Here is what you need to know before the Lakers' preseason rematch with the Denver Nuggets.
1)
These teams are already familiar with one another, as Denver beat the Lakers, 101-97, in both sides’ second preseason game on Friday. D’Angelo Russell (21 points, five assists, four rebounds) led the Lakers out to a 10-point lead with nine minutes left, but head coach Luke Walton emptied his bench and the reserves were unable to hang on.
2)
With Luol Deng (bruised knee) questionable for Sunday, Walton has quite a few options at small forward. Metta World Peace started on Friday but went scoreless in six minutes. At Saturday's practice, Walton said that Nick Young or Brandon Ingram might slide into the starting five if Deng is unavailable. Young splashed a pair of 3-pointers in 10 minutes on Friday, while Ingram scored six points and was a +18 in 17 minutes with the second unit, which has been the Lakers’ best lineup for both preseason games so far.
3)
It’s only been two games, but Jordan Clarkson has performed well in two games off the bench. Clarkson — who started the majority of his two seasons in the NBA — has averaged 13.5 points in 20.0 minutes while shooting 10-of-21. He also had four steals against the Nuggets on Friday, and Walton called him “maybe our most consistent perimeter defenders since the start of camp.”
4)
Timofey Mozgov got acquainted with Denver center Jusuf Nurkic over the summer, as Mozgov’s Russian National Team beat Nurkic’s Bosnia and Herzegovina squad twice in EuroBasket 2017 qualifiers. However, Nurkic — who was a top-five scorer and the leading rebounder at the tournament — had a double-double in each game, plus another in Friday’s preseason meeting (18 points, 14 rebounds).
5)
The game will be played in Ontario, marking the Lakers’ annual trip to the Inland Empire. The purple and gold have compiled a 6-3 record during these preseason visits since beating Oklahoma City in the first-ever event at Citizens Business Bank Arena back in 2008.
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. PT
TV: Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum Deportes in L.A. NBA TV everywhere else.
Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW