NBA 2018-19, Los Angeles Lakers vs Los Angeles Clippers: Preview and prediction

Los Angeles Lakers (20-14) vs Los Angeles Clippers (20-15), Staples Center

Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers will face each other tonight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Both the teams faced Sacramento Kings in their last game. Lakers had a close loss against them, whereas the Clippers defeated them.

It will be a battle for the fourth place in the Western Conference standings, currently held by the Clippers. Clippers currently rank third in scoring and will love to maintain the winning momentum.

Also, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell lead the NBA in bench scoring which will be an important factor tonight.

Lakers, on the other hand, play their second game in two days and have no time to rest. LeBron and Rondo are still questionable so, they might have a tough night here.

Let us see how things stand for both teams tonight.

---

The Los Angeles Lakers perspective

Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors

Lakers are sitting at fifth place in the Western Conference standings just below their opponents tonight.

LeBron-less Lakers lost to the Kings yesterday in a well-fought battle. Kyle Kuzma stood up in the absence of LeBron James. He scored 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds as well.

Brendon Ingram scored 22 points for the night, while Lonzo Ball had a near triple-double. Lonzo ended up with 20 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had another off night with just 4 points in 28 minutes of play. Tyson Chandler and Lance Stephenson both had points in double figures coming off the bench.

As a team, they are averaging 113.2 points and shooting 48% from the field. They are grabbing 46.1 rebounds per game and shooting nearly 35% from beyond the three-point line.

One thing is clear that Lakers can play even without their star man LeBron. They will be looking to go one up the standings tonight.

The Los Angeles Clippers perspective

Tobias Harris has been in excellent form this season

Clippers have won three games of their last four which includes a narrow loss against the Golden State Warriors. They will be entering this game with a lot of confidence.

They defeated the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. The game saw Lou Williams exploding for 24 points and six assists, coming off the bench. Montrezl Harrell was the other non-starter who scored in double figures. He ended up with 22 points and nine rebounds.

Tobias Harris has been excellent this season and scored 17 points on the night. He will be an important factor tonight. Overall, Clippers have a great team game with seven players in double figures.

As a team, Clippers are averaging 115.9 points and shooting 47.7% from the field. They are grabbing 45.9 rebounds per game and shooting nearly 34 % from beyond the arc.

Clippers will look to stay ahead in the rankings table by winning one here tonight.

Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors

Injury updates

Lakers:

LeBron James (left groin) - TBD

Rajon Rondo (ring finger) - TBD

JaVale McGee (respiratory infection) - TBD.

Michael Beasley (personal reasons) - OUT

Isaac Bonga- G League

Clippers:

Luc Mbah a Moute (left knee) - TBD

---

How things might unfold

Lakers can play good basketball with and without LeBron. They have depth in their line up with players like Pope and Stephenson coming off the bench. Also, Lonzo is showing significant signs of improvement.

Clippers are one of the most surprising teams this season and have been very impressive. They also have a deep line-up with players like Lou Williams and Harrell coming off the bench.

It will be an exciting contest and will go down the wire. Lakers showed a lot of heart and courage last night without LeBron. I am predicting lakers to win this one with a very close margin.

---

Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers to beat Los Angeles Clippers