Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers 7/30/20: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds
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Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers Preview
After a long hiatus, the NBA is back. There are two games on Thursday, with the Utah-New Orleans game being the other one. Now the Lakers-Clippers game is one many predicted to be a late Western Conference playoff round. We are not quite there yet, with the seeding games currently scheduled due to the COVID-19 virus. All games will be played in Florida as the NBA made the smart move using the bubble approach. This is, of course, the NBA, and we will have an injury report to break down as teams have been scrimmaging, but also some have broken quarantine.
With no basketball for a few months, it is going to be tough to predict what the first few games will look like. We are already watching other sports with no fans, which is going to be a significant change for the NBA. The biggest difference though, is going to be how they manage minutes early on. Sprinting back into full-time minutes for some is going to be rough, and I wouldn’t bank on that happening. The Clippers bench is one of the strongest aspects of their team, but they will be down a few key members for the matchup against the Lakers.
TV Schedule
Date: 7/30/2020
Time: 9:00pm ET
Arena: ESPN Wild World of Sports Complex, Kissimmee, FL
Channel: TNT
LA Clippers Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | Patrick Beverley |
| SG | Paul George |
| SF | Kawhi Leonard |
| PF | Marcus Morris |
| C | Ivica Zubac |
Clippers Analysis
It is hard to read into any of the scrimmage game stats given it is the first competitive game for many in months. We might see some rust early on, and the Clippers are going to be without a few names. Montrezl Harrell is a name that comes off the bench but is one who players larger minutes. He is going to miss the game against the Lakers, and this adds to Lou Williams, who will miss the game as well. Williams needs to clear quarantine, given he broke the bubble for a family matter or strip club wings. We aren’t exactly sure yet. This is going to lead to more minutes for Joakim Noah and Ivica Zubac. We might even see some JaMychal Green.
There is a question mark around Patrick Beverley as well. He left the bubble and still has yet to be reinstated to play. He has to do a four-day quarantine, and that started on July 26th. Now, if Beverley misses time, we are looking at Reggie Jackson picking up a bulk of the minutes. Landry Shamet will also get plenty of time on the court. Luckily for the Clippers, they can deal with this all during the seeding games. If this were during a playoff round, things would get tricky. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are a full-go and the leaders of this team on both sides of the ball.
Leonard is leading the Clippers in 26.9 points per game this season, while George is at 21. Williams and Harrell both have averaged 18 points per game this season, and that is going to hurt the Clippers. Beverley isn’t quite the main scorer on the team but has his role averaging 8-5-3.
Clippers Quick Links: Clippers Starting Lineup, Clippers Roster, Clippers Depth Chart, Clippers Injuries, Clippers News, Clippers Schedule
Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | LeBron James |
| SG | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope |
| SF | Danny Green |
| PF | Anthony Davis |
| C | JaVale McGee |
Lakers Analysis
Los Angeles is dealing with injuries themselves as Anthony Davis is questionable for tonight with an eye injury. However, he is more likely to play. He is averaging 26 points per game this season and has been his usual self on defense, averaging 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Los Angeles already lost Rajon Rondo for a few weeks, and that gives the bench a big hit as Rondo could come off and take some of the ball-handling duties off LeBron. James has been excellent leading this offense and is averaging 25 points of his own, but the 10.6 assists per game are what pops out about his game this season.
This is not an appealing rest of the lineup. Avery Bradley opted out of the restart, and the Lakers will be without him for the rest of the season. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be asked to step into more minutes and play alongside James and Danny Green. KCP has averaged 25 minutes per game this season, and his shooting has been up. He has hit 39% from three and 47% from the field.
JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard will split time at center again. Both have been productive in their ways, but Howard is the standout here, averaging 7 points and seven rebounds per game this season. He is also adding 1.2 blocks. This is also all in just 19.2 minutes a game on average. We should see more time from Alex Caruso and Quinn Cook as they are the other point guard on the roster.
Lakers Quick Links: Lakers Starting Lineup, Lakers Roster, Lakers Depth Chart, Lakers Injuries, Lakers News, Lakers Schedule
Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds
The Lakers are favored by four points tonight, and the O/U is set at 216.5. No surprise to see the total set at 216.5 here as the combined scores have been around 215 this season. Given the delayed break and missing bodies, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a slower-paced game that ends up in pedestrian scoring. There is no crowd hype either, not that I am putting too much stock into it, but it is tough to see the teams going on those fast pace playing spurts. Despite the Lakers being favored by four, both will have a shortened bench, and this is going to be a tossup game given all the circumstances.
Odds & Line Movement Links: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers, NBA Odds
