando, Florida

When: 6:00 PM PT

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

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Reggie Jackson — Paul George — Kawhi Leonard — Marcus Morris — Ivica Zubac

Lakers: LeBron James — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — Danny Green — TBD — JaVale McGee

Injuries

Clippers: Out — Lou Williams (Quarantine), Out — Montrezl Harrell (Personal); Questionable — Patrick Beverley (Personal); Probable — Landry Shamet (Illness)

Lakers: Out — Avery Bradley (Personal), Out — Rajon Rondo (Thumb); Probable — Anthony Davis (Eye); TBD — Dwight Howard (Knee)

The Big Picture and the Antagonist

For this first preview of the formal restart, I’m going to do away with our usual split summary. These two teams’ stories are becoming increasingly intertwined, and they are predominantly measured against one another as they march toward what many presume to be an inevitable meeting in the Western Conference Finals. (Sober reminder: there remains a long road ahead.) So instead, some questions:

How much of their hand does either team show? If I had to guess, I’d guess . . . not much. Both teams are fairly secure in their seeding — the Lakers, obviously, much more so. But without homecourt advantage to strive for, slipping to the third seed is a lesser concern for the Clippers. (Unless you’re particularly worried about the Thunder or Rockets over the Mavericks. I’m not — have you seen the Mavericks score???) Eight games don’t make for a long stretch. It will take something special from either the Nuggets (in a good way) or the Clippers (in a bad way) to flip the standings. Health and harmony seem paramount. This feels more like another notch in the ramp-up, like an exhibition game+, if you will.

Who blinks first? Let’s say for a moment that these teams do actually trot out some of their A-grade stuff. Both squads are capable of playing either large or small, although it’s the Lakers who have more adamantly stuck to the former. (And it’s worked. So far.) The long-held wisdom is that playoff series are determined by adjustments. This isn’t the playoffs yet, but will either coach see it more like a prologue? If the game begins to tilt in one direction, will the team on the bottom break the glass for something a little new? This Clippers-Lakers game could be a preview, at least in miniature, for the playoffs, and the coaches might want to test the waters a little.

Who gets the keys to the Clippers’ second unit? Lou Williams will spend at least the first two seeding games in his hotel room. The Thursday statuses of Patrick Beverley and Landry Shamet are somewhere along the spectrum of uncertainty. That’s a lot of juice already squeezed from the lemon. Terance Mann may get his chance to navigate the Lakers’ forest of arms. Doc Rivers may also choose to stagger his stars, or even let Marcus Morris get a longer jab-stepping runway. Somewhere, Robert Flom shuddered.

How much do the Lakers trust Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith? Both Waiters and Smith have gotten their chances in scrimmages, but that’s what scrimmages are for. Waiters, if he can keep his shot in form (and his head too), would be the better option for real minutes, should Frank Vogel be forced into the choice. His 3(ish)-and-D(ish) game could be a snug fit with various Lakers lineups. Smith, on the other hand… well, he’s just not very good anymore. By VORP he hasn’t been better than replacement level since the Cavaliers’ championship season of 2015-16. If Smith sees any real time from here on out, either something has gone terribly wrong for the Lakers, or Smith has found miraculous rejuvenation in the Disney World pools.

Can Kawhi Leonard get his shooting unlocked? Yes, of course, don’t be silly.

Clippings

Kyle Goon from the Orange County Register has more interesting details on life inside the bubble . . . Andrew Greif from the Los Angeles Times wrote about Zubac’s return after his recovery from COVID-19 . . . Greif also had this on Shamet’s return . . . ESPN’s basketball writers issued their playoff predictions. . . and the Daily News has more on the Clippers arena plans in Inglewood.

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Clippers – Lakers Game Preview: Bubble Basketball for Keeps
Thomas Wood

The Clippers released an injury report today more than 24 hours ahead of the first seeding game against the Lakers (as did the Lakers, of course). There aren’t really any surprises on there, but let’s just run through the injury report quickly for both teams really quickly and see where things stand.

Clippers

Patrick Beverley – Questionable (Not with team, self isolating)

Montrezl Harrell – Out (Not with team)

Lou Williams – Out (Not with team, self isolating)

This report it entirely expected. Lou Williams is, of course, in quarantine after his infamous wings incident in Atlanta. He will miss the Lakers game as well as the Pelicans game on Saturday, but should return after that. Montrezl Harrell is still attending a family issue, which means he’s not even in Orlando right now, much less cleared to play. His return to the bubble is unclear, though it should happen at some point before the playoffs. And Pat Beverley joined the team a couple days ago, meaning he should be cleared from quarantine by tomorrow, but might just not be in condition to play.

It’s also interesting whose names are not on the list. Ivica Zubac, who joined the team last weekend and played a handful of minutes in their last scrimmage game, was not on the injury report. Nor, surprisingly, was Landry Shamet, who didn’t play in any of the scrimmage games, and returned to practice only a couple days ago. Both of those guys were very likely to play (Zu nearly a lock), but it’s still a good sign that they weren’t even questionable in the Clippers’ eyes.

Lakers

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Probable (Right rib contusion)

LeBron James – Probable (Sore right groin)

Kyle Kuzma – Probable (Right ankle Sprain)

Anthony Davis – Questionable (Sore right eye)

Avery Bradley – Out (Not with team)

Rajon Rondo – Out (Thumb surgery)

All three of the “probable” players on here should be good to go. Nothing has been reported about even the possibility of those guys missing games, and LeBron in particular has probably been revving up for this one for a while. Anthony Davis, meanwhile, might be “questionable”, but he’s already stated that he plans to play. The coaching staff or trainers could hold him back if they deem it necessary, but he probably wouldn’t have said anything if he thought there was a decent likelihood he wouldn’t play.

Rondo had surgery on his thumb a couple weeks back, and is projected to be out for 6-8 weeks, which puts his return sometime in mid September. He’s not very good, so hopefully he returns in time for a Clippers-Lakers Western Conference Finals showdown (fingers crossed we get it). Bradley isn’t very good either, but he’s better than Rondo, and unlike Rondo, isn’t coming to the bubble at all, instead remaining at home with his family.

That about wraps it up for the Clippers and Lakers injury report for this first seeding game of the Orlando basketball. Real Clippers basketball is almost back! Be sure to check out Thomas’ excellent preview for the game, our Q&A with Silver Screen and Roll editor Harrison Faigen, and the newest episode of The Lob The Jam The Pod with Athletic contributor Dave DuFour.

Clippers-Lakers Injury Report Roundup
Robert Flom