Pacific Division foes will collide when the Los Angeles Lakers (5-24) play the Los Angeles Clippers (16-13) at the Staples Center. Action begins at 10:30 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 25 and can be seen on ESP, PRI and TWC.
The Lakers are hoping for a better outcome after their 120-85 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday. D’Angelo Russell had a good outing, recording 18 points, three rebounds, and two assists for Los Angeles. The Clippers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 100-99 loss against that same Thunder squad on Monday. Los Angeles still lost despite the best efforts of Chris Paul, who recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 32 points and 10 assists.
Kobe Bryant has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Lakers. During that stretch, he has averaged 23.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers. Paul has been hot for the Clippers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 21.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 3.2 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers.
Los Angeles will look to keep miscues at a minimum in this matchup. They’re ranked second in the NBA at avoiding mistakes (turnover percentage of 13.2%). Conversely, Los Angeles forces the fifth-fewest errors in the league, with just 13.0% of opponents’ possessions resulting in a turnover.
The Clippers are favored by 11 points over Los Angeles and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 207 points. The Lakers have gone 5-24 Straight Up (SU) and 10-19 Against The Spread (ATS). While they boast a record of 7-4 against Western Conference opponents at home, they have struggled to beat the spread in those same games, going 4-7. The Lakers have seen an uptick in scoring against teams in the West, averaging 104.7 points per game. They average 96.7 points per game on the season. Los Angeles’s defense has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game dropped to 100.0 during that span, compared to its 107.6 season average. Los Angeles will look to take advantage of the Clippers and their propensity to foul. Los Angeles ranks 26th in the league in fouls, averaging 22.8 per game.
Over on the other bench, the Clippers have 16-13 SU and 10-17-2 ATS records. Against fellow division members, Los Angeles has a 3-3 SU and a 2-4 ATS record. Offensively, they average 103.5 points per game on the road, which is fourth in the league. The Clippers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fifth in the NBA at 1.75. The Clippers average 101.2 points allowed per game, but does worse whenever another team from the Pacific Division is on the schedule, bringing that points allowed average up to 110.5 against division foes.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between the divisional foes. Their previous game was a Clippers victory, bumping their SU record over the last 10 meetings to 9-1. The Clippers also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC, ATS Winner – LAC, O/U – Under
Notes
LA Clippers are 3-6-2 ATS in their last 11 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 12 of the LA Clippers last 17 games on the road.
LA Clippers are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on the road.
LA Clippers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Lakers.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 5 games when playing LA Lakers.
The total has gone OVER in 12 of the LA Clippers last 17 games when playing LA Lakers.
LA Clippers are 8-17 SU in their last 25 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers.
LA Clippers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of the LA Clippers last 10 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers put up an average of 96.7 points per game (ranked 26th), while the Clippers give up 101.2 points per game (ranked 17th).
On average, the Lakers score 98.2 points per home game (ranked 26th), while the Clippers allow 104.4 points per away game (ranked 22nd).
The Los Angeles Lakers lost their last game by 35 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Los Angeles Clippers are 1-0. The Los Angeles Lakers are 1-9 in blowouts this season.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 3-2 record. When they don’t reach the century mark, the Los Angeles Clippers have an underachieving record of 1-7.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Lakers are just 2-22 this season. The Los Angeles Clippers are a winning 15-6 when they reach the century mark.
The Lakers have an offensive rating of 97.6 (ranked 29th). The Clippers rank 15th for their defensive rating of 102.7.
The Los Angeles Lakers average 99.0 possessions per game, scoring .976 points on each possession. While the Los Angeles Clippers average fewer possessions per game with 98.2, the team scores more points per possession with 1.043.
The Los Angeles Clippers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking ninth in the league with an EFF% of 50.5%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Los Angeles Lakers have an underachieving 2-16 record.
The Lakers make an average of 18.4 assists per game (ranked 27th). The Los Angeles Clippers rank higher in assists with 22.8 (ranked ninth).
The Los Angeles Lakers average 4.6 blocks per game for a rank of 19th. The Los Angeles Clippers rank higher (11th), earning 5.3 blocks each contest.
The Los Angeles Lakers are ranked 14th in offensive rebounding. The Clippers rank 22nd in defensive rebounds.
The Los Angeles Clippers average 7.2 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Los Angeles Lakers have an abysmal record (3-14) this season.
