The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of their second four-game losing streak in their last 13 games. They’ve fallen all the way out of the postseason picture and have struggled on both ends of the floor.
They take the court with another chance to put an end to the losing, but must get past the red-hot L.A. Clippers first.
The Clippers enter Sunday’s battle of L.A. playing their best basketball of the season. They have won five straight games and 14 of their last 16. They have the No. 2 ranked offense and the No. 3 net rating in the NBA in that span thanks to the dominant play of the foursome of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
And most importantly for the Clippers, they’ve maintained a relatively clean bill of health. They have no major injuries and their entire rotation is in play for Sunday’s game against the Lakers. And where they’ve really been unbeatable is on the perimeter.
The Clippers are shooting 41.4% from three as a team over the last 15 games, the best figure in the NBA by over one percent. So with the Lakers faltering the way they have been, it puts a heavy burden on them on Sunday.
The Lakers have had one of the league’s most inefficient offenses over the last few weeks, ranking 22nd in the last 15 games. And health has not been on their side as well, as they are without Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura on Sunday. Fortunately, it appears as though D’Angelo Russell may be making his return after missing the last three games with a tailbone contusion.
Russell gives the Lakers an offensive boost without giving away too much defensively, as the majority of the Clippers’ offensive production comes from wings in George and Leonard. Jarred Vanderbilt, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and LeBron James become hugely important defensively in a matchup like this.
The Lakers know that they cannot continue to slip, and although they say they haven’t lost confidence, their outings have been lackluster in effort.
They have a chance on Sunday to turn things around in a big way with a victory over a team like the Clippers that has not been able to lose consistently in several weeks.
Los Angeles Lakers (17-19) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (22-12)
6:30 p.m. PT, Sunday, January 7, 2023
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Austin Reaves
SG: Cam Reddish
SF: Taurean Prince
PF: LeBron James
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie
Projected Clippers Starting Lineup:
PG: Terrence Mann
SG: James Harden
SF: Paul George
PF: Kawhi Leonard
C: Ivica Zubac
Key Reserves: Russell Westbrook, Norman Powell, Daniel Theis
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