The Milwaukee Bucks and the LA Lakers currently stand on top of the NBA together with identical 19-3 records. Tomorrow, they’ll be going up against the ‘other’ team from the City of Angels.

You may have heard of them.

The Clippers have been on a pretty significant tear of their own. They’re only three wins behind the lakers, holding a 16-6 record – good for second in one of the toughest Western Conference races in recent memory. Like the Lakers, they’ve won 9 out of their last 10 games. These victories include two games in which they scored 150 points against the Hawks and Wizards.

There’s a lot on the line tomorrow, and it’s going to be a tough game for both teams.

The star-studded Clippers

It’s no surprise that the 9-1 run started to happen as Paul George (23.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.3 SPG) and Kawhi Leonard (25.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.9 SPG) have finally started playing together on the court. They’ve been difficult to guard when they play alone, and are just plain confusing to deal with when they’re both roaming around the court.

It’s a given that both stars will be looked on to produce, but the Clippers’ story doesn’t end there. They have someone who could undeniably be the star on another team in Lou Williams (21.1 PPG, 6.3 APG) and he’s been a major factor in most of their victories.

Then there’s Montrezl Harrell (19.1 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.2 BPG). He’s been an animal on the court and has been a stat-stuffer for fantasy teams. He seems to relish rising to the occasion as well, and has been the best player on the court in more than one game this season. Whether it’s getting cutbacks, making key blocks, frustrating opponents with his smothering defense, or drawing key fouls, Harrell has taken his great play from last year and really upped his game to become a premier glue guy for the Clippers.

The presence of those four players alone already accounts for an average of 88.7 points. To put that into context, the league’s lowest scoring team are the Knicks, who average 100.9 points each contest.

We’ve only talked about four players as well. The Clippers are also able to rely on the always-infuriating Patrick Beverley, who has a knack for getting under the skin of the opposing players, and has started to develop a pretty reliable three point shot from catch and shoot situations. They can also call on the size of Ivica Zubac, and other players like JaMychal Green, Maurice Harkless, Landry Shamet, and Rodney McGruder have found ways to be effective within Doc Rivers’ system.

The Clippers are the deepest team in the NBA. Their talent pool is mind-numbing.

However, they’ve also been frustratingly inconsistent at times this season. They’ve seen losses to teams that shouldn’t be able to touch them, like the Suns, Spurs, and Pelicans. They’ve also shown something of a habit of going on big scoring droughts when the game slows down, like their battle against the Toronto Raptors.

The Greek Freak will come to play

The Bucks, who won their last meeting with the Clippers 129-124, aren’t going to be resting on their laurels. They know full well that the barely held off the Clippers who were without Leonard (load management) and George (injured).

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his squad will not suddenly lie down, though. They’ve earned their record so far, showing their own brand of dominance with a 13-game winning streak.

Antetokounmpo (31 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG) is putting together a case for a consecutive MVP. He’s got a league-busting player efficiency rating (PER) of 34. His closest competitors are Luka Doncic (31.9 PER) and James Harden (31.8 PER). Miles away in fourth place is Anthony Davis (28.5 PER).

The supporting cast that the Bucks have surrounded their star with aren’t pushovers either. Khris Middleton (17.4 PPG, 5.5 PPG, 3.2 APG) is doing a solid job as the number two option, while Eric Bledsoe (15.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.6 APG) is doing his job. Brook Lopez (10.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG) continues to show his value despite his three point percentage dropping to 29.3% this season.

Again, these guys are on top of the East for a reason. A solid game plan could lead them to a win. The main question that the Clippers will need to answer is how to contain someone with Antetokounmpo’s supernatural athleticism. If they let him have his way, then the Bucks are going to give them a tough night.

Prediction:

The battle is going to be a tough one, but the Clippers should have what it takes to bring down the Bucks. Their full strength will be too much to bear over four quarters and they should come up with a narrow 120 – 116 victory.