Tip-off: Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Line: N/A

The Clippers will be looking to win their third straight game against a Lakers team that has lost eight straight heading into Friday.

The Lakers hosted the Bulls on Thursday night and lost 114-91 as 8.5-point home underdogs. The team was outrebounded 61-47 in the game and that really made a huge difference in determining the outcome. If the Lakers don’t rebound better on Friday then they will likely be losing their ninth straight game. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off of a pair of impressive victories. The team went into Indiana on Tuesday and defeated the Pacers 91-89 and followed it up with an 85-83 victory in Atlanta over the Hawks on Wednesday. The Clippers have forced their opponents to commit 15 or more turnovers in four straight games and will now look to make the Lakers similarly uncomfortable on Friday. These teams have met nine times in the past three seasons and the Clippers are 8-1 SU and 5-4 ATS in those meetings. And although the teams share the same building, the Clippers are 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS when playing as the “home” team in that span. One trend worth pointing out in this game is that the Clippers are 9-5 ATS when facing a team with a winning percentage of 25% or less over the past three seasons. SG Kobe Bryant (Rest) and SG Lou Williams (Illness) are questionable for the Lakers in this game and PF Blake Griffin (Hand) remains out indefinitely for the Clippers.

The Lakers have been pathetic defensively this season, allowing 106.4 PPG (28th in NBA). That does not bode well with the Clippers next on the schedule and the team will need to find a way to get stops or it will have no chance of winning on Friday. Offensively, the team has been solid in spurts but lacks consistency. The one guy that has been playing well on a nightly basis is PF Julius Randle (10.7 PPG, 9.6 RPG). Over the past four games, Randle is averaging 13.3 PPG and 10.5 RPG. He is very tough to stop once he gets a full head of steam going to the basket and will need to put some pressure on the Clippers on Friday. He is, however, a very poor defender and is one of the reasons this Lakers team can’t stop anybody. PG Jordan Clarkson (15.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG) is going to have to show up in a big way on Friday for the Lakers. Clarkson is averaging 14.8 PPG over the past five games and brings a ton of energy to his team on both ends of the floor. He will likely be matched up with Chris Paul in this one, though, and he must hold his own if the Lakers want to stay competitive. SG Kobe Bryant (15.7 PPG) is questionable for this game, but if he plays then the Lakers might just keep it close. Bryant is shooting just 34.6% from the field this year, but he brings intensity to the team and is a leader by example for a group of inexperienced players.

The Clippers are Los Angeles’ best team and it’s not even much of a debate. They are a perennial playoff team and have dominated this series recently, but they will definitely get the best from the Lakers on Friday. This may be a one-sided matchup, but it is a rivalry of sorts and the Lakers still want to prove that they are the team to beat in Los Angeles. Fortunately for the Clippers, PG Chris Paul (18.6 PPG, 9.6 APG, 3.9 RPG, 2.1 SPG) will be on the floor and he is going to be able to dominate this game. Over the past five contests, Paul is averaging 21.2 PPG, 10.0 APG and 2.0 SPG. He has really played well with Griffin out of the lineup and he will likely be very aggressive as a scorer in this one. Paul had 23 points the last time these teams met and he could go for even more on Friday. C DeAndre Jordan (11.9 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 2.2 BPG) could also have his way with the Lakers in this one. Jordan is averaging 19.0 RPG over the past two contests and the Lakers have struggled to keep their opponents off the glass recently. Jordan is far too athletic for any of the Lakers’ big men to cover him and he should dominate this game. SG Jamal Crawford (12.5 PPG) is a player to watch out for in this one. He had 21 points against the Hawks on Wednesday and is capable of putting up points in a hurry.