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The Clippers will take an eight-game winning streak over the
Lakers into Wednesday's second meeting of the season. This time,
the Clippers will be the home team after they defeated the host
Lakers 103-97 in the season opener.
The Clippers also enter off their best victory of the season
when they rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit and
used a late 15-0 run to earn a 119-117 victory over the
Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. The result ended Cleveland's
eight-game winning streak.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has missed the last eight games with
ongoing issues with his knee, so Paul George has expanded his
already large presence. George scored 26 points Monday,
including a key three-point play in the final minute that pushed
his team in front.
George has averaged 25.0 points per game, but has delivered even
more at 31.0 points per game over the last five contests. The
Clippers have gone 4-1 in those games to rebound from a
four-game losing streak.
Forward Terance Mann has stepped up with his first double-digit
scoring games of the season in the last two contests. Mann had a
season-best 16 points Monday on 6-of-9 shooting.
"He defended, created offense for himself, created offense for
the team and when he's aggressive it changes our team," George
said. "If we can get T Mann on that level on a nightly basis, he
elevates our team."
Now the Clippers face the Lakers, who they haven't lost to since
July 30, 2020. The Lakers still have a 150-82 advantage in the
all-time series.
The Lakers will enter off a 139-116 road defeat to the Utah Jazz
on Monday.
Anthony Davis scored 29 points for the Lakers on Monday with
LeBron James out because of left foot soreness. The Lakers also
were without scoring guard Lonnie Walker IV (illness) and
defensive-minded guard Patrick Beverley (illness). Utah shot
55.8 percent from the field.
"It seems like we've lost all our defensive intensity, and
that's what's killing us," Davis said. "It sucks to be 2-8. We
had enough to win this game. We've got enough to win every
game."
The Lakers' Darvin Ham is having a rough start to his coaching
career. The Lakers lost their first five games, pulled off
consecutive victories, then lost their last three, including two
to the Jazz in that stretch.
"It's not going to always be like this," Ham said. "We're going
to turn the corner. I didn't come here to lose. They didn't
bring me here to lose. But there is a process involved where we
have to go through tough times."
Russell Westbrook scored 22 points off the bench for the Lakers
on Monday and has averaged 16.3 points per game in nine
contests, with three of those as a starter. It would be his
lowest points-per-game average since his second season in
2009-10 with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
--Field Level Media
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