If you've still got anything left in the tank from the holiday and four previous NBA games, the perfect late night snack could be provided to you in the form of the Tinseltown showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
SCHEDULING
The Lakers are officially back in the win column. They racked up just their fifth win on the season in Denver on Tuesday night, but they have to turn right around and face Oklahoma City on Wednesday. A league-wide off day on Christmas Eve should help, but any way you slice it, this is a really rough stretch of games for a bad and thin team.
The Clips meanwhile, are really just in the middle of an extended long road trip. They popped home for a game against the Thunder which was lost in heartbreaking fashion on Monday, and they have to head out to Salt Lake City as soon as this one is said and done with. LA comes into this one with three straight losses under its belt, but at least it has three days off in a row before heading "on the road" to face the Lakers.
INJURIES
The Lakers are back at full strength after getting Kobe Bryant back in the saddle for the win against Denver.
However, not all is well in La La Land. The Clippers are very likely to be playing without Austin Rivers and Paul Pierce in this game, as they're dealing with ankle and back problems respectively. Though neither one is a tremendous difference-maker, they're both a part of the depth which has kept the Clippers going this year. Maybe they'll get away without them against the Lakers, but better teams will give the men in red problems.
KEY MATCHUP
Last year, the Lakers really had no answers for the big boys in the middle for the Clippers. DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are again putting up big stats; Griffin is good for 23.6 points and 8.6 boards per game, while Jordan is averaging a double-double with 11.0 points and 13.1 rebounds.
However, if either of these men can be neutralized, the Clippers are going to be forced to go to a really small lineup. Josh Smith isn't nearly a prototypical power forward at this point in his career, and he's really devolved as a rebounder. The Lakers don't have bigs to win this battle more often than not, but if some combination of Julius Randle, Brandon Bass, Roy Hibbert and Larry Nance Jr. can at least frustrate Jordan and/or Griffin, the Lakers could have a shot here.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Don't you just get the sense that something dramatic could happen on Friday night? This whole concept of making Christmas Day all about the NBA stemmed from superstars like Bryant, and it would be fitting if he could come up with the shot that won this game right at the death on his final Christmas before retirement.
The Clippers have been a little lazy as we see it of late. They were lucky to get past Detroit and Brooklyn on the road, and they were punished when they had tougher matchups against the Spurs, Rockets and Thunder. If they don't put up a good fight for a full 48 minutes in this one, this could be a very rare instance in which the inefficient Black Mamba comes up big in the primetime spotlight.
Lakers 98, Clippers 97
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The showdown between the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers will start at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday, December 25, 2015, at the Staples Center. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN.
