Will the third time be the charm for the Los Angeles Clippers, who got preyed on by the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous two meetings in the 2023-24 NBA regular season? Or, will the Lakers continue their dominance of their rivals?

Catch this game live on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 11 AM, Manila time

Away: Los Angeles Lakers (22-22/6-14 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

• D’Angelo Russell
• Austin Reaves
• Taurean Prince 
• Rui Hachimura
• Anthony Davis

The Lakers did what they were supposed to do on Monday which was to beat up the lowly Portland Trail Blazers at home, 134-110. Los Angeles fans would not have forgiven the team if it lost to a lottery team just days after getting crushed at home by the Brooklyn Nets (130-112) last Saturday.

The Lakers are also winning in a more consistent manner of late, having scored a victory in three of their last four games, including back-to-back Ws versus quality teams Oklahoma City Thunder (112-105) and Dallas Mavericks (127-110).

One reason for the Lakers’ recent success is their efficient offense. They shot the ball well from the field in the last four games, making 51.3% of their attempts from the floor and going 38.1% from behind the arc. At the same time, their defense continues to hold up. Over the same stretch, they limited opponents to only 46.8 FG% and 32.7 3FG%. The Clippers are a different animal, but just remember that the Lakers are 2-0 straight up and 2-0 against the spread in two meetings so far this season. 

The Lakers, however, will not have LeBron James this Wednesday, as he’s been ruled out with an ankle problem.

Home: Los Angeles Clippers (27-14/18-4 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

• James Harden
• Terance Mann
• Paul George
• Kawhi Leonard
• Mason Plumlee

After getting tripped up in a 109-105 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers returned to La La Land and scored two wins in a row, beating the Thunder (128-117) and the Nets (125-114). Now, only the Lakers stand in the way of James Harden and company and a perfect record to finish the three-game homestand. For what it’s worth, the Clippers have won all of their last six games versus the Lakers when they’re the designated home team in the matchup, going back to 2021. They have also beaten the spread five times in that span. 

Like the Lakers, the Clippers are shooting the ball really good lately. The Clippers shot 54% from the field in the Thunder game and 50.6% versus the Nets.  They have always been a prolific and efficient attacking team this season, as they’re ninth in the league with 117.8 points per game and fourth with a 56.9 eFG%. As good as they are offensively, they might even be better on the other side of the court, as they’re top 10 as well in both scoring defense (112.0) and effective field goal percentage (53.7%).

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: The Lakers (+9) cover the spread.

Over/Under: The total (229.5) hits the Under.