Tip-off: Friday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Clippers -12, Total: 210

The Clippers and Lakers renew their inter-city rivalry with the first meeting of the season on Friday night.

The Clippers tipped off their season Thursday with what was supposed to be an easy victory over the injury-riddled Thunder, but the game came down to the last second as they eked out a 93-90 victory as 12-point favorites. Oklahoma City even lost star PG Russell Westbrook early in the game as the Clippers shot a meager 34-for-87 (39.1%) from the field while hitting just 7-of-30 (23.3%) three-pointers. The Lakers had a tough season in 2013-14 and are starting off on the wrong foot once again with SU and ATS losses in each of their first two games. They were defeated in the two contests by an average of 19.0 PPG against Houston and Phoenix and saw their defense struggle mightily in allowing an average of 113.5 PPG to the opposition. SG Kobe Bryant is the only player on the team that has averaged more than 10 FG attempts per game. The Clippers hold a dominant 7-1 mark (SU and ATS) in this L.A. matchup over the past two years. The games last season were not even close with the Clips going 3-1 and winning by an average of 35.7 PPG while the Lakers were able to take one contest by a score of 116-103. Trends show that the Clippers are 24-17 ATS (59%) as a double-digit favorite since the start of the 2012 season while the Lakers are 28-23 ATS (55%) when coming off a double-digit loss over the same timeframe. On the injury front, the Clippers have PF Glen Davis (groin) as questionable while the Lakers will be without PF Julius Randle (leg) and PG Steve Nash (back) for the season, while SG Nick Young (thumb) remains out until at least late November.

Can the slumping Lakers keep the score close versus the rival Clippers? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Zach posted a 54% ATS mark (65-56-4) in NBA Best Bets last season, while StatFox Forecaster had a 53.4% ATS (207-181-12) in featured games last season. The experts are off to a flying start this season with a combined 67% ATS mark (8-4) over the past two nights, including a perfect 7-0 ATS record on Wednesday night.

The Clippers had the top scoring offense in the league last season with 107.9 PPG while making 47.5% of their shots (3rd in NBA). Their defense was able to hold the injury-riddled Thunder team to just 90 points and 6-of-21 shooting (28.6%) from three-point range after giving up 101.0 PPG last season to their opponents. PG Chris Paul (22.0 PPG, 7.0 APG, 3.0 SPG) was a poor 3-for-7 from the free-throw line in Thursday’s loss but has owned the Lakers to the tune of 20.4 PPG (49% FG), 11.7 APG and 2.5 SPG over 30 games. PF Blake Griffin (23.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG) was 8-for-18 from the field on Thursday and has averaged a double-double (21.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG) over his 15 games against the cross-town rivals. C DeAndre Jordan (8.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG) was the league leader in FG Pct. (67.6%) and rebounds (13.6 RPG) last season while not holding back in his four games against the Lakers, dropping 13.8 PPG, 11.3 RPG and 3.5 BPG in four contests. The shooting guard position is manned by the tandem of J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, but Redick did not do well in the opener (1-for-10, 5 points) while Crawford was able to get 16 points with three steals on Thursday night.

The Lakers have scored just 94.5 PPG while shooting a poor 39.4% from the field over their first two contests. They have not been able to make up for the team’s horrible defensive play as they have allowed more than 107 points in each game while letting Phoenix shoot 54.9% in Wednesday's loss. SG Kobe Bryant (25.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG) is the one bright spot on this team and they have leaned on him heavily so far as he has attempted 42 shots in the first two contests. He has now faced the Clippers 64 times (56 starts) in his career while averaging 25.9 PPG (47% FG), 5.2 RPG and 4.7 APG. PF Carlos Boozer (10.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG) was signed by the team to give them a veteran presence, but he is just 9-for-19 with eight turnovers so far. In his time facing the Clippers (30 games, 28 starts), Boozer has gone for 17.6 PPG (54% FG) and 10.2 RPG. PF Jordan Hill (6.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG) will be a key piece for this team in 2014-15 and he tallied 11.3 PPG (64% FG) with 7.7 RPG in his three games (1 start) against the Clippers last season.