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Clippers vs Lakers Preview: Another Huge Game
The Clippers and Lakers have both made recent trades of varying sizes and importance levels, but this game would be massively important even without that backdrop, as the two LA teams are right next to one another in the standings.
Game
Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: TNT
Projected
Starting Lineups
Lakers: Austin Reaves – Gabe Vincent – LeBron James – Rui Hachimura – Jaxson Hayes
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Lakers: Luka Doncic Out (Calf), Maxi Kleber Out (Foot), Christian Wood Out (Knee)
Clippers: Cam Christie Out (Ankle), Kai Jones Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League)
The Big
Picture
The Clippers
are coming off one of their worst losses of the entire season – maybe the
worst. Yes, the Raptors are playing better lately. And yes, the Clippers were
on the road at the end of a semi-lengthy trip. And yes, Norm Powell, Kris Dunn,
and the Clippers’ new acquisitions were all out. But the Clippers were
flatfooted and lethargic from the start, with their transition defense being
non-existent, their ball movement stagnant, and their effort level poor across
the board. It was one of the first times all season where it distinctly seemed
as though the team had gone out and partied the night before and either did not
get enough sleep or were playing through hangovers. That probably was not the
case – but it sure felt that way. It was bad all the way around, with the game
not really being close in the second half. Hopefully the Clippers put that loss
behind them and come out with more fire tonight.
The
Antagonist
The Lakers haven’t done anything of note recently have they? Nah. Oh wait. Rob Pelinka and the Lakers landed the opportunity of a literal lifetime when Mavericks GM decided to offer up superstar Luka Doncic on a silver platter for the excellent (but aging) Anthony Davis. A couple weeks of negotiation later and Luka is now a Laker (alongside Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris), though he is still out with injury. The Lakers have been playing well of late even before the Doncic trade, largely due to an improved defense, and have found some interesting lineups with Austin Reaves at point guard and Dorian Finney-Smith receiving increased minutes. Until Doncic returns or the Lakers make further moves to bolster their rotation they will be a bit thin, but LeBron, Reaves, and the rest of their role players should be able to keep the Lakers above water until that happens. Sadly, the Lakers are in a very good place now, and an even better one for the next five years. It’s bad news for their cross-town rivals, that’s for sure.
Notes
Dunn Back: After suiting up for the Clippers and being in Ty Lue’s rotation the first 42 games of the season, Kris Dunn has missed the last seven games with knee soreness. He’s finally back now, but the question remains whether he will actually be in the rotation in today’s game. Dunn’s minutes were dwindling the past few weeks due to his prolonged offensive slump, and he logged less than 20 minutes in his last four games played. His defense has been invaluable, and the Clippers’ coaching staff has talked him up enough to where I think he’ll probably get minutes, but it might be in an even more reduced role. And if he does play, it’s possible other Clippers (Terance Mann being by far the most likely) get squeezed from the rotation instead. I hope Dunn plays because of how impactful he is on defense, but it’s an open question as to his role on a healthy Clippers team with Kawhi Leonard.
The New Guys: The Lakers’ new players are mostly out with injury (Markieff Morris is available but it’s doubtful he’s in the rotation), but the Clippers’ additions are available. Patty Mills barely played for the Jazz and has been bad for years, so I can’t imagine he plays minutes for Ty Lue. Drew Eubanks, the team’s new backup center, is a different story. The question is whether Ty Lue will want to throw him into a very important game without having any real time to acclimate to the Clippers or hold him out until he is able to practice a bit. The Lakers, fortuitously, are very small right now, as they traded away Anthony Davis, Christian Wood is out, and they haven’t made any final moves before the deadline to strengthen their big man rotation. Thus, if push comes to shove, Eubanks could probably be held out and Ty Lue could go small on the second unit with Kawhi, Nic Batum, and three of the Clippers’ guards/wings. Eubanks will certainly be in the rotation eventually; I just don’t know whether he will tonight.