The Lakers are back on the floor on Friday when they take on the L.A. Clippers for the final time in the regular season. The purple and gold look to even the season series against their inter-city rivals.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. L.A. Clippers
When: 7 p.m. PT, Feb. 20
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: ESPN, Spectrum Sportsnet
Now that the All-Star break is over, the last leg of the season is underway for the Lakers, who aim to stay afloat in the standings and compete for a championship. The second half of the season also means a tougher challenge for Los Angeles as their competition and schedule gets more difficult. This starts against the visiting Clippers, who have slightly cooled off since finding their stride and turning their season around in December.
But in fairness to them, the Lakers haven’t performed well against them since they gained momentum. Part of that is because of injuries and the fact that they caught the Clippers at the wrong time. This game, though, will feel much different because the Clippers made major moves leading up to and at the trade deadline, specifically trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac — two key players who played a huge role in their last two victories against the Lakers.
So expect a new-look Clippers team that is still led by Kawhi Leonard, who has been sensational as of late, averaging 27.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season. The Lakers’ defense has to focus on containing The Klaw without letting the Clippers’ role players control the game, as they did in their last match. Two of the biggest reasons the Lakers couldn’t win that game, despite coming back from down 26 points in the second half, were their poor shooting and lackluster effort on defense.
It would be nice for the opposite to happen on Friday. Heading into the All-Star break, the Lakers’ defense has shown signs of improvement. Take this with a grain of salt, but they’ve had the 14th-best defense in the league so far in February. It’ll be interesting to see if this continues and whether their offense doesn’t plummet as a result. For as long as Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves remain healthy, there’s a good chance that doesn’t happen.
And speaking of health, head coach JJ Redick confirmed at practice on Thursday that the Lakers expect to be at full strength. So, that’s definitely good news and an ideal start for the remainder of the season. The Lakers will have the rest advantage against the Clippers on Friday as the latter will be on the second night of a back-to-back. Let’s see if they can capitalize and tip off their post-All-Star break stint on a winning note.
Notes and Updates
- The Lakers’ injury report is as clear as day with literally no one’s name written on it.
- Since the L.A. Clippers are playing on the second night of a back-to-back, they will not issue an injury report until hours before tip-off. Expect Darius Garland (left toe) and Bradley Beal (left hip) to be out.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.