The 2020-21 NBA season will officially tip off on Dec. 22, and the Lakers and Clippers will serve as the nightcap of a doubleheader on the first night of games in the league. The Lakers will officially begin their title defense, and who better to do it against than the rival Clippers who are looking to silence doubters after a disappointing second-round exit in last season's playoffs that saw them throw away a 3-1 lead against the Nuggets.
The Lakers and Clippers should be the top two teams in the Western Conference, and as LeBron James and company look to repeat as champions during a season in which the NBA will have limited or no fans in attendance, Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers will be trying to prove once again that teams -- especially the Lakers -- should fear them.
It should be an exciting matchup against two of the West's best teams. Here's everything you need to know about Lakers vs. Clippers on NBA opening night.
Viewing information
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 22 | 10 p.m. ET
- Location: Staples Center -- Los Angeles, California
- TV: TNT
- Odds: Lakers -2.5 | Over/Under: N/A
Storylines
Lakers: After coming off a league-tying 17th championship, the Lakers didn't rest on their laurels in the offseason. The team reloaded with talent to surround LeBron and Anthony Davis and got younger in the process. They traded for Dennis Schroder, signed Wes Matthews and Marc Gasol and stole reigning Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell from the Clippers. After a season in which the Lakers were billed as a team with minimal depth, now they have it in excess and are favored to win another title. LeBron showed us last season that even at his 16th year in the league, he's still the best player in the NBA, and Davis reintroduced us to the dominant player he is after an incredibly successful first season with the franchise.
One major storyline to watch early in the season, though, is how the Lakers manage the minutes of players like LeBron and Davis, as they will have had the shortest offseason of any team in the league after last playing in October. While both played during the preseason, after a condensed offseason and a shortened season due to the pandemic, both players will likely be cautious about the minutes they play early on in the season in order to be ready to go when the postseason rolls around. The NBA is setting certain restrictions against load management this season during nationally televised games, so we'll see fewer healthy scratches, but you can bet that there will be nights that LeBron and Davis won't be playing major minutes in certain games early on.
Clippers: The Clippers are looking to make people forget about their disaster of a postseason, and Paul George will surely be itching to prove to everyone that he can still be an MVP-caliber player despite a tumultuous postseason appearance last year. The Clippers did lose some crucial depth when Harrell switched sides for the purple and gold, but they countered by signing veteran big man Serge Ibaka. That move was made with an eye towards matchups against the Lakers and Nikola Jokic on the Nuggets, who the Clippers had severe problems with containing in the second round of the playoffs last season.
New coach Ty Lue will have to bring a team together that had all sorts of chemistry rumors floating around it last season because on paper the Clippers have what it takes to seriously challenge the Lakers for a trip to the Finals. We'll see if all the drama off the court can stay there this season, though, and if this largely similar cast of characters can get on the same page long enough to make it that far.
Prediction
Pick: The Clippers will be playing for something to prove out the gates in this matchup against the Lakers, and will be trying to get Lue his first win as a head coach with the franchise. That motivation might be the difference-maker in this game while the Lakers may still be working back into shape after coming off a championship just a little over two months ago. Clippers +2.5
