NBA: LA Clippers vs. LA Lakers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The LA Clippers and the LA Lakers are sitting one next to another in the West standings. Though, they aren’t atop of the conference, but in the play-in zone, which is a bit of a sensation, ain’t it? Before the season began, the two teams from the City of Angels were the top favorites for the title. Right now, the success will be to reach the postseason. While on one side, the LAC has an alibi for this (injuries), the Lakers can’t be justified. The battle for LA is about to start, so take a quick preview of the same.

Preview

LA Clippers (30-31, -105) had three wins in four games before the All-Star pause. They beat the Mavericks, the Warriors and the Rockets while losing to the Phoenix Suns. The most recent event was at home vs. Rockets, and that one ended with LAC trashing the rivals, 142-111. They opened both halves much better, which was the key to winning.

The Clippers were once again ferocious from downtown, making 18 of their 35 shots. When they start rolling from deep, there aren’t too many teams in the league who can endure such pressure. On top of that, LAC was dominant in the air with 50 boards, 15 more than the Rockets.

Marcus Morris Sr had 27 points, Luke Kennard added 25 off the bench, eight threes, while Terance Man scored 20 buckets. Three players had 13 points each, Zubac, Hartenstein and Coffey.

LA Lakers (27-31, -110) had three losses in a row before beating the Jazz in the last matchup before the break. After suffering failures against the Bucks, Trail Blazers, and the Warriors, James and the guys were better than Utah at Crypto.com Arena, 106-101.

The purple and gold had a strong finish of the contest, scoring 35 points in the final 12 minutes and allowing only 22, to flip the result and boost the morale a little bit before the remainder of the campaign. Their chances of reaching a direct playoff spot are pretty low, but there is no other option but to keep on grinding.

James was very good with 33 points, eight boards and six assists, Anthony Davis scored 17 buckets, while Russell Westbrook had the same number of points and seven boards. Malik Monk had only 13.

Head to Head Games

The Clippers and the Lakers met twice this season. The first game was in early December, when LAC won, 119-115. The next one was three weeks ago, on February 3, with the Clippers once again winning, 111-110. This was the fifth consecutive victory for the Clips over the local rivals.

Prediction

LAC doesn’t have its two biggest names, Leonard and George, but it seems that the chemistry is at a much higher level than the Lakers’. We can debate whether is because of Russell Westbrook or not, but the obvious thing is that the purple and gold are a mediocre unit this season. Meanwhile, the Clippers play in waves, and they post wins or losses in series, showing a healthier attitude on the court. That is why we pick their victory here, despite the bookies seeing them as slight underdogs.

Pick: LAC Wins -105