There was plenty of player movement and big moves this offseason in the NBA and the two Los Angeles teams were at the center of it. The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers go head-to-head to kick off the NBA regular season on Tuesday night at the Staples Center.
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The Lakers have big hopes for the season after adding Anthony Davis to match up with LeBron James after a rough year last year, the Lakers are looking like one of the most improved teams in the league and hope to be the last team standing out of the West, but they’ll need to prove their the best team in their own city first and the Clippers are a complete team with some star power of their own.
- Date and Time: Tuesday, October 22, 2019, 10:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles
- Opening NBA Odds: Check Back Later
- Lakers vs. Clippers TV Coverage: TNT
This should be a great game with both teams looking to make a statement out of the gate in the regular season. The Lakers are likely to limit LeBron’s minutes a bit as they look to do some load management, but that won’t apply to the series opener.
We should see the duo of LeBron and Davis making the bulk of the team’s shots as James had 27.4 PPG last season while Davis had 25.9 PPG in New Orleans. These two MVP candidates have already shown signs of great chemistry which is crucial when two big talents like this come together.
Alongside those two, Kyle Kuzma may benefit the most. The young talent scored 18.7 PPG a season ago and couple get several open looks in this game if the Clippers become a bit too preoccupied with Davis and James.
Rajon Rondo should be in his element as the point guard. He’s not a great shooter but racks up the assists as a pass-first guard. He’s got a ton of options on the court setting him up to do what he does best: get an open shooter the rock.
JaVale McGee rounds out the starting five and is a serviceable fifth option coming off a strong season. He offers some size and defense inside with the ability to pick up a big block when needed and offers some quality rebound production.
Off the bench, the Lakers have some sharp shooters like Danny Green, but also a premier rebounder in Dwight Howard. A shell of his former self, Howard is no longer the superstar on the floor. He’s been well traveled the last few seasons leaving a trail of disappointment, but as a complimentary piece whose focus will be on the boards, he may have finally found a good fit.
It’ll be worth watching the Lakers’ primary scorers against an elite defense like the Clippers. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard of the other L.A. team’s answer for LeBron and AD and both are strong defenders able to guard multiple positions. Unfortunately, George won’t be available out of the gate though the defense should still be strong with Leonard alongside defensive specialist Patrick Beverly.
Of course, defense isn’t Leonard’s or George’s only strength. Both are epic two-way players. Leonard lifted the Raptors to a title last season and brings his 26.6 PPG and 7.3 RPG with him. George averaged 28 PPG a season ago as an MVP candidate. He’ll be a welcomed addition a few weeks into the season, but for now, the offense will center around Leonard and one of the game’s best sixth men in Lou Williams who topped 20 PPG himself a season ago.
The supporting cast around Leonard is akin to that around the Lakers’ tandem with Montrezl Harrell a strong presence in the paint, Ivica Zubac a quality rebounder, and Beverly more than just a defender as he’s shown himself to be a solid shooter on the outside.
This preseason, we’ve seen the Lakers take down the Golden State Warriors on two occasions. Davis led the way in the first win with McGee putting up 13 boards. Howard was the rebound leader in the second while Zach Norvell Jr. came out with the team lead in scoring. Of course, along with those wins, the Lakers also suffered a pair of losses to the Brooklyn Nets. While you can only take so much from preseason action, the more established L.A. team received some good answers, but also revealed a few open questions.
As for the Clippers, they’ve looked good in their international scrimmages, but have fallen short in their NBA preseason matchups.
We’re finally going to see the duo of LeBron and AD in full force on Tuesday night, but its going to come against a potentially dominating defense. The Lakers have some great star power and should be a team to be reckoned with, but they may not be the best Los Angeles has to offer this season. Either way, its quite possible the Western Conference title goes through L.A. with this game a nice early season preview.
This NBA game is the toughest to get a ticket to for good reason. It should be a great matchup of two rather evenly matched teams, both showcasing shiny new acquisitions, but this one may swing in the Laker’s favor—despite being a technical home game for the Clippers—due to George’s injury.
Look for Leonard to have an impressive debut and for him and Beverly to cause some havoc for the Lakers’ offense, but eventually count on LeBron and AD to do enough to squeeze out a win in a close contest, setting up for an interesting rematch when George is back in the lineup for the Clippers.
Lakers vs. Clippers Score Prediction: Lakers 104 – Clippers 98
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