The Kings and Ducks do battle on the ice Saturday afternoon at Staples, USC meets UCLA at Rose Bowl on the gridiron, the Dodger and Angels might as well get into the act and play an early December game of wiffleball. Quite a sports Saturday in the Southland!

The 7-7 Clippers are feeling a bit better about themselves after dismantling Memphis Wednesday night 105-90, shooting a season-high 53% from the field, displaying solid balance with six players scoring in double figures, while forcing 17 turnovers defensively for 26 points. The resounding victory both ended a season-long five game losing streak and continued the trend of home domination for the Clips as they improved to 7-1 at Staples Center.

They'll serve as the home team tonight against a Lakers team that sits atop the Pacific Division at the moment with a 10-5 record. Phil Jackson's squad's coming off of a mighty impressive 132-102 wipe-out of Utah Thursday night as Kobe Bryant put together a scoring performance for the ages with 30 points in the third quarter alone and 52 points for the game.

How do the Clippers go about slowing Kobe? That blue print hasn't yet been devised. Bryant lit them up for a shade under 40ppg last season and poured in an even 40 in a Lakers 105-101 triumph November 21, ten short days ago. That game featured 22 offensive rebounds allowed by the Clippers, 20 Clipper turnovers and a free throw discrepancy that saw the Lakers get to the line 46 times to just 21 attempts for the Clippers. Those are three areas of emphasis for the Clips in this game and they'll be fighting a bit of an uphill battle to come through.

Center Chris Kaman wouldn't declare himself out of this game, but it's highly doubtful that he'll be available still nursing a sprained left ankle back to full health. In his absence, how will this team handle the Lakers big front-line of 6-10 Lamar Odom and 6-11 Kwame Brown, with 7-0 Andrew Bynum in relief? The chore will fall to Elton Brand, Aaron Williams, Paul Davis and a collective team effort on the boards especially.

This is an important early season game for the Clippers. As long as they struggle on the road (and they're currently 0-6 away from Staples Center) there is incredible pressure to hold serve at home. And they certainly don't want to fall three full games back of the Lakers in the loss column.

:: Cuttino Mobley to be far more aggressive in this game than was in the first meeting between the two teams when he took just 4 shots and scored just 4 points November 21. Cat's coming off of a performance against Memphis when he knocked down his first nine shots and finished with a scintillating 24 points. His best game individually a season ago came against the Lakers as he poured in 36 points. He'll be primed to compete against his University of Rhode Island teammate Lamar Odom and the Lakers in the rematch.
:: The Clippers to do a more effective job of keeping the Lakers off of the foul line than they did in the initial encounter. 46 free throws is far too many to allow any opponent, but the Lakers benefitted to that degree ten days back because they were the aggressor and won each of the hustle categories (turnovers 14-20 and offensive rebounds 22-15). I anticipate the Clippers doing a solid job of forcing the Lakers to a field goal percentage in the low 40's and a much better job of team rebounding in an effort to hold this foe to minimize the Lakers second chance opportunities.
:: Kobe Byant to come out assertive and determined to lay 50 points on the Clippers if at all possible. He's the game's greatest shot creator off the dribble and capable of breathtaking scoring binges when he gets on a roll. He will look to will his team to another win against the Clippers single-handedly. The Clippers must be prepared to weather his barrage, keep other Lakers from significant contributions and play a consistent 48 minutes at both ends of the floor to persevere.
:: Shaun Livingston's size and aggressiveness to give the Lakers problems. Shaun's been excellent in orchestrating the Clippers offense in bigger minutes in the last two games. In the first meeting with the Lakers he had a fourth quarter burst in which he scored a quick nine points and led the Clippers from a double digit deficit to a lead midway through the final frame. His size (6-7) and quickness will be too much for Laker guards to deal with if he looks to impose his will during his stint on the floor.

The Clippers possess a level of confidence playing on their home court that is becoming a more sizable intangible by the game. It will be the deciding factor in this tilt with the Lakers.

While missing big man Chris Kaman is a considerable obstacle to the Clippers cause in this match-up it allows Aaron Williams the opportunity to utilize his size, strength and experience opposite Lakers young big men Kwame Brown and Andrew Bynum which may not be the worst thing.

The Clippers will do a better job rebounding than they did in the earlier meeting with the Lakers and I would expect them to take better care of the basketball as well.

Those two things accomplished this game won't feature the free throw discrepancy that the first one did (46 attempts for the Lakers to 21 for the Clippers).

With that anticipated leveling of the court, so to speak, the Clippers balanced attack should produce enough offense to overcome another big night from Kobe Bryant.

Five Things to Know About the Los Angeles Lakers

1. Center Andrew Bynum is the youngest player ever drafted (17 years, eight months, and two days old), beating the previous record by the Portland Trail Blazers’ selection of Jermaine O’Neal in 1996.

2. The nickname “Smush” was originally Smush Parker’s father’s name and was handed down to him by his mother.

3. Before stepping foot on an NBA floor, Smush Parker honed his basketball skills at “The Cage” on Manhattan’s West Fourth Street, earning the nickname “Grim Reaper”(which he also has tattooed on his right arm).

4. Jordan Farmar’s Godfather is former Major League Baseball player, Eric Davis.

5. Lamar Odom appeared in an episode of the HBO series Entourage. In the episode, Odom asked Vincent Chase when they were going to do a movie together, and Johnny “Drama” Chase asked Odom what he did to get his nice calves.