LA Clippers: What NBA 2K20 says will happen versus LeBron James and the Lakers
With the 2019-20 opening tip just hours away, we took to NBA 2K20 to see how the LA Clippers should fare versus LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Fans of both Los Angeles franchises are eagerly waiting for tonight’s matchup. The LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers will take the floor in Staples Center as they hope to get their first win under their belt in a season where both have championship aspirations. In preparation for this matchup, I hopped on NBA 2K20 to predict tonight’s outcome.
If it wasn’t obvious, I didn’t control either team and instead just simulated one game with regular 12 minute quarters. The only adjustment I made was to move JaMychal Green to the starting lineup instead of Maurice Harkless, who 2K had listed as the starting power forward for the Clippers. Green is the projected starter via Jovan Buha, so I had to roll with it. Here are the starting lineups for each team:
Los Angeles Lakers
- PG- Rajon Rondo
- SG- Danny Green
- SF- LeBron James
- PF- Anthony Davis
- C- JaVale McGee
LA Clippers
- PG- Patrick Beverley
- SG- Landry Shamet
- SF- Kawhi Leonard
- PF- JaMychal Green
- C- Ivica Zubac
Outcome
Luckily for us Clipper Nation, 2K thinks the LA Clippers come out victorious 123-118. The Clippers came out swinging, scoring 34 points in each of the first two quarters. They cooled off in the second half, however, and barely held the surging Lakers off when they dropped 37 points in the fourth quarter.
The Clippers shot worse from the field (49% to the Lakers 55%) and only made one more free throw. Both teams hit 11 three-pointers. The Clips’ bench outscored the Lakers, 42-30. The defense was the real key though. The Clippers defense grabbed 12 steals, a good chunk of the Lakers 20 turnovers. Without the stifling defense, a loss seemed very possible.
Player Statistics
Los Angeles Lakers
- LeBron James – 24 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block
- Danny Green – 21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
- Anthony Davis – 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 5 blocks
- JaVale McGee – 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
- Rajon Rondo – 10 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals
- Dwight Howard – 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
- Avery Bradley – 7 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists
- Alex Caruso – 7 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
- Quinn Cook – 4 points, 1 rebound
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – 2 points, 2 assists
LA Clippers
- Kawhi Leonard – 29 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals
- Landry Shamet – 19 points, 1 assist, 1 steal
- Montrezl Harrell – 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks
- Lou Williams – 16 points, 3 rebounds 2 assists, 1 steal
- Ivica Zubac – 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
- Patrick Beverley – 12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
- JaMychal Green – 9 points, 4 rebounds 1 assist
- Mo Harkless – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
- Terance Mann – 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal
Next. Answering the LA Clippers' biggest questions with Jovan Buha. dark
This result is something all of Clipper Nation hopes to see tonight and seems very possible. While it was a very close game, the Clippers were able to come out on top thanks to their top-notch defense and their bench’s ability to come in and score. Make sure to follow along with us tonight on Twitter as the Clippers and Lakers face off in the first game of the season!