Tag: Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are here to crush the dreams of Lakers fans

Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are here to crush the dreams of Lakers fans.

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Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for a second straight time on Christmas Day, winning 111-106 on the Lakers’ floor at Staples Center.

The game had a playoff feel to it (except for that terrible new camera angle ESPN kept using) from the time Patrick Beverley kneed LeBron in the groin in the first few minutes and it came right down to the wire until Beverley sealed things up with a great defensive play on LeBron.

This was the type of stuff NBA fans hoped for when the Clippers landed Leonard and Paul George in the offseason. Here is a team that is more than capable of keeping LeBron, Anthony Davis, and the rest of a very good Lakers roster from getting the team back its championship ways.

That would be a nightmare for the fans of a storied franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since they beat a OKC Thunder team that still had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden on their payroll.

Lakers fans are dying for a championship, something they haven’t won since way back in 2010 when Kobe Bryant and Co. beat the Boston Celtics in 7 games. The addition of AD had everyone thinking the Lakers would be the team to beat. Then the Clippers made their two gigantic moves and here we are – the Clippers are now the best NBA team in the city of Los Angeles.

It’s still early and these games are far from playoff games, but the Clippers showed Wednesday night that nothing about playing LeBron and the Lakers fazes them. Leonard had a monster night, scoring 11 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter. Montrezl Harrell had 18 points, Paul George had 17, and Beverley was his normal big-play self on the defensive end.

The Lakers have lost four in a row, which probably won’t be remembered months from now when they’re trying to get to the Finals. Cold stretches happen during an 82-game season, even for a team as great as the Lakers.

But now it’s very clear that a healthy Clippers team with all of its players in the mix are an extremely difficult team to beat. They have all the makings of being the championship team that we expected coming into the season, which they proved again on Christmas Day.

This rest of their matchups with the Lakers are going to be a lot of fun, as would be a potential playoff series next spring.

Though Lakers fans might not like that all that much.

Wednesday’s biggest winners: Matthew and Kelly Stafford.

(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

The Lions QB and his wife surprised a few young fans who had recently lost their father and man were these kids so stunned to see the Staffords at their doorstep. They came with Christmas gifts and then Matthew Stafford played Madden with them. But you need to see this video of their reactions to seeing the QB. It’s awesome.

Quick hits: The Sixers are fine… Christmas uniforms need to come back… NFL QB gifts to linemen… And more!

– Mike Sykes explains why we need to stop being pessimistic about the Sixers.

– LeBron is right, the NBA needs to bring back the Christmas uniforms.

– Charles Curtis ranked the best gifts given by a NFL QB to his offensive linemen this year. I think the Bucs got the best ones with their new Big Green Eggs because Big Green Eggs are the best things in the world.

– LSU and Oklahoma have their hype videos out for this Saturday’s playoff game… and LSU’s is better.

(Follow me on Twitter at @anezbitt. It might change your life. Just don’t tell me about your fantasy team.)

NBA fans absolutely hated ESPN’s new camera angle in the Clippers-Lakers game

This new angle wasn’t a big hit with fans.

Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers beat LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the marquee game of Christmas Day, 111-106.

The Clippers are now 2-0 against the Lakers this season, having won the season opener back in October. The once red-hot Lakers have now lost four straight games.

This game was really fun one that the Clippers were able to scratch out with some key plays in the final minutes.

But one thing stuck out during the game and it wasn’t the action on the court, but rather a new camera angle ESPN busted out. It made the game feel like you were watching it from a video-game angle, which many fans didn’t like. It wasn’t the exclusive angle they used – the traditional straight on angle was used a lot.

But still, this new angle wasn’t great:

Most fans hated it:

 

LeBron James and Lakers looking to avenge opening night vs. Clippers

The Los Angeles Lakers will face off against the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George for the first time.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers are looking for a better performance than they had in their opener against their crosstown rivals, Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. For the first time this season, the Lakers will get a look at the Clippers with both Leonard and fellow star forward Paul George, who was recovering from shoulder surgery at the time of the Oct. 22 opener.

Both teams are also coming off of losses, with the Lakers coming into Wednesday’s Christmas Night showdown having lost three straight games for the first time this season. It will also be interesting to see how the Lakers adjust their strategy or how much they adjust at all from their last meeting.

With the Clippers length across every position, they can disrupt passing lanes better than most teams. This often leads teams to abandon their traditional offense, but the good news for the Lakers is that they aren’t a traditional offense. They just need to find a little bit more balance than they did in the opener.

The Lakers posted up 27 times in the first meeting, which was probably a little overkill. The Lakers post up more than every team in the league except San Antonio according to Synergy Sports and they do it at the second-most efficient mark in the league. It will be a part of their strategy and perhaps a heavy part of it against the Clippers. But they do need to get more out of their perimeter players if they are going to win.

Danny Green had his highest-scoring game of the season in the opener but the Lakers had basically no other help at guard, in part due to choices made by Frank Vogel. Alex Caruso was out of the rotation to start the season and he’s become a crucial role player for the Lakers while Rajon Rondo was also injured in the opener.

The Lakers are an unconventional team and that has served them very well this season. But having a little bit better guard play as well as better play from their centers than they got in the opener will be crucial to evening their season series with the Clippers.

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Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Christmas Day’s Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Los Angeles Lakers (24-6) visit the Los Angeles Clippers (22-10) Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. ET at Staples Center (on ABC) as part of the NBA’s Christmas Day extravaganza. We analyze Lakers-Clippers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

The Lakers enter on a three-game skid, recently falling at home to the Denver Nuggets 128-104 Sunday, but LeBron James didn’t play due to a thoracic muscle strain. The Clippers lost at the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-112 Sunday

The Clippers beat the Lakers 112-102 on opening night in their only head-to-head meeting of the season so far. Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points in the win, while James finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Anthony Davis tallied 25 points and nine boards for the Lakers – Danny Green actually led the Lakers with 28 points in the loss.

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Clippers at Lakers: Key injuries

Lakers

  • PG LeBron James (ribs) probable, expected to play
  • PF Anthony Davis (knee) probable, expected to play
  • PF Kyle Kuzma (ankle) probable

Clippers at Lakers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 1 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Lakers 113, Clippers 107

Moneyline (ML)

The LAKERS (-129) are worth a wager if you don’t want to play the spread and take the chance of the LeBron and Co. not covering the small number. Every $1.29 wagered on the Lakers would profit $1 if they win. I don’t put too much emphasis on home and away records in this one since both teams call Staples Center home. However, the Clippers (+105) are 8-8 on the road and the Lakers are 10-3 at home

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The LAKERS (-1.5, -115) are the STRONGEST PLAY as long as reports about LeBron and Davis playing are true. The Lakers are 16-14 ATS, including 0-5 in their last five games. The Clippers are 18-14 ATS and 2-3 ATS in their last five. When it comes down to it, I’ll put my money on LeBron any day.

Over/Under (O/U)

The UNDER 223.5 (-115) is the play. Both teams usually play to the Under – the Clippers are 15-17 O/U on the season, while the Lakers are 13-17 O/U. The Clippers average 115.7 points per game to the Lakers’ 112.3 PPG. But on the defensive side, the Clippers allow 108.6 PPG and the Lakers allow a 104.9 PPG

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Johnny’s December record: 15-6-1. Strongest plays: 8-1.

Johnny’s NBA plays: 14-6-1. Strongest plays: 7-2.

Follow @JohnnyParlay11 and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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LeBron James and Anthony Davis expected to play on Christmas vs. Clippers

The Los Angeles Lakers will have both of their stars available for their Christmas night showdown against the L.A. Clippers.

The NBA luckily doesn’t have to worry about a lump of coal for their marquee matchup on Christmas Day as the star duo for the Los Angeles Lakers is expected to get their first shot against the L.A. Clippers duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are expected to play on Wednesday although both have been dealing with some nagging injuries as of late, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin. Davis missed last Tuesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers with a sore ankle while James was out for Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to a thoracic muscle strain in his rib cage area.

The Lakers are currently riding a three-game losing streak, their only losing streak this season. They still have the best record in the Western Conference at 24-6 and while they are on a skid, they will certainly be motivated to make a statement that they truly are as good as their record says. A win against the Clippers, who many believe is the deeper and better team, would go a long way towards validating what’s been a phenomenal start to the season for the Lakers.

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Lakers news: LeBron James and Anthony Davis questionable for Christmas vs. Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both listed as questionable for Wednesday evening’s game against the Clippers.

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a position they haven’t been in all season, losers of three straight games heading into the Christmas holiday. They were without LeBron James in their last loss and Anthony Davis played but looked banged up after the fact. As it stands, heading into their Christmas Day showdown, the two stars are still up in the air to play.

James and Davis are both considered questionable for their Christmas Day game against Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and L.A. Clippers, according to the team.

LeBron missed his first game all season in Sunday night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets and Davis has missed two games so far this season, most recently last week’s loss to the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. Davis is the leading scorer and James is their second-leading scorer in addition to the NBA’s leader in assists per game.

While the Lakers have the star duo listed as questionable, given the stage and the opponent, it would be hard to see a scenario in which both players don’t show up.

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Gilgeous-Alexander ties career-high as OKC edges Paul George, Clippers

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points as Oklahoma City overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat the Clippers 118-112 on Sunday night.

Paul George’s return to Oklahoma City was triumphant, just not on the scoreboard.

The former Thunder star was greeted by a standing ovation on Sunday night and was acknowledged for his contributions to “the team and the community” during starting lineup introductions.

Ironically enough, it was one of the players that Oklahoma City got in return for George that stole the show.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched his career-high with 32 points as the Thunder edged the Clippers 118-112 inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.

As has been the case lately, Oklahoma City needed to put together a rally to pull out the win, although Sunday’s was slightly smaller, with OKC only needing to overcome an 18-point deficit.

In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander, three other Thunder players were in double-digits on Sunday. Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 28, Steven Adams had 20, and Chris Paul chipped in 12.

George scored 18 points for the Clippers, grabbing two rebounds to go along with three assists, and two steals.

Although he was listed as questionable, Danilo Gallinari did not play in the win. He experienced left ankle soreness during pregame and was a last-minute scratch from the starting lineup.

Darius Bazley made his second career start in his place.

Kawhi Leonard did not play for the Clippers due to injury management for left knee soreness. Patrick Beverly was also out on Sunday thanks to a sore groin.

Patrick Patterson, who spent last season in Oklahoma City as well, also received cheers in his return to OKC.

With the win, the Thunder are over .500 for the first time this season and have won four in a row.

Oklahoma City will have the next three days off over the Christmas holiday and will return to action on Thursday for their final game of a five-game homestand when they host the Memphis Grizzlies.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. CT.

Kahwi Leonard out Sunday at Oklahoma City

Kawhi Leonard will not play against the Thunder on Sunday. He’s listed as out due to injury management for left knee soreness.

The Thunder has yet to face the man that asked Paul George to leave Oklahoma City and join him in Los Angeles.

And they’re not going to get the chance on Sunday, either.

Kawhi Leonard will miss the Clippers’ game against OKC on Sunday evening. He’s listed as out due to injury/injury management as he deals with lingering left knee issues that have carried over from last year.

Leonard did not play in the first meeting between the two teams in Los Angeles back on November 18. The Clippers won that game 90-88 thanks to a Paul George 3-pointer with 25.9 seconds left to play.

To be honest, it’s not a surprise that Leonard is sitting out Sunday’s game against OKC. According to ESPN, he hasn’t played in both ends of a back-to-back since April 2017.

Leonard only played in 60 regular-season games for the Raptors last season. He may not have invented load management, but Kawhi Leonard has it down to a tee.

And his absence in Oklahoma City means that George is going to have to shoulder most of the load against the Thunder.

It’s not just the scoring burden that George is going to have to deal with. Sunday will be the first time that George has returned to Oklahoma City since requesting a trade to the Clippers last July.

His request was the catalyst for an offseason of change in OKC. Shortly after George left for Los Angeles, the Thunder traded their other star, Russell Westbrook, to Houston for Chris Paul and multiple draft picks.

Though George wasn’t in Oklahoma City as long as Westbrook, there’s still reason to believe that Sunday could be emotional for the former Thunder star. It also remains to be seen how fans inside Chesapeake Energy Arena will great the player that they once thought could help them win that elusive NBA Championship.

The Clippers and Thunder will tip-off at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on NBATV.

How Rockets veteran P.J. Tucker put the clamps on Kawhi Leonard

Rockets veteran P.J. Tucker excelled defensively against Kawhi Leonard, holding the Clippers star to just 33.3% shooting on 12 attempts.

Just by looking at the box score, it might seem that Los Angeles Clippers susperstar and reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard had a strong outing Thursday night at home against the Houston Rockets.

Though the Clippers lost the game, the 6-foot-7 forward had 25 points on 47.4% shooting from the field and 40% on three-pointers. He also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists.

But box scores can occasionally be misleading. In the fourth quarter, when the game was in the balance, Leonard scored just four points and had a costly turnover as the Rockets took control of the game.

What changed? Veteran Rockets forward P.J. Tucker, who was limited at times during the game due to foul trouble, threw caution to the wind and hounded Leonard all over the Staples Center court when the game was on the line. Here’s a collection of his defensive highlights:

When guarded by Tucker, Leonard shot just 4-of-12 (33.3%) and turned the ball over twice, according to NBA.com’s tracking data.

“He’s one of the best players in the league,” Tucker said postgame of Leonard. “He’s strong, he’s physical. He’s a really good pull-up shooter, good catch-and-shoot shooter. He can do everything.”

“So you’ve just got to be physical with him,” Tucker said of his strategy. “Try to knock him off his spots. Try to make him take tough shots. I just put my body into him, and it comes down to players making plays.”

After the game, Clippers coach Doc Rivers singled out Tucker and Russell Westbrook (who scored a game-high 40 points) for their contributions.

Russ and Tucker were the two guys that changed the game for them. I thought Tucker’s defense and just overall toughness on everybody. Whoever he guarded, he got every loose ball, he got steals, I thought just his defensive energy and intensity changed the game for them.

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In addition to his elite man defense on Leonard, Tucker had the most rebounds of any player on either team at 12 — even though he’s undersized at 6-foot-5 and also older (34) than most of his opponents.

“Our defense was the difference,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said postgame about his team’s execution late in the game, when they had a 15-0 run in the final five minutes to take command.

D’Antoni continued:

Even when we were turning it over a couple times, if we didn’t get shots up or we missed shots, they didn’t score. P.J. was a big part of that with his defense on Leonard, and he came up with steals and rebounds. Guys were just playing as hard as they could play.

Leonard is far from alone, as it pertains to superstar NBA forwards that have struggled at times against Tucker’s relentless defense. In September, Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant identified Tucker as the league’s toughest one-on-one defender for him.

Tucker and the Rockets (19-9) return to action Saturday night at Phoenix (11-16) for the second game of a four-game West Coast road trip. The Rockets have now won eight of their last 11 games overall.

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Doc Rivers on Rockets, Westbrook: ‘We forget the other MVP’

Clippers coach Doc Rivers credited Russell Westbrook and P.J. Tucker as game-changers for the Houston Rockets in Thursday’s comeback win.

The Clippers limited Houston star and perennial MVP candidate James Harden to 28 points on 16 shots in Thursday’s game at Staples Center, which is more than 10 points below his season average and tied for Harden’s fifth-lowest total of the year.

Los Angeles head coach Doc Rivers said postgame that he liked his team’s overall defensive balance on Harden, who averaged 42 points in a pair of games between the same teams in November.

Yet the Rockets (19-9) still defeated the Clippers (21-9) in Thursday’s matchup of perceived NBA title contenders, 122-117 (box score), in large part due to other guys who stepped up on the Houston roster.

Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 40 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds, while P.J. Tucker brought infectious energy with 12 rebounds, two blocks, a steal, and suffocating defense on Kawhi Leonard.

Despite trailing by 16 points with under nine minutes left in the third quarter and by six points with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Rockets rallied back each time with 40-12 and 17-2 bursts.

Within that first run, Rivers appeared most perturbed by a 16-2 run late in the third and early in the fourth quarters when Harden was actually on the bench. He explained in his postgame interview:

The biggest run they made was when James went out. That was with a bunch of guys on the floor and Russ. And Russ decided, ‘I’m taking this game over.’ And all the other role players played their role for him. They did a great job.

We talked about that this morning, when James goes out of the game, Russ becomes ‘Oklahoma Russ,’ and we didn’t handle it very well.

From a tactical standpoint, Rivers said he thought his defenders were too aggressive against the ultra-quick Westbrook in the backcourt — which allowed him to blow past the wave of defenders.

We give so much attention to Harden that we forget the other MVP that’s on their team. You’ve got to respect him and play him the right way.

I thought we lost our discipline a lot on him tonight, especially in transition. We were jabbing at the ball in the backcourt. Once he gets in front of you, you’re not catching him, at least nobody that I’ve seen. And I thought that happened over and over again in the second half.

Harden did have 10 assists for the game, and his 28 points came on efficient 8-of-16 (50%) shooting, including 5-of-11 (45.5%) on three-pointers. The presence of the NBA’s scoring leader and the attention he draws from opposing defenses certainly makes the game easier for Westbrook and others who play with him.

But in those minutes without Harden, Westbrook showed that he was still capable of leading a team himself, too. Rivers seemed to agree:

Russ changed the game. Russ and Tucker were the two guys that changed the game for them. I thought Tucker’s defense and just overall toughness on everybody. Whoever he guarded, he got every loose ball, he got steals, I thought just his defensive energy and intensity changed the game for them.

It’s not as if Thursday’s performance was an outlier for Westbrook, either. In his last six games, the 2017 MVP has averaged 29.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.7 assists for the Rockets on 50.4% shooting overall and nearly 30% on three-pointers.

“It’s coming,” Westbrook said postgame about his integration into the Rockets’ offense after spending his first 11 seasons in Oklahoma City.

“As the season goes along, I figure out a way to make my impact on the game,” Westbrook said. “Whatever it is, scoring, defending, rebounding, passing. The game will kind of tell me what I need to do.”

Westbrook and the Rockets (19-9) return to action Saturday night at Phoenix (11-16) for the second game of a four-game West Coast road trip. The Rockets have now won eight of their last 11 games overall.

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