Clips Nation - Clippers-Lakers game coverage: Can LAC take the series?What it do babyyyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47967/clipsnation_fave.png2013-02-14T23:42:50-08:00http://www.clipsnation.com/rss/stream/37534992013-02-14T23:42:50-08:002013-02-14T23:42:50-08:00Clippers embarrass Lakers, 125-101
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<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Clippers jumped to a 15-0 lead and led wire-to-wire in beating the Lakers for the third time in three tries this season. With the win the Clippers have clinched the season series with the Lakers for the first time in 20 years.</p> <p>During the off-season, the <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Lakers</a> acquired two time NBA MVP <span>Steve Nash</span> and first team All NBA center <span>Dwight Howard</span> to join <span>Kobe Bryant</span> and <span>Pau Gasol</span> on the most highly decorated super team in NBA history. It hasn't exactly gone so well on the season. It went particularly badly Thursday night.</p>
<p>With Pau Gasol out with a torn plantar fascia against out for their game against those pesky neighbors, the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Clippers</a>, here are the plus/minus numbers for the three remaining Laker mega-stars:</p>
<blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p>Kobe Bryant -35 in 39 minutes;</p>
<p>Dwight Howard -31 in 32 minutes;</p>
<p>Steve Nash -24 in 25 minutes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Are you kidding me? The Lakers were losing a point a minute when their stars were on the floor.</p>
<p>As a longtime Clipper fan, in a way I'm disappointed. I mean, shouldn't the Lakers at least be putting up a fight in the battle of Los Angeles? Can't they even make things interesting? In three games so far this season, comprising 144 minutes of basketball, the Lakers have led the Clippers by exactly one point for exactly 63 seconds. And that was in the first quarter of the first meeting. The Lakers haven't led the Clippers in 138 minutes of basketball.</p>
<p>Is it possible that this is some sort of conspiracy? Are the Lakers rolling over against the Clippers, in some twisted ploy to suck the fun out of the games between the teams?</p>
<p>Well, guess what? It's still fun.</p>
<p>With <span>Blake Griffin</span> hitting nine of his first ten shots, the Clippers scored the first 15 points of Thursday's game, in front of the Lakers season ticket holders no less. I guess they team really took to heart my admonition in the game preview to jump on the Lakers early and take away their hope.</p>
<p>Save for another lackluster second quarter performance from the second unit (if you want to look for the dark lining around this silver cloud, I suppose the poor play of the reserves would be it), the Clippers thoroughly dominated the game. And while the Lakers pulled to within three behind the unstoppable <span>Antawn Jamison</span>, once the Clipper starters returned, order was restored, and the Clippers once again had a 12 point lead by halftime. The Lakers never again got the lead down to single digits.</p>
<p>Two end of quarter plays were particularly significant. After the Clippers had rebuilt a 14 point lead late in the first half, the Lakers ran off five straight to cut the lead back to nine with 20 seconds left. But <span>Chris Paul</span> engineered a wide open three pointer for <span>Matt Barnes</span> just before the halftime buzzer to push the lead back up to a dozen. At the end of the third quarter, Jody Meeks of the Lakers converted a four point play after being fouled by Barnes shooting a three, cutting the Clippers lead to 18 with 12 seconds remaining. The Lakers probably had no chance at that point, but a four point play to end the quarter would at least be something for the Lakers to build on. Instead, Paul hit a three to end the quarter, pushing the lead back to 21 and crushing any hope the Lakers had been foolish enough to harbor.</p>
<p>The Clippers made 16 threes on the game, their second highest total of the season. <span>Chauncey Billups</span> led the long range assault making 5-7 from deep and 7-10 overall, finishing with 21 points, setting a season-high in scoring for the second consecutive night. When Billups was missing 45 of the Clippers first 48 games, Ralph Lawler and Mike Smith would talk incessantly about how much Billups was going to help the Clippers. I myself thought he'd be an upgrade over <span>Willie Green</span>, but doubted he could have too big an impact on the team at this stage of his career. Well, if these last two games are any indication, they were right and I was wrong -- the addition of Billups is indeed going to be a big boon for an already terrific Clippers team. He is far and away the best long range shooter on the team, and he's in a position to get plenty of open looks playing with Paul and Griffin. Billups scored his 21 points in just 16 minutes during which time he registered a +31 in plus/minus. That's just nuts.</p>
<p>And while the bench was less than terrific as I've stated, the starters were, to a man, spectacular. Griffin (22 points, 10 rebounds), Paul (24 points, 13 assists) and <span>DeAndre Jordan</span> (11 points, 12 rebounds) all registered double-doubles, <span>Caron Butler</span> didn't miss by much (13 points, 8 rebounds) and we've already discussed Billups' exploits. There will be nights when the Clippers need their bench to play better than they have recently, but fortunately these last two games haven't been among them.</p>
<p>The 125 points ties for the most points the Clippers have scored against the Lakers since the two teams have shared a city. The 24 point margin of victory is the fourth highest against the Lakers in franchise history, and the most lopsided victory in the series since 1994. Most importantly, the Clippers have now clinched the season series with their city rivals for the first time in 20 years.</p>
<p>The Clippers, who only a week ago were staggering through a difficult stretch in which they had lost nine of 12, while Chris Paul was injured, and responded to that adversity admirably. They've now won four straight since Paul's return, and have essentially served notice that team that looked so vulnerable while Paul was hurt is not who they are. Paul is back, and the Clippers are once again the juggernaut they were in December. With Oklahoma City losing to Miami earlier in the evening, the Clippers are now just a game and a half back of the <a href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Thunder</a> in the Western Conference standings, making up 2.5 games in the standings in the last five days. So it's going to be an interesting race at the top of the conference after the All Star break.</p>
<p>When the Clippers and Lakers meet on April 7 in part 4 of the battle of L.A., the Clippers will have a chance to sweep the season series with the Lakers. That hasn't happened since they've been in the same conference, not since the Buffalo Braves went 4-0 against the Lakers in the 74-75 season. But if the the first three games are any indication, it's going to happen this year.</p>
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<table class="box-score">
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 2.14.2013 </span> </th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>Total</th>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="win"> <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> </span></td>
<td>31</td>
<td>33</td>
<td>37</td>
<td>24</td>
<td class="highlight">125</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="loss"> <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Los Angeles Lakers</a> </span></td>
<td>17</td>
<td>35</td>
<td>28</td>
<td>21</td>
<td class="highlight">101</td>
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</tbody>
</table>
<p class="foot clearfix"><span class="link-more"><span>Complete Coverage ></span></span></p>
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<p> </p>
<p>For the Lakers perspective, visit <a href="http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Silver Screen and Roll</a>. Be nice. And don't take any sharp objects over there.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/2/14/3991172/clippers-embarrass-lakers-125-101Steve Perrin2013-02-14T21:01:19-08:002013-02-14T21:01:19-08:00Clippers-Lakers Second Half Open Thread
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Happy Valentine's Day Clips Nation! Let's cap it off with a good second half and a win!</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/2/14/3991026/clippers-lakers-second-half-open-threadLucas Hann2013-02-14T19:15:04-08:002013-02-14T19:15:04-08:00Clippers-Lakers open thread
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Clippers can clinch the season series against the rival Lakers for the first time in 20 years with a win tonight, not to mention that they can take a four game winning streak into the All Star break.</p> <table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5"><tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">2012/2013 NBA Regular Season</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/472353/bvv028jd1hhr8ee8ii7a0fg4i_medium.gif" alt="Bvv028jd1hhr8ee8ii7a0fg4i_medium"></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center">vs</th>
<td width="240"><center> <a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/95153/uig7aiht8jnpl1szbi57zzlsh.gif"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/95153/uig7aiht8jnpl1szbi57zzlsh_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Uig7aiht8jnpl1szbi57zzlsh_medium"></a> <br id="1351102675390">
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>38-17</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>25-28</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>February 14th, 2013, 7:30 PM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>STAPLES Center (Purple and Gold Trim)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>TNT, KFWB 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM<br></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/ClipsNation/NBA/Los-Angeles-Clippers-Tickets"><b>Clippers Tickets</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Probable Starters</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Chris Paul</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Steve Nash</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Chauncey Billups</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Kobe Bryant</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>Caron Butler</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Metta World Peace</span></b></td>
</tr>
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<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>Blake Griffin</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Earl Clark</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>DeAndre Jordan</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">C</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Dwight Howard</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Advanced Stats (through games of Feb. 13)</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">91.6 (16th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>94.6 (4th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">109.0 (7th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>107.2 (8th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">102.0 (6th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>105.9 (15th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Injuries</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Trey Thompkins</span> (knee) out</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Pau Gasol</span> (torn plantar fascia) out</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><br></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Jordan Hill</span> (hip surgery) out</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="3" height="20" bgcolor="silver"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p>I hadn't thought about it before, but while they're on opposite teams tonight, the next time Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard play basketball they'll be starting together for the West All Stars on Sunday.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/2/14/3989434/clippers-lakers-open-threadSteve Perrin2013-02-14T11:11:24-08:002013-02-14T11:11:24-08:00Clippers-Lakers preview: Battle of LA, Take 3
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0V4d2yIy7TnfENM1Vs2L8JmleqQ=/0x140:2937x2098/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8147549/20130106_kkt_aj4_320.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>In the very last NBA game prior to the All Star break, the Clippers face the still struggling Lakers in the next installment of the Battle of LA. A win tonight will give the Clippers their first season series win over the Lakers in 20 years.</p> <table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5"><tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">2012/2013 NBA Regular Season</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/472353/bvv028jd1hhr8ee8ii7a0fg4i_medium.gif" alt="Bvv028jd1hhr8ee8ii7a0fg4i_medium"></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center">vs</th>
<td width="240"><center> <a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/95153/uig7aiht8jnpl1szbi57zzlsh.gif"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/95153/uig7aiht8jnpl1szbi57zzlsh_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Uig7aiht8jnpl1szbi57zzlsh_medium"></a> <br id="1351102675390">
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>38-17</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>25-28</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>February 14th, 2013, 7:30 PM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>STAPLES Center (Purple and Gold Trim)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>TNT, KFWB 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM<br></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/ClipsNation/NBA/Los-Angeles-Clippers-Tickets"><b>Clippers Tickets</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Probable Starters</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Chris Paul</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Steve Nash</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Chauncey Billups</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Kobe Bryant</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>Caron Butler</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Metta World Peace</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>Blake Griffin</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Earl Clark</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>DeAndre Jordan</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">C</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Dwight Howard</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Advanced Stats (through games of Feb. 13)</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">91.6 (16th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>94.6 (4th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">109.0 (7th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>107.2 (8th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">102.0 (6th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>105.9 (15th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Injuries</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Trey Thompkins</span> (knee) out</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Pau Gasol</span> (torn plantar fascia) out</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><br></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Jordan Hill</span> (hip surgery) out</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="3" height="20" bgcolor="silver"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Back Story:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>November 2, 2012, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a> home court | <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> 105, Lakers 95 | <a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/2/3594052/clippers-final-score-clips-keep-lakers-winless-105-95" target="_blank"><b>Recap</b></a> | <b><a href="http://www.nba.com/games/20121102/LACLAL/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore" target="_blank">Box Score</a></b> </li>
<li>January 4, 2013, Clippers home court | <span style="background-color: #ffffff;">Clippers</span> 107, Lakers 102 | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/1/5/3838476/clippers-outlast-lakers-107-102"><b>Recap</b></a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20130104/LALLAC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore"><b>Box Score</b></a> </li>
</ul>
<p><b>The Big Picture:</b></p>
<p>The Clippers are without a doubt having their best season in franchise history. Despite a recent stretch of lackluster results while Chris Paul was injured, the team still sets franchise records on a daily basis. But how many times can you say "best record in franchise history after x games" before it gets boring? Tonight they have a chance to do something that isn't at all boring, and while it wouldn't be a franchise first, it hasn't happened in 20 years. With a win over the Lakers tonight, the Clippers will win the season series over their big brother for the first time since 1992-1993. And though no one will talk about this, it will also keep a season series sweep in play, which you know is in the back of their minds as well. Maybe even the front. Since getting a healthy Chris Paul back on the court, the Clippers have won three straight in most impressive fashion and looking like the team that had the best record in the NBA six weeks ago. They're also healthier than they have been all season after getting <span>Grant Hill</span> back a month ago, Chauncey Billups back last week, and weathering the Paul injury and minor ones to Blake Griffin, <span>Jamal Crawford</span> and Caron Butler. In conclusion, things are going well for the Clippers and they have every chance to take a four game winning streak and a 3-0 record against the Lakers into the All Star break.</p>
<p><b>The Antagonist:</b></p>
<p>I truly believed that the Lakers would still make the playoffs right up until the point where Pau Gasol tore his plantar fascia. Now I think the writing is on the wall. And let's face it -- it would be a truly amazing collapse that we've all become too close to at this point. Stepping back, try to recall the expectations for this team after the Dwight Howard trade. Not only did it make a sixth championship for Kobe Bryant a possibility, many people thought they were the favorites. Yet here they sit, guaranteed a losing record at the All Star break, three games out of the playoff picture, and still showing no real consistency on the court. Certainly injuries have played a part, but come on. Even when Nash, Bryant, Gasol and Howard have been together, the team has been mediocre. And yes, Howard and Gasol have been less than 100% all season even when they've played, but again I say, come on. To make matters worse, while Kobe Bryant was in the midst of a renaissance season the last time these teams met, his shooting numbers have been steadily decreasing all season as he's reverted to his old ways and regressed towards his career mean. The Lakers are still very talented and very dangerous, and they've got their backs against the wall. This would be a perfect game for them to start to turn their season around, back home against the upstart Clippers in the last NBA game before the All Star break. But they've only rarely shown the resolve to step up to the situation this season and I'm now convinced that it's not going to happen.</p>
<p><b>The Subplots</b></p>
<ul>
<li> <b>Comparison of key metrics.</b> The Lakers stats are stats are not the stats of a lottery team. They really should be a low playoff team given the cumulative data, eighth best offense, 15th best defense, plus 1.3 in efficiency differential, plus 1.2 in actual differential. It's still incredibly disappointing given the expectations for this team, but they really shouldn't have a losing record.</li>
<li> <b>Jump on them early.</b> One characteristic of this Laker team this season is that they have not handled adversity well. When things go wrong, they tend to spiral downward from there. The Clippers need to start strong and take control of the game early, get the home crowd out of it, and get in the Lakers' heads. That starts with Chris Paul being assertive early, as he has been the last three games.</li>
<li> <b>The warning signs were there.</b> Remember when the Lakers were 0-8 in pre-season? Everyone shrugged it off, said pre-season didn't matter, said they'd be great when everyone was healthy. Turns out, pre-season does tell you something about a team.</li>
<li> <b>Cascading injuries.</b> As a fan of the Clippers, I well remember seasons when it seemed that the team was never healthy at the same time. (Truth be told, depending on how key you feel Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill are, the Clippers have been missing key players for more of the season than the Lakers, but I'll leave that for now.) When Zach Randolph and <span>Chris Kaman</span> were Clippers, they were almost literally never healthy at the same time, playing just a handful of games together the entire season. And certainly that has been an issue for the Lakers. They haven't had their big four in the month of February as the moment Howard came back from his shoulder injury, Gasol hurt his foot. However, it is worth noting that the Lakers have had all of their big four together for a third of their season, 18 games. How have they done in those 18 games? They're 7-11. They've actually got a winning record (18-17) when they DON'T have the big four together. So while injuries are a part of the story (not forgetting about <span>Steve Blake</span> and Jordan Hill either), they're clearly not all of the story.</li>
<li> <b>Earl Clark.</b> I play basketball with CA Clark, editor SB Nation's great Lakers blog Silver Screen and Roll. (He's not relation to Earl, FYI.) When Hill and Gasol and Howard were all injured simultaneously in the first week in January, he joked about how excited he was to see Robert Sacre in the starting lineup. So I chimed in about Earl Clark getting his chance to which he replied, "Oh yeah, I forgot about Earl Clark." This is a blogger for the team, and Mike D'Antoni had marginalized Clark to that point of the season so much that he literally had forgotten him. In the Lakers first 33 games, Clark appeared in nine and played a total of 36 minutes. In February he is averaging more than 36 minutes PER GAME. My question is, how is it possible to have a player on the practice court every day, for a team DESPERATE for some depth, for some contribution, any contribution, off the bench, and not give this guy some minutes until an unprecedented wave of injuries to your big men forces you to do so? I don't get that. </li>
<li> <b>More on Clark.</b> What's amazing about Clark is that he's been so unexpectedly good in such a disastrous season. The conventional wisdom about this Lakers team heading into the season was that had enough star power to carry them far into the playoffs, but that their Achilles heel could be their thin bench and role players. The bench is indeed thin, but Clark, a throw-in in the Dwight Howard trade, has been a great find providing depth the team was supposed to lack.</li>
<li> <b>1 for 30.</b> Kobe Bryant has made one of his last 30 three point attempts. That is all.</li>
<li> <b>Hoisting threes.</b> Take the 20 players who have attempted the most three pointers in the NBA this season. Sort them by three point percentage. As of this moment, number 19 on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&type=per_game&per_minute_base=36&lg_id=NBA&is_playoffs=N&year_min=2013&year_max=2013&franch_id=&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&height_min=0&height_max=99&birth_country_is=Y&birth_country=&is_active=&is_hof=&is_as=&as_comp=gt&as_val=&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&qual=&c1stat=fg3a&c1comp=gt&c1val=269&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&c5stat=&c5comp=gt&c6mult=1.0&c6stat=&order_by=fg3_pct">that list</a> is Metta World Peace, making .346 of a jaw-dropping 306 three pointers (sixth most in the league) and number 20 is Bryant, down to .326 with his recent deep freeze from deep. Can you say "Bad fit of coaching philosophy to personnel"? I knew you could.</li>
<li> <b>More on threes.</b> The Clippers still need to defend the three point line of course. The Lakers are more than willing to shoot from deep (we'll see if Kobe has gotten the memo but don't count on it), jacking up over 24 per game, third most in the league. The Clippers have beaten the <a href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Knicks</a> and the <a href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rockets</a> in the last five days, who happen to be first and second in threes per game and who also happen to shoot a much higher percentage than the Lakers from deep. In other words, the Clippers have been defending the three point line well this week, but it's been an Achilles heel this season. So run those shooters off that line. Except for Metta. Let him shoot. Dare him to shoot. Just kidding. Not really.</li>
<li> <b>Minutes.</b> The Clippers bench is significantly better than the Lakers bench, but they'd better be, since they'll be playing against the Lakers starters a lot. The Clippers are tied for first in the NBA in bench minutes -- LAC reserves play about 21.4 minutes per game per position. The Lakers on the other hand are 29th, with their backups playing just 14.6 minutes per position. D'Antoni has always had one of the shortest rotations in basketball. It doesn't even seem to matter to him how many healthy bodies he has, he'll play an eight man rotation, or sometimes just seven. The huge workload on Bryant, in this his 17th season, was bound to take a toll and we may be witnessing it as his shooting numbers continue to plummet. Meanwhile, Steve Nash just turned <strike>29</strike> 39 and is still playing over 33 minutes per game. By way of reference, that's more than Chris Paul. <span>Vinny Del Negro</span> has taken the completely opposite approach with the Clippers this season -- he plays a ten man rotation, playing his reserves together as a unit in almost every game, and has Paul and Blake Griffin playing career low minutes.</li>
<li> <b>TNT game.</b> I've lost track of the Clippers' record in national TV games this season, but I know it's still very good, despite a bad loss in Miami last week. They bounced back from that with a great performance against the Knicks on national TV, and it still seems to provide an extra spark for them. </li>
<li> <b>Charles Barkley.</b> Barkley of course is the chief Clipper-doubter among the microphoned set, though he never seems to have much of a point. I'm curious to hear if he acknowledges that they've been nothing short of great with a healthy Chris Paul this season, or if he'll use their recent slide to crow about how he's been right all along. I'm guessing he'll crow.</li>
<li> <b>Clippers defending Bryant.</b> Guess who is fresh and ready to take a turn on Kobe Bryant if necessary? Grant Hill, the hero of the New York game with his late game defense on <span>Carmelo Anthony</span>, took the night off last night and is ready to take on Bryant if needed. Billups, a savvy defender if not exactly the most spry player in the league, will start on Kobe, and <span>Matt Barnes</span> will likely be the primary defender on his former teammate. But Hill is the secret weapon.</li>
<li> <b>Lakers defending Griffin.</b> With Gasol out, the Lakers have been starting Earl Clark at power forward, and frankly he has as much chance of stopping Griffin as I do. Instead, the Lakers will undoubtedly put Metta World Peace on Griffin. Other than Metta, the Lakers don't have a good option, as neither Clark nor <span>Antawn Jamison</span> are close to big enough.</li>
<li> <b>Where does Nash hide on defense?</b> The Lakers will probably put Kobe on Chris Paul to begin the game as they did in the last meeting, though they've cooled a bit on the whole "make Kobe an actual defensive stopper" plan. But Nash has to guard somebody, and particularly when Jamal Crawford is in the game, he's going to be exposed. Crawford could have a huge game.</li>
<li> <b>Backup point guards.</b> In the pre-season meeting between these teams, <span>Eric Bledsoe</span> absolutely terrorized Steve Blake, hounding him constantly, picking his pocket, and basically throwing Blake into a full blown panic attack where he more or less refused to handle the ball. That was fun. It could be fun again tonight.</li>
<li> <b>Motivated Odom.</b> No one quite knew which <span>Lamar Odom</span> was going to show up for the Clippers this season. When the Lakers tried to trade him to New Orleans for Chris Paul in December 2011, he sort of lost it and asked to be traded when the original deal fell through. He went to Dallas where he proceeded to have a terrible season, eventually being dismissed from the team. Whether he's angry with the Lakers over how things transpired or not, one assumes that he has much to prove against the team he played seven seasons for. Lamar is still struggling to make shots, but he's rebounding and defending like a monster for the Clippers.</li>
<li> <b>No more Bynum.</b> From the Clippers perspective, given the way that <span>Andrew Bynum</span> tormented them in recent years, is Dwight Howard really all that different a problem? Bynum may not have been focused for 82 games a season, but he always seemed to bring his best for the intra-city games, and Bynum at his best is better than Howard on offense and not much of a drop off on defense.</li>
<li> <b>Jordan versus Howard.</b> One of the key matchups tonight will be DeAndre Jordan versus Howard. Jordan should in theory have the ability and the body to defend Howard relatively well. The reality is that he never has. Can a more focused DeAndre do a better job tonight?</li>
<li> <b>Reserve Centers.</b> After playing last season with forwards <span>Reggie Evans</span> and <span>Kenyon Martin</span> backing up the center position, the Clippers went out and signed actual center-sized players this offseason in <span>Ronny Turiaf</span> and Ryan Hollins. Hollins has recently reclaimed his rotation spot ahead of Turiaf, and they could both lose minutes in games where the Clippers go small -- but big bodies will always be useful when you're playing Howard. If for no other reason, it's certainly nice to have 12 extra fouls to use on a guy who is shooting 50% from the line this year.</li>
<li> <b>Bad blood.</b> Unwanted pats on the head, poster dunks, flagrant fouls -- these teams don't like each other. Almost every time these teams have met, there has been some significant tension. There's no reason to think tonight will be any different. Not to mention that the Lakers have got to be getting pretty close to the boiling point given their situation. </li>
<li> <b>Connections.</b> Lots and lots and lots of connections in this one. Odom, Turiaf and Barnes are all former Lakers. Steve Blake was a Clipper for half a season before moving across the hall. Steve Nash and Grant Hill played five seasons together in Phoenix -- one of those while being coached by Mike D'Antoni. Ronny Turiaf and <span>Robert Sacre</span> are two of four active NBA players from Gonzaga.</li>
<li> <b>Lyrical reference:<br><br><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH82sJ898jg">Daria -- Cake</a><br><br></b><i>Daria, I won't be soothed.<br>Daria, I won't be soothed over like,<br>Smoothed over like milk,<br>Silk, a bedspread, or a quilt,<br>Icing on a cake,<br>Or a serene translucent <b>lake</b>.<br>Daria, Daria, Daria,<br>Daria, Daria, Daria,<br>Daria, I won't be soothed.<br>I won't be soothed.</i><br><br>I won't use a reference to the team itself, so we're again going with a lake reference today. And really, this is one of my favorite <i>Cake </i>lyrics of all time. I appreciate John McCrea's use of language and his imagery in all of his songwriting, and the dense rhymes and multiple images of "soothing" and "smoothing" in this lyric are particularly clever.</li>
</ul>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/2/14/3988812/clippers-lakers-preview-battle-of-la-take-3Steve Perrin