NBA: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS vs LOS ANGELES LAKERS | 4 February, 11:00 AM

[Mary C]

 

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 

PG | Reggie Jackson 

SG | Amir Coffey 

SF | Marcus Morris Sr. 

PF | Nicolas Batum 

C | Isaiah Hartenstein 

 

LOS ANGELES LAKERS 

PG | Russell Westbrook 

SG | Avery Bradley 

SF | Talen Horton-Tucker 

PF | Stanley Johnson 

C | Dwight Howard 

 

 

This February 4, 2022, the Los Angeles Lakers will go toe to toe with the Los Angeles Clippers  at the crypto.com Arena.  

 

Giving a first look at both teams, the Los Angeles Lakers are at a disadvantage with four losses out of their last five games, which proves that the team’s positive moments remain fleeting. The team struggled this season mainly due to their best players being injured. The Lakers rank 9th in the Western Conference. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Clippers are looking decent with three wins out of their last five games. They currently rank 8th in the Western Conference, right above the Lakers. 

 

With the team’s star players being listed as probable due to injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers will most likely have a hard time trying to overcome the Clippers. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Malik Monk, and Russell Westbrook were all listed as either probable or questionable during the team’s last match against the Atlanta Hawks, and this match ended in a 129-121 defeat for the Lakers.  

 

As Russell Westbrook returns in good shape, he can be expected to be the key player especially since during the team’s game with the Charlotte Hornets, he was able to score 30 points in the second half, and 16 in the last quarter alone.  

 

The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves in a highly competitive position as they record 26-27 in the Western Conference. One of the team’s best players, Ivica Zubac, is out due to a right calf injury so the Clippers will surely be up for a challenge. 

 

For this game, the expected star player is the underrated Reggie Jackson who has been carrying the team with Leonard and Paul George sidelined. Jackson has been averaging 16.4 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, all of this on top of shooting the ball better than 32% from beyond the arc this season. 

 

In this game, it is clear that the Los Angeles Clippers has the upper hand, especially since the Lakers has struggled all season with their rhythm. While it might be true that the Los Angeles Lakers also has outstanding players, these players are currently sidetracked which puts the team in an even more challenging situation. Catch the Los Angeles Lakers go against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 4, 2022, at 11:00 AM PST, at the crypto.com Arena.