Clippers and Lakers Kick it off in NBA Bubble
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in Primetime. After several months and much uncertainty, the NBA is making their long-awaited return to action.
Beginning Thursday, 22 teams will begin playing games in Orlando, Florida, eventually leading to a full postseason and NBA champion. That night, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers will go head-to-head in a potential Western Conference Finals preview.
Here is an early look at the battle for L.A., along with a free pick courtesy of Gameadvisers. As it stands now, the Lakers are favorites at -4.
Clippers Outlook
When the regular season came to a pause, the Clippers were starting to get on a roll. Winning seven of their final 10 contests, L.A. finished with a 44-20 record, good for second place in the Western Conference behind only the Lakers. They were also one of the most well-balanced teams in the league, ranking third in offensive rating and fifth in defensive rating.
On the court, the Clippers will be led by superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Playing in 51 games in his debut season with the team, Leonard averaged just shy of 27 points per game along with seven rebounds and five assists.
His new right hand man George only played in 42 games, averaging 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. The two of them give L.A. one of the best duos in the NBA, and a duo that hasn’t spent a ton of time on the court together with each other.
Joining Leonard and George are a pair of veteran role players in Marcus Morris Sr. and Montrezl Harrell, each of whom are capable guys on both sides of the court. Patrick Beverley has returned as he ramps up to starting Thursday’s game at point guard, while Ivica Zubac holds in down in the paint.
One big piece the Clippers will be missing is Lou Williams, as the elite sixth man will be forced to quarantine and sit out the game after breaking the bubble in Orlando.
Lakers Outlook
With tons of offseason hype, the Lakers did not fail to deliver. L.A. managed to finish the regular season with a 49-14 record, snatching eight wins in their final 10 games en route to the West’s top record. Like their hometown rivals, the Lakers are also incredibly balanced, ranking fourth in offensive rating and third in defensive rating.
Among all the superstars to ever put on the purple and gold, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the newest duo to take center stage for the Lakers. Starting with James, the four-time MVP finished with just under 26 points per game and eight rebounds, while leading the league with 10.6 assists.
His new running mate Davis was also great, averaging just under 27 points with 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. Both James and Davis had instant chemistry and kept the team in great position to win when they were both on the court.
As far as the backcourt, L.A. will be relying on the sharp-shooter Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to provide some dependability on both ends. Kyle Kuzma can provide some scoring off of the bench, while Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee will handle center duties.
But the Lakers will be a little short-handed at guard, with Avery Bradley opting out of the return to action and Rajon Rondo breaking his hand.
Previous Matchups
This will be the fourth meeting between these clubs this season. The first matchup came on opening night, where Leonard’s 30 points led the Clippers to a 112-102 win.
Then on Christmas Day, Kawhi’s 35 points and big fourth quarter was better than LeBron’s near triple-double, as the Clippers rallied in the second half to win 111-106. But the Lakers got their revenge just before the NBA season was suspended, as LeBron’s 28-8-9 game gave them a 112-103 victory.
Verdict
Playing in Orlando with no fans, it will be hard to anticipate how these teams will look after months away from basketball. Both the Lakers and Clippers will be missing some guards, with Bradley and Rondo out for the Lakers and Williams out for the Clippers. But there are four bonafide superstars who will be on the court, making this game must-see TV.
All three games against each other this season were tightly-contested, and I expect this one to be the same. As things stand, I feel a little more confident in the team whose stars have played together more and who likely won’t have as much rust to shake off. That’s an advantage for the Lakers, and their advantages in size and depth will also play a role in them opening up the Orlando bubble games with a win.
Head to A1pph.com ; our top pay per head bookie site and bet the Lakers -4.5.
