Friday night at 11:30 pm PT, the playoff-bound LA Clippers will face off against the lowly Los Angeles Lakers for the final time this season.
The LA Clippers need to come out swinging against their cross-town rivals. The season series is 1-2 for the Clippers, so they need to win tonight in order to tie the series record.
The Clippers possess the rest advantage in tonight’s matchup. They last played in a grounding loss to Houston on Wednesday. The Lakers played last night in a brutal defeat at the hands of the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
The matchup between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rajon Rondo is exciting. Shai is Doc River’s new protege. Rondo is one of the key pieces on Doc’s 2008 Celtics championship team. Doc knows Rondo very well, so expect Shai to be well coached for tonight’s matchup. Both of these point guards are crafty offensive talents, who don’t jump off the page athletically. They do, however, shine through their timing, decision-making, and eye for the game.
There will be a tough battle around the rim tonight. Per the Locked On Clippers podcast, the Clippers score 44% of their points in the paint and the Lakers score 49%, which is good for 3rd in the league. Ivica Zubac needs to have a strong revenge game against his former team that basically gave him to the Clippers for nothing in return.
Looking at the injury report, it appears the Clippers will be without Patrick Beverley again after missing him in the game against Houston on Wednesday. He is out with a minor hip injury. Luc Mbah a Moute is shut down for the season.
Looking across the hallway to the Lakers locker room, it’s surprising that they have enough extra bodies to compete tonight. LeBron James is shut down for the rest of the season. Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram are also out for the rest of the season. Additionally, Kyle Kuzma and Tyson Chandler are out, whereas Reggie Bullock is listed as day-to-day.
Follow @ClipperholicsFS on Twitter for updates throughout tonight’s matchup!