While many hesitate to call it a rivalry due to the Los Angeles Lakers’ historical dominance over the Los Angeles Clippers, it can not be denied that the games between the two teams have become a much bigger deal over the past few years.
This especially became the case in 2019 when the Lakers traded for Anthony Davis while the Clippers brought in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Ever since then, when those two teams get together, it is almost a playoff-like atmosphere in the building and the intensity kicks up several notches.
The NBA schedule is beginning to leak out with dates of several big games already known, including the first matchup between these teams. Now, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports has unveiled the remaining dates of the Lakers-Clippers matchups:
Yahoo Sources: Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers will square off on following dates for 2022-23 NBA season:
Oct. 20 on TNT (Lakers home)
Nov. 9 on ESPN (Clippers home)
Jan. 24 on TNT (Lakers home)
April 5 on ESPN (Clippers home)— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 16, 2022
The Oct. 20 meeting between the Lakers and Clippers will serve as both the season opener for the Clippers and the home opener for the Lakers, who will face the Golden State Warriors on NBA Opening Night as they receive their championship rings. The second meeting between the two L.A. teams will take place less than three weeks later and will be a Clippers home game, though Lakers fans will undoubtedly pack the Crypto.com Arena as they always do.
Following that, the two teams will have a couple of months off before a late January meeting, which will once again be a Lakers home game. The final contest between the two will be near the end of the season in April and depending on how things go, could have some playoff implications.
The most important thing for both the Lakers and Clippers and how big these meetings will be is health. Both teams have been decimated by injuries to their stars over the last couple of seasons with few matchups featuring all four of LeBron James, Davis, Leonard and George. Hopefully that will change this season and perhaps with some good fortunes, a playoff meeting between these two could finally occur.
Lakers to face Bucks on Dec. 2 in Darvin Ham’s return to Milwaukee
New Lakers head coach Darvin Ham will make his return to Milwaukee, where he has spent the last four seasons as the lead assistant on Mike Budenholzer’s staff, on Dec. 2. This will be Ham’s first return to the place where he saw his greatest success in coaching with the Bucks.
The return will undoubtedly be an emotional one for Ham, but the most important thing for him will surely be to pick up that big road win.
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