L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers

Time: 7 PM CST

Spread: LAL -2

Total: 223

Odds c/o 5dimes

LAL NEWS & NOTES:

The Los Angeles Lakers have lost three straight after having won 17 of 18, and are now at 24-6. It is currently seated atop the Western Conference with a 2.5 game lead over its opponent today, the L.A. Clippers. It appears the gamble to wager so much young talent to obtain Anthony Davis has paid off thus far. Davis leads the team in scoring, providing a powerful punch that LeBron James has done little more than feast from.

The Lakers rank No. 10 in the Association in scoring at 112.6 points per game while possessing a defense that limits teams to just 104.1 (+8.5 point differential). The Lakers also rank No. 6 in the league in assists per game as a team, tallying an impressive 26.2 per game.

James, of course, ranks highest in the assist category, even with the dime-dropping Rajon Rondo coming in to play alongside him. James is averaging 10.6 assists per game, to go with his 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks/steals per game. Davis is leading the way with 27.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while coming up with 1.4 steals and 2.6 blocks per contest.

The missing thing, if anything, has been the Kyle Kuzma that Los Angeles is used to seeing. Kuzma has played 20 games this season since returning from injury, but he has only started one of those. He averages just 23.1 minutes per game, and his shooting percentages are mediocre at 43 percent field goals and 36 percent triples. Kuzma averages the third-most of any Laker at 11.1 per game, but he really should be over at least 15 points per game. Avery Bradley is the No. 5 scorer at just under nine points per game, though Bradley is known to be a defensive pest and that is his primary focus while on the court.

Kuzma, meanwhile, is known to be a shooter but not really excelling in that lone aspect of his offense. Rondo, as mentioned, comes off the bench to play 21 minutes a game, picking up nearly six assists in those limited minutes. The biggest pleasant surprise has undoubtedly been Dwight Howard. While his numbers are far from eye-popping, he has embraced the role of a defensive-minded presence whose job is to protect the rim and grab boards. Howard has averaged just under 20 minutes a game, providing just under seven points, seven rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He has rotated well on defense, communicated, and been something of a second-unit leader. The Lakers are pleased with their low-risk investment in Howard, which drew more than its fair share of criticism even though the Lakers were not contractually bound to the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

To be sure, he is not the “same guy” that averaged over 21 points per game for the Orlando Magic. That All-Star form is firmly in the past, but Howard’s defensive energy is partly responsible for the Lakers’ overall turnaround as a team on the defensive end. Davis is, naturally, an even bigger part of this picture, but the Lakers were expected to be a slow team on defense, and that has been nowhere close to true, even with Davis often playing the 4-spot.

In fact, so many things have fallen into place that other than getting better play out of its No. 3 scorer in Kuzma, it is hard to find any other areas of overt weakness in the Lakers approach thus far in 2019-20

LAC NEWS & NOTES:

The Los Angeles Clippers are 22-10 and trail only the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference. The Clippers have lost two of its last four, but the last outing defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 118-112. The Clippers rank No. 5 in scoring at 115.8 per game, while limiting teams to 108.3, a point differential of +7.5 points.

Considering its No. 3 and No. 4 scorers both come off the bench, this is done in a different fashion. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell each average 19 points per game, and do it in 30 minutes a night or less. That enables Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to keep their minutes around the 30-31 range, as well.

Leonard leads the team in minutes at just 31.3 per game. The Clippers utilize a 10-11 man rotation, with several key role players like Patrick Beverley and Ivica Zubac serving their purposes as defenders and sparks. George is averaging 24.5 points, six rebounds, and 3.7 assists as one of four Clippers with a PER over 21. Leonard is super-efficient and the top-three Clippers all shoot 36 percent or better from three.

Leonard averages 25.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and has appeared in just 23 of the 31 games due to load management. With the Clippers resplendent depth, it can afford to rest its superstars and cruise to an easy No. 2 seed in the West.