Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers take on the “visiting” Los Angeles Clippers, in yet another installment of the “Battle of Los Angeles” pitting two not-quite-archrivals who share the same mailing address.
When both teams reinvented themselves during the summer of 2019, the NBA media world generally expected the Lakers and Clippers to clash for supremacy not only in Los Angeles, but also in the Western Conference, en route to very possible league titles.
The Lakers core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis found immediate success, winning the championship in a pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season. The Clipper came as close as the Western Conference Finals in 2021, but a torn ACL to Kawhi Leonard during that playoff run hurt their chances, and they fell to former Clipper Chris Paul and his Phoenix Suns.
How the mighty have fallen. Last year, neither team made the playoffs. This season, both hope to avoid the gatehouse (well, first the Lakers need to have a good enough record to make it to the gatehouse, but Davis is expected to return soon, that seems likely).
Although the Lakers seemed woefully outmatched in the two teams’ previous meetings this season, the Clippers’ two wins, the returns of Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schröder to Los Angeles, and the psychotic competitiveness of a LeBron James have improved the quality of point guard. this club. The Lakers could be underdogs tonight in Las Vegas (via Action Network), but I’m not so sure they should be, assuming LeBron James, who is questionable once again with a sore left ankle, actually plays.
The spread of the game
The Clippers are favorites to win by five points. Heading into tonight’s matchup, the Clippers have actually won their last nine meetings with the Lakers, who last defeated Kawhi Leonard and company. during that enchanting 2019-20 championship season. Even without Anthony Davis, I think that could change tonight at Crypto.com Arena, in front of a sea of Lakers fans (do the Clippers have real fans, aside from Clipper Darrell?). Both teams are bringing two-game winning streaks to tonight’s contest, but Lake Show has been the hotter club of late, going 6-4 in their last 10 (compared to a 4-6 streak in the same stretch of the Clips) . Take the Lakers at least to cover.
Russell Westbrook points + rebounds + assists combination
The line for the Los Angeles reserve guard of $47.1 million is pegged at 31.5 today. In six of his last 10 games, he would have covered the spread, but his bad offensive night in Portland on Sunday (he was pretty good on defense) makes me wonder here. I would take bass.
