The Lakers play the second of a back-to-back when they take on the Clippers Friday. At least they won’t have to travel for this road game. They can just change into their away uniforms. The teams met for the first time this season on Christmas with the Clippers posting a 10-point win. It was the last time Blake Griffin played for the Clips.
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LETDOWN
The Clippers were getting ready for Griffin’s return to the lineup from a quadriceps injury. He was so close that he even travelled with the team on its just-concluded five-game road trip with the expectation that he would suit up at some point. The Clippers were surviving, and actually thriving, while Griffin was out with his quad injury, going 11-3 in the 14 games he missed prior to an incident in Toronto last weekend. Griffin punched a staff member breaking a small bone in his hand and returned to Los Angeles following the incident.
An MRI revealed the injury. Now, the Clippers will be without their star forward for even longer. The expected time of recovery from the hand injury is four to six weeks. There could also be some disciplinary action taken by the league, the team, or both. After the ugly altercation, the Clippers finished their road trip with wins over Indiana and Atlanta to go 3-2 on the Eastern Conference swing and improve to 13-3 since Griffin injured his quad on Christmas. While the team has played well in Griffin’s absence, he was expected to be back by now, bolstering the Clippers chances of making a run during the second half. Now, they must wait another month or longer before their stud gets back into the rotation.
INJURIES
Kobe Bryant missed Tuesday’s game with Dallas due to a sore shoulder and is questionable to play during the Lakers’ back-to-back set. Also, guard Lou Williams sat out practice Wednesday and his status for the upcoming games is in doubt due to an upper respiratory infection.
The hand injury to Griffin is definitely a blow to the Clippers, who anticipated having their All-Star forward back from his quad injury by now. He’s likely to be out another six weeks recovering from his broken hand and could face punishment from the team or the NBA.
KEY MATCHUP
Now that the injuries are in the past for Chris Paul, the Clippers are reaping the benefits in the present. Paul is wreaking as much havoc on opponents this month as he has at any point since he joined the team in 2011. Through 12 games this month, Paul is averaging 20.8 points and 11.0 assists, marking the fourth time since he came to LA that he’s posted at least 20 points and 10 assists in a month. Even by Paul’s standards, this month stands out. And by the West’s elite, he stands alone. No other player in the Western Conference is averaging more than 10 assists per game in January. Paul has scored in double figures every game this month, including a 30-point performance in Cleveland. He’s also recorded double-digit assists in eight of his 12 games. And he doesn’t appear to be slowing down, coming up big when the Clippers need him most, and leading them to a 9-3 record in January despite playing shorthanded.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Bryant pulled out his inner coach following the Lakers 121-103 drubbing in Portland last Saturday, calling out teammates Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell. The two, along with the rest of the team, played an inspired game the next time out but the Lakers still lost, falling 92-90 to the Mavericks on Tuesday. Coach Byron Scott liked the effort, but not the result, and said the wins are just around the corner if the team plays the way it did on Tuesday. But the Lakers are better off not winning games and securing a protected lottery pick to improve the supporting cast, because right now it’s not good.
Los Angeles Clippers 105, Los Angeles Lakers 96
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