Lakers vs Clippers: NBA Picks and Predictions
Los Angeles Lakers vs Los Angeles Clippers
Tuesday, December 24, 2019 at 8 p.m. ET (ABC) at Staples Center in Los Angeles
Trends and Injuries
Currently, the Lakers are riding 0-3 SU and 0-5 ATS losing streaks.
A big reason for their losing streaks is the injury bug that has afflicted both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
LeBron, who’s dealing with a back injury, missed L.A.’s last game, which was also L.A.’s worst game of the season, a 24-point drubbing at home to Denver.
Davis hyperextended his knee in the fourth quarter of that loss to Denver.
Both missed yesterday’s practice and are listed as ‚questionable‘ for tonight’s contest.
What LeBron and AD Mean To L.A.
It’s critical that both players play and either one would present an enormous loss.
LeBron and AD average 25.8 and 27.9 points, respectively. The next-highest-scoring player is Kyle Kuzma with 11.3 points.
Overall, both players account for nearly half of the team’s scoring, 37.7 percent of its rebounding, and 46.4 percent of its blocks.
Losing either player would also entail that L.A. make significant alterations to what it likes to do offensively.
The Lakers run the third-highest frequency of isolation plays, the main beneficiary of which is LeBron.
They also post-up just as frequently and AD is the main guy in this respect.
So without either player, the 24-6 Lakers become a different team.
Lakers Offense vs Clippers Defense
L.A. primarily likes to do three things: isolation plays, post-up, and run in transition.
Even if LeBron and Davis play and even if they were healthy enough to be effective, the Clippers' defense is well-suited.
The Clippers boast three different players — Ivica Zubac, Lou Williams, and Patrick Patterson — who rank in higher than the 90th percentile in terms of PPP (points per possession) allowed in defending the post-up.
Of the three, Patterson best substantiates his ranking by more frequently having to defend the post-up. He allows .53 PPP in this scenario and he barely ever commits a foul.
He’s the biggest reason why the Clippers rank second-best in PPP against the post-up and fifth in two-point defense.
The Lakers own the third-highest point distribution from inside the arc. So the Clippers’ interior defense will be paramount to taking away what the Lakers most want to do offensively.
Plus, the Clippers rank sixth-best in PPP in transition and are one of the better teams in defending isolation plays.
Clippers Offense vs Lakers Defense
Whereas the Clippers are very good at defending most of what the Lakers like to do offensively, the Lakers do not defend that well any of the sorts of things that the Clippers like to do offensively.
The Clippers post-up with the sixth-highest frequency, Kawhi Leonard and Montrezl Harrell being their two biggest post-up players.
Leonard’s is known for his fadeaway jumper. He’ll lull a defender to sleep by backing him down. Then he’ll swiftly turn around and fade away to procure abundant separation from his defender and an open look at the basket.
Defensively, L.A. is weakest inside. In its last game, Denver big Paul Millsap was the team’s leading scorer as he almost met his season-best with 21 points. Fellow big Nikola Jokic was right behind him.
These struggles in containing opposing interior threats is a consistent theme for the Lakers as they rank 18th in PPP in defending the post-up.
The Verdict
The Clippers distinguish themselves as they have an area which they can exploit —namely the Lakers' interior defense — whereas the reverse does not hold.
Plus, the Lakers’ two star players are battered with injury.
Best Bet: Clippers ML (-110) with 5DImes
Los Angeles Lakers vs Los Angeles Clippers
Tuesday, December 24, 2019 at 8 p.m. ET (ABC) at Staples Center in Los Angeles
Trends and Injuries
Currently, the Lakers are riding 0-3 SU and 0-5 ATS losing streaks.
A big reason for their losing streaks is the injury bug that has afflicted both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
LeBron, who’s dealing with a back injury, missed L.A.’s last game, which was also L.A.’s worst game of the season, a 24-point drubbing at home to Denver.
Davis hyperextended his knee in the fourth quarter of that loss to Denver.
Both missed yesterday’s practice and are listed as ‚questionable‘ for tonight’s contest.
What LeBron and AD Mean To L.A.
It’s critical that both players play and either one would present an enormous loss.
LeBron and AD average 25.8 and 27.9 points, respectively. The next-highest-scoring player is Kyle Kuzma with 11.3 points.
Overall, both players account for nearly half of the team’s scoring, 37.7 percent of its rebounding, and 46.4 percent of its blocks.
Losing either player would also entail that L.A. make significant alterations to what it likes to do offensively.
The Lakers run the third-highest frequency of isolation plays, the main beneficiary of which is LeBron.
They also post-up just as frequently and AD is the main guy in this respect.
So without either player, the 24-6 Lakers become a different team.
Lakers Offense vs Clippers Defense
L.A. primarily likes to do three things: isolation plays, post-up, and run in transition.
Even if LeBron and Davis play and even if they were healthy enough to be effective, the Clippers' defense is well-suited.
The Clippers boast three different players — Ivica Zubac, Lou Williams, and Patrick Patterson — who rank in higher than the 90th percentile in terms of PPP (points per possession) allowed in defending the post-up.
Of the three, Patterson best substantiates his ranking by more frequently having to defend the post-up. He allows .53 PPP in this scenario and he barely ever commits a foul.
He’s the biggest reason why the Clippers rank second-best in PPP against the post-up and fifth in two-point defense.
The Lakers own the third-highest point distribution from inside the arc. So the Clippers’ interior defense will be paramount to taking away what the Lakers most want to do offensively.
Plus, the Clippers rank sixth-best in PPP in transition and are one of the better teams in defending isolation plays.
Clippers Offense vs Lakers Defense
Whereas the Clippers are very good at defending most of what the Lakers like to do offensively, the Lakers do not defend that well any of the sorts of things that the Clippers like to do offensively.
The Clippers post-up with the sixth-highest frequency, Kawhi Leonard and Montrezl Harrell being their two biggest post-up players.
Leonard’s is known for his fadeaway jumper. He’ll lull a defender to sleep by backing him down. Then he’ll swiftly turn around and fade away to procure abundant separation from his defender and an open look at the basket.
Defensively, L.A. is weakest inside. In its last game, Denver big Paul Millsap was the team’s leading scorer as he almost met his season-best with 21 points. Fellow big Nikola Jokic was right behind him.
These struggles in containing opposing interior threats is a consistent theme for the Lakers as they rank 18th in PPP in defending the post-up.
The Verdict
The Clippers distinguish themselves as they have an area which they can exploit —namely the Lakers' interior defense — whereas the reverse does not hold.
Plus, the Lakers’ two star players are battered with injury.
Best Bet: Clippers ML (-110) with 5DImes
