LeBron Returns As Lakers Battle Clippers

Neither the Lakers (12-11 SU, 8-15 ATS) nor Clippers (11-11, 9-13) have lived up to expectations yet this season, but the latest Battle of LA might bring out their best. The Clips have dominated the rivalry recently, winning 23 of the last 29 matchups.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Clippers opened as 2.5-point favorites, but that was when oddsmakers expected LeBron James would miss the game due to COVID-19. After news broke Thursday that the King is expected to return to the Lakers’ lineup, the line flipped to the Lakers as short favorites. There’s also been early action on the UNDER, dropping the total a couple of points to 215 at most betting sites by Friday morning.

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Clippers News & Notes

The Clippers have dropped three straight and six of their last eight, but they’ve been even worse against the number, going 1-7 ATS since mid-November. Making things worse, many of those games have come against mediocre opponents, including a pair of SU losses to the Pelicans and Wednesday’s 124-115 defeat against the Kings.

LA trailed Sacramento by as many as 25 points Wednesday, a disappointing response after Monday’s 19-point loss against New Orleans.

“We just didn’t get on track defensively with what we wanted to do,” Luke Kennard told the Associated Press. “It’s something we’ve got to fix right away.”

Kennard might have been the Clippers’ only bright spot in the loss, hitting seven of 12 shots — including four three-pointers — after missing 44 of 55 attempts in his previous six games. Paul George sat out the game to rest, but he’s expected to suit up tonight for the Clippers. However, LA will likely remain without Nic Batum, who hasn’t played since November 19 due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Lakers News & Notes

After missing Tuesday’s game against Sacramento due to conflicting COVID-19 test results, James has been cleared to return to LA’s lineup tonight. The NBA confirmed Thursday that the King didn’t have the virus after all, although LeBron still had to miss the Lakers’ practice Thursday due to the league’s health and safety protocols.

Los Angeles still managed to beat the Kings on Tuesday without him, thanks to a level of defense that hasn’t been seen frequently of late from the purple and gold. LA was completely dialed in on the defensive end in the second half, holding Sacramento to 28.6 percent shooting after allowing the Kings to hit 55.6 percent of their shots in the first half.

LA outscored the Kings by 27 points in the final nine minutes of the third quarter and then harassed Sacramento into missing 17 of 18 field-goal attempts during a long stretch in the fourth.

“Every now and then, a coach has to light a fire under his team. We weren’t giving the necessary effort to transition defense and with our pick-and-roll coverages,” coach Frank Vogel told the Associated Press. “Sometimes you have to let them hear about it.”

How The Clippers Will Cover

The Clippers have dominated this crosstown rivalry lately, winning 23 of the last 29 meetings and covering six of the last seven. George should be fresh after sitting out Wednesday’s game to rest, and LA needs to bring a determined effort to the floor to snap out of its recent skid.

How The Lakers Will Cover

Defense turned the game around for the Lakers in Tuesday’s comeback against Sacramento, and that mentality might carry over into tonight’s affair with the rival Clippers. The Lakers’ size inside should also cause some headaches for the Clips, who allowed 14 offensive rebounds earlier this week against the Pelicans.

Computer Pick: Lakers -1

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