Three Things to Know: Lakers at Clippers 11-9-22

The Lakers (2-8) face the Clippers (6-5) as the visiting team and look to get back to their winning ways after dropping three straight games. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. PT on Spectrum SportsNet and ESPN.

Below are three things to know ahead of the matchup:

INJURY UPDATE
While Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant remain out with their respective UCL repairs, the Lakers expect to have a more complete roster than the shorthanded version they fielded vs. the Jazz on Monday night. Below is the current injury report:

The upgrade of LeBron to probable and the removal of Patrick Beverley from the injury report entirely is wonderful news for a team that was without three starters vs. the Jazz. If Walker is also able to play, the Lakers will be as healthy as they have been all season, only waiting for full clearance on Schröder and Bryant to be fully whole.

With Beverley expected to play and Walker questionable, it remains to be seen how the rest of the backcourt minutes are impacted. When Beverley sat out against the Cavs and the Jazz, Kendrick Nunn went from out of the rotation to into the starting lineup and found his stride in the latter game with an 18-point scoring night on 7-11 shooting, including 2-4 from behind the arc.

While the Lakers backcourt rotation is deep and competitive for minutes, Nunn’s good game might afford him another opportunity to show how he can help offensively.

2^ND QUARTER SURGES
Much has been made of the Lakers struggles in the 3^rd quarter of games this season, and for good reason. The Lakers -17.6 net rating in the period ranks 29^th in the league, only leaving them ahead of the Timberwolves (-19.2). Finding ways to play better in this period could have a major impact in the team’s success and ability to win games moving forward.

What’s not discussed as much, however, is that the Lakers have been one of the better 2^nd quarter teams in the NBA. Their +15.5 net rating ranks 3^rd in the NBA, only trailing the Mavs and the Jazz. While the Lakers show strong improvements on both ends of the ball to boast such good results, their success is mostly driven by an elite defense where they rank 8^th in opponents made field goals, 2^nd in defensive rebounds, 2^nd in opponent field goal percentage allowed, and 1^st in opponents 3-point field goal percentage allowed in the quarter. Getting these stops allows them to play more in transition – 18.6% of their points come in transition in 2^nd quarters, the third highest mark in the league.

As the Lakers seek out ways and opportunities on how to find more success in the 2^nd half of games, they could do a lot worse than using their own play in 2^nd quarters this season to guide them.

CLIPPERS REMATCH
In the first matchup between these teams this season, the Lakers had a great opportunity to win the game, but could not generate enough offense late when the game slowed down. In the closing minutes, the Clippers also deployed Ivica Zubac defensively against Russell Westbrook, helping to get the Lakers out of rhythm, contributing to their offensive challenges.

Zubac presented additional problems defensively over the course of the game, finding ways to stay close to the paint where he used his size and length to disrupt – and outright deter – shots around the basket. He also showed good offensive ability, hitting all six of his field goals while also grabbing six of his 17 total rebounds on the offensive end.

Offensively, even with Zubac protecting the rim, the Lakers still found a way to win the battle of points in the paint, outscoring the Clippers 40-36. They also did well to speed the game up, helping to coax the Clippers into committing 22 turnovers, 13 of which were steals by the Lakers. Ultimately, though, it was the Lakers 9-45 shooting from behind the arc that put a cap on their offensive production and didn’t allow them to capitalize on an overall strong defensive performance.

Looking ahead to today, Anthony Davis is a good place to start for building a rhythm offensively. Coming off his 29-point performance vs. the Jazz and recalling his 25-point effort when these teams last played, Davis has an opportunity to set the tone and continue his strong start to the season.

Additionally, Russell Westbrook is in a much better flow offensively than the last time these teams played, and his production off the bench stands in stark contrast to the 0-11 shooting he posted that night. If he can continue his run of strong scoring nights, the Lakers can put themselves in position to capitalize offensively in ways they did not in their last matchup.