The Lakers (0-1) are set for their home opener in Crypto.com Arena, where they’ll face the Clippers (0-0) at 7 p.m. on TNT and 710 ESPN Radio, with the pregame show starting at 6 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet.
Below are three things to know ahead of the matchup:
INJURY REPORT
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook all looked good from a physical standpoint for the season opener against Golden State on Tuesday after being listed as “probable” with various ailments, and they should be good to go against the Clippers.
The same three Lakers that missed the opener are out once again, with Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant out with respective thumb injuries, and Troy Brown Jr. still working towards a return from a back issue. While Schröder and Bryant need three weeks before being reevaluated, Brown Jr. could be nearing court time.
The Clippers expect to have their full starting lineup and rotation available.
WING ISSUES
L.A.’s depth this season lies largely in the backcourt, with several guards deserving of playing time. But there is less certainty on the wing behind LeBron and AD, with Juan Toscano-Anderson playing only 14 minutes in the opener and going 0 for 3 from three, and rookie free agent Matt Ryan getting the most playing time (17:49). Wenyen Gabriel is more of a 4/5, and he played for eight minutes, while 19-year-old rookie Max Christie is more of a big guard at 6’6’’; he may need to play more as the season goes on to give L.A. more size in general.
Those players lack the experience that the Clippers can bring off the bench behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George: Nicolas Batum (age 33); Robert Covington (31); Norman Powell (29) Luke Kennard (26); and Terrance Mann (26).
The Clippers also like to use their wing depth and size to play smaller without giving up too much length.
ANTHONY DAVIS
Of course, there is one particular Laker that is a “small ball” buster, and that’s Anthony Davis. He’s too big for the type of small lineup that the Clippers employ (with Marcus Morris or Batum at “center”) to handle inside, and he can’t be taken advantage of on the other end because of his defensive versatility on the perimeter.
In the 2019-20 season, when the Clippers looked to be on a collision course with the Lakers before they collapsed against the Nuggets, Davis may have been the difference in the matchup.
In this season’s opener, AD didn’t shoot the ball well from the perimeter, going 0 for 5 outside of the paint. He also struggled in the outer paint area, going just 2 for 7. But at the rim was a different story: Davis was 8 for 10 at the cylinder.
The jump shot always helps, but if Davis can get all the way to LAC’s rim, especially in lineups when center Ivica Zubac is on the bench, that should give the Lakers their best chance.
Last season, Davis average 28.5 points on 56.4 percent shooting with 13.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals against the Clippers, his fourth-highest scoring average on the year.