The Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for a marquee game against their cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are currently sitting atop the Pacific Division, and as of this point, the Clippers are far better prepared for the postseason than the Lakers are.
The Lakers have yet to find an identity and many of the players seem lost on the court as they are still trying to figure out the new offense. The Clippers, on the other hand, finished the month of December with zero losses and they have capable players at nearly every position. If the Lakers want to progress as a team and make strides towards improving, they have to come out strong against the Clippers on Friday.
Kobe Bryant spoke to the media on Thursday and Dave McMenamin tweets that Bryant has some high praise for the Clippers team.
Kobe when asked if the Clippers are championship worthy: “Oh, for sure. For sure. They’re definitely one of the top contenders.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 3, 2013
The Clippers are currently 25-8 and will head into Friday night’s game on a two-game losing streak after stringing together 17 consecutive victories. As for the Lakers, they are below .500 with a 15-16 record and are nine games behind the Clippers in the Pacific Division. The Clippers are led by the dynamic Chris Paul and the explosive Blake Griffin. Those two players have been playing extremely well this season and will cause the Lakers a lot of problems.
If the Lakers want to win this chapter of the Battle for Los Angeles, they must treat Friday night’s showdown as a game that can turn around their disappointing season.