While the Los Angeles Lakers are, without question, the most popular NBA team in Southern California, the Los Angeles Clippers continue to develop into the homegrown squad.
L.A.’s two teams are set to meet for the first time this season when they square off Wednesday.
With the Lakers set to play host, the team’s 12 championship banners from their Los Angeles tenure will hang over the proceedings — the titles earning fans from multiple generations. The franchise has 17 championships overall.
The Clippers, though, are an assemblage of local talent, with the pending trade for 10-time All-Star James Harden only adding to that collection. Harden, a product of Artesia High School in nearby Lakewood, Calif., joins three other All-Stars from the Los Angeles area: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook. Norman Powell is from San Diego.
Harden’s chances of making his Clippers debut Wednesday are a long shot, giving coach Tyronn Lue at least a little more time to figure out a plan for sharing one basketball among so many scorers.
For now, Lue will continue with a plan that has led to three victories in four games, including a 118-102 win over the visiting Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
“The most important part about us is we have one common goal, and that’s to win,” Westbrook said. “So, regardless of wherever (Lue) needs me on the floor, I’m gonna do so. … I do think we have a good core foundation of how we want to play, and we know what that takes now. Plugging and playing and figure out what groups work well together and what groups don’t, we will get that as the season goes along.”
Despite the Lakers’ pedigree, the Clippers have gotten the most from the teams’ recent matchups. The Clippers have not lost to the Lakers over the previous three seasons, going 11-0. Even when the Lakers won the title at the end of the fractured 2019-20 season, the teams split the four regular-season games.
The Lakers also faced the Magic this week, turning an eight-point deficit late in the third quarter into a 106-103 victory when D’Angelo Russell scored five of his team-high 28 points in the final two minutes.
Russell’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:43 remaining put the Lakers up for good, lending support to Anthony Davis (26 points, 19 rebounds) and LeBron James (19 points).
“His calm presence offensively, he’s always thinking of how he can get an advantage,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of Russell, who had eight assists. “He’s constantly concerned about making sure LeBron and (Davis) get their touches and are put in the best possible position to succeed.”
Not only was Russell a big contributor against the young Magic, but so was new arrival Christian Wood, who played all but two seconds of the fourth quarter and contributed nine points and nine rebounds in the game.
The Lakers have split their four games this season, with both victories coming at home.
While the intention coming into the season was to control the minutes per game for James, the 38-year-old veteran has averaged 34 minutes in four contests, just under his mark of 35.5 last season.
Lakers reserve forward Rui Hachimura did not play Monday because of a left eye contusion.
–Field Level Media