Lakers at Clippers
Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant will be watching in street clothes to take away some luster off the battle of Los Angeles when the Clippers host the Lakers on Friday. Paul recently suffered a shoulder injury so Darren Collison will again be serving as the Clippers’ point guard, while Bryant’s absence has left the Lakers in disarray with nine losses over their last 10 games. The Lakers beat the Clippers 116-103 in the season opener for both clubs on Oct. 29.
The Lakers have seemed disinterested during their recent woes and have allowed an average of 120 points in their last three defeats. “We’ve got to win some games, we’ve got to play better,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters. “Whether it’s at home or away, we got to look at it just one game at a time, just do the best we can and try to keep our spirits up, fight them and see if we can get better.” The Clippers are 2-1 since Paul was injured and Collison is averaging 16.7 points in 6.3 assists during the stretch.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, TWC SportsNet (Lakers), Prime Ticket (Clippers)
ABOUT THE LAKERS (14-22): Forward Nick Young has scored 20 or more points in nine of the last 13 games and is primed for another strong outing against the Clippers. The Los Angeles native knows the rivalry increased in intensity with the rise of the Clippers and doesn’t feel the downturn in the Lakers’ fortunes should strip away any of the enthusiasm. “It’s still going to be exciting, of course,” Young said. “Because that’s the battle of L.A. still. That’s still one of the games that if we win, the fans will look past us losing. We need to go out there and just have fun and enjoy the moment and try to get the victory.”
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (25-13): Power forward Blake Griffin had a season-best eight assists to go along with 29 points and six rebounds in Wednesday’s victory over the Boston Celtics. The all-around performance is typical of what the team might frequently need during Paul’s absence but coach Doc Rivers also doesn’t want Griffin shifting his focus too much. “Blake just needs to be Blake, he doesn’t need to change at all,” Rivers said afterward. “Blake’s been great. We’ve just got to make sure we get him the ball in the right spots, but we haven’t changed much.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers won all four meetings last season before the Lakers ended that run with the season-opening win.
2. Clippers G J.J. Redick (wrist) might play for the first time since being injured on Nov. 29.
3. Lakers C Pau Gasol has posted four consecutive double-doubles and is averaging 21 points and 13 rebounds during the stretch.