The Lakers are back on the floor on Friday when they take on the L.A. Clippers for the final time in the regular season. The purple and gold look to even the season series against their inter-city rivals.<\/p>\n
Start time and TV schedule<\/p>\n
Watch: ESPN, Spectrum Sportsnet<\/p>\n
Now that the All-Star break is over, the last leg of the season is underway for the Lakers, who aim to stay afloat in the standings and compete for a championship. The second half of the season also means a tougher challenge for Los Angeles as their competition and schedule gets more difficult. This starts against the visiting Clippers, who have slightly cooled off since finding their stride and turning their season around in December.<\/p>\n
But in fairness to them, the Lakers haven\u2019t performed well against them since they gained momentum. Part of that is because of injuries and the fact that they caught the Clippers at the wrong time. This game, though, will feel much different because the Clippers made major moves leading up to and at the trade deadline, specifically trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac \u2014 two key players who played a huge role in their last two victories against the Lakers.<\/p>\n
So expect a new-look Clippers team that is still led by Kawhi Leonard, who has been sensational as of late, averaging 27.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season. The Lakers\u2019 defense has to focus on containing The Klaw without letting the Clippers\u2019 role players control the game, as they did in<\/a> their last match<\/a>. Two of the biggest reasons the Lakers couldn\u2019t win that game, despite coming back from down 26 points in the second half, were their poor shooting and lackluster effort on defense.<\/p>\n It would be nice for the opposite to happen on Friday. Heading into the All-Star break, the Lakers\u2019 defense has shown signs of improvement. Take this with a grain of salt, but they\u2019ve had the 14th-best defense in the league so far in February. It\u2019ll be interesting to see if this continues and whether their offense doesn\u2019t plummet as a result. For as long as Luka Don\u010di\u0107, LeBron James and Austin Reaves remain healthy, there\u2019s a good chance that doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n