The Lakers look to end preseason with victory as they take on the LA Clippers in
a designated “road game.”
Here’s what to keep an eye on when the two clubs tip off at STAPLES Center.
Will Zo give it a go? After missing the Lakers’ last three preseason games, all
eyes are on whether Lonzo Ball will return for this final exhibition.
Nursing a sprained left ankle, Ball — who is listed as questionable — rejoined
practice on Thursday but did not participate in full-court scrimmaging.
Luke Walton felt that it is crucial for Ball and his teammates to get reps with
one another, as the head coach said that the Lakers have missed Ball’s “ability
to make everyone on the court a threat at all times.”
In Ball’s stead, the Lakers received some quality minutes from Alex Caruso, who
is on a two-way contract with Los Angeles and its NBA G League affiliate, the
South Bay Lakers.
In fact, Caruso — who had 10 assists in Wednesday’s game — leads all players
in assist ratio this preseason by accounting for 48.9 percent of his team’s
dimes while on the floor.
Lonzo Ball practiced today. He is questionable for tomorrow.
pic.twitter.com/KNi615txdw
Will we get a preview of the opening night lineup? Should Ball have the green
light to play, he will be joined in the starting lineup by Brandon Ingram and
Brook Lopez. The other two spots are a bit more of a mystery.
Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle have each started at power forward, but Walton
said that Kyle Kuzma might get a game among the opening five in preseason.
Kuzma has taken the NBA by storm across five exhibitions, ranking fifth in the
league in points (19.2 ppg) while shooting 56.2 percent from the field.
Meanwhile, Randle is the team’s second-highest scorer (13.0) and its leader in
rebounds (7.4), steals (1.8) and blocks (1.0), and Nance could be the best
defender among the group.
At the shooting guard slot, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the clear starter this
season, but he is suspended for the first two games. Because of this, Walton has
proposed the idea of having another player in that spot for the last preseason
game, meaning that Jordan Clarkson could get the call on Friday.
Kuzma with the footwork
A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Oct 10, 2017 at 8:44pm PDT
How much will either team tip its hand? Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of
this matchup is that it’s a preview of Thursday’s season opener.
With that in mind, both teams may try to play it coy against the opponent that
they’ll be facing in just six days.
Nonetheless, there should be some interesting matchups to keep an eye on ahead
of the opener, like Brook Lopez against DeAndre Jordan and Lonzo versus
whichever Clipper is tasked with checking him.
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. PT TV: Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum Deportes in L.A. TNT
nationally. Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW
HIGHLIGHTS: Clarkson and Kuzma lead the scoring with 18 apiece, but the Lakers
fall to the Jazz 105-99. pic.twitter.com/HEBeWIwQJs
Player: Lonzo Ball
Player: Alex Caruso
Player: Kyle Kuzma
Media Content: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/171013-lakers-clippers-preview
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Los Angeles Lakers, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Kyle
Kuzma, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers
Media Thumbnail:
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Taxonomy: Preseason 2017
Story Link: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/171013-lakers-clippers-preview
