NBA season officially resumes today with the Lakers taking on the Clippers in one of the 2 fixtures tonight. Here we look at the match preview and where you can watch the game.
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The league phase resumes today after a four-and-a-half month break due to the pandemic. And what better way to restart the league than a clash between the teams from LA.
The Lakers and Clippers are the favorites to win the NBA title this season. The Clippers won the first two meetings between the sides this term before LeBron James put up a basketball clinic to lead the Lakers to their first victory over the arch-nemesis.
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The Lakers and Clippers have had some changes over the course of the lockdown. While the Lakers lost Bradley and Rondo, they added JR Smith and Dion Waiters. The Clippers on the other hand will miss Montrezl Harrell, Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams as each left to tend to what the team described as family matters.
It will be interesting to see if Anthony Davis makes the cut to the Lakers squad tonight, as he is currently nursing an eye injury.
Where to watch Lakers vs Clippers on TV and Online?
Fans across the globe can watch all the games on NBA TV which is available on all platforms. The NBA TV can be accessed through a NBA League Pass. Certain free trails are available for the league pass depending on your country.
The game will start at 9 PM EST and the game will available on TNT, SPECTRUM SPORTSNET, TSN and AM 570 LA Sports.
Click to know more about streaming details for each seeding game
Team Preview – Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are the current number 1 in the west with a 49-14 record. They sit 5.5 games ahead of the Clippers and will most likely march into the playoffs as the number 1 seeds. With Davis expected to play post his eye injury, the fans will get their first look at the new Lakers.
The Laker clan will fret about the loss of Bradley who was the best option in the side to guard the opponent’s point guard. With his absence, Caldwell-Pope and Caruso will surely end up getting more minutes.
LeBron James seemed to not have missed a step during the prolonged break and seems recharged after the long break. The 4-time MVP winner looks like a man on a mission to win the championship this season and the Lakers’ faithful will hope that the King gets enough back-up from his supporting cast.
JR Smith and Waiters played brilliantly during the scrimmages. The Lakers had a lot of positives during the scrimmages with Kyle Kuzma proving to be an effective playmaker during the scrimmage against the Magic. With Rondo out who was their secondary playmaker, the Purple and Gold will rely on Caruso and Kuzma to play the role.
While Green, James, Davis and McGee have proved their worth defensively, Caldwell-Pope seems the odd man out in the line-up. The former Piston sticks out as the sore thumb defensively in the line-up. The guard made Seth Curry look like Stephen Curry during the first scrimmage.
Expected starting line-up: LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee
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Team preview – Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers look like a team made for the post-season. When Leonard and George have played together this season, they have an elite net rating of +11.6 points per 100 possessions. With a team stacked with defensive stars, the Clippers are made to guard the best in the league. The Clippers also have several guys who can put 20 points per game on a given night if their two stars don’t play well.
The outfit has some challenges in its hand though. The team will hope that their two all-stars can remain healthy throughout the playoffs. Paul George has gone on to say that he is in the best shape of his career so far and that might be a death-knell to the rest of the league. The squad will hope that Kawhi regains his scoring touch after the reigning finals MVP looked rusty from downtown.
The Clippers can’t seem to have their entire squad in place. Now head coach will miss the likes of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell who have been great scorers off the bench. The squad will also miss Patrick Beverley who is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. LeBron would be pretty happy that Pat Bev isn’t going to be on his back all night.
The all-star wing duo of George and Kawhi will hope to contain the likes of Davis and LeBron tonight. With the Clippers missing several options in Lou and Harrell, a victory would be major statement tonight.
Expected starting line-up: Reggie Jackson, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris Sr., Ivica Zubac
The Lakers look favorites to win the game due to the absence of several Clippers stars. The victory would level-up the regular series score and would make things more interesting as we approach the post-season. Expect a show from some of the biggest names in the league tonight.
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