The "Battle of LA" will be staged at the Intuit Dome for the first time ever when the Los Angeles Clippers face their old foes the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA on Monday morning.
The Clippers are 23-17 for the season, placing them fifth in the Western Conference, while the Lakers are 22-17 and just one spot behind their cross-town rivals in sixth place.
Match preview
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The LA Clippers are building up a nice run of form, now gunning for a fourth straight victory after blowing past the stuttering Portland Trail Blazers 118-89 on the road on Friday morning.
Norman Powell led the team to victory with 23 points, five rebounds and three assists, James Harden contributed 19 points and six assists, and Terance Mann chipped in with 14 points off the bench.
LA raced to a 10-point lead by draining 32 points in the first quarter and they never looked back from then, as they went on to shoot a sizzling 56.4% from the floor and made 10 of 23 attempts from beyond the arc.
However, while the Clippers were efficient in attack, their defence was arguably even more impressive, with the victory over the Blazers marking the third straight game in which the team held their opponent under 100 points, while they also forced 16 turnovers.
Tyronn Lue's side are now ranked as the third-best defence in the NBA, averaging 106.6 points per game against (84.7 in their last three), while on offence, they are putting up 109.6 PPG (23rd in the league).
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Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have also been in good shape lately, notching up their fourth win in five on Saturday when they edged the Brooklyn Nets to a thrilling 102-101 home victory.
Austin Reaves delivered a standout performance, putting up 15 points in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers to post a career-high 38 points on 13 of 23 shooting, including a perfect eight-from-eight from the foul line.
LeBron James backed up Reaves with 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, but the Lakers' bench contributed just 15 points, significantly lower than the 49 delivered by Brooklyn's reserves.
As a team, Los Angeles shot 46.3% from the field and made 12 of 34 three-point attempts, but they faded in the final two minutes of the match, with the Nets going on a 6-0 run but they came up a point short at the final buzzer.
The Lakers are in 17th place in the scoring charts this season, averaging 111.5 points per game, and 18th on the defensive end, allowing 113.8 points per game, while holding a cover rate of 48.7% (19-20-0 ATS).
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Team News
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Kawhi Leonard missed the victory over the Blazers - which was the end of a back-to-back - due to his right knee injury management, though he should be cleared to feature in this match after a three-day rest.
Terance Mann is reportedly a doubt owing to a left calf injury sustained against the Nets last week, P.J. Tucker is set to be traded, while both Cam Christie and Trentyn Flowers are ruled out due to being on G League assignments.
For the Lakers, Anthony Davis was a late exclusion against the Nets due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The big man is still listed as questionable ahead of this match and will likely be replaced by Jaxson Hayes if he is not cleared to play before tip-off.
Jalen Hood-Schifino (hamstring), Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and Christian Wood (knee) are all likely to remain sidelined for this match owing to injury, while Dorian Finney-Smith will be a game-time decision.
LA Clippers possible starting five:
Leonard, Jones Jr, Zubac, Harden, Powell
Los Angeles Lakers possible starting five:
Reaves, Christie, James, Hachimura, Davis
We say: LA Clippers to win by 2+ points
While the Lakers are expected to have AD back for this match, they have not been great on the road this season, 8-11 SU in away games after losing the last two on their travels.
The Clippers are riding a three-game win streak and have won their last six in a row at the Intuit Dome ahead of this match. The hosts have only lost six of their 20 home games this season and we feel they will edge the result here in a close contest.
Devesh Jaganath
