What:
Where: STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA
When: Friday, January 4th, 2012 @ 7:30PM (PST)
TV:
/ ESPNRadio: KFWB News Talk 980
Previous Meeting:
11/2 @ Lakers: W 105-95
PG: #3 - Chris Paul SG: #34 - Willie Green
SF: #5 - Caron Butler PF: #32 - Blake Griffin
C: #6 - DeAndre Jordan
A Tribe Called Bench
Bledsoe | Crawford | Barnes | Odom | Turiaf
PG: #10- Steve Nash SG: #1 - Darius Morris
SF: #24 - Kobe Bryant PF: #16 - Pau Gasol
C: #12 - Dwight Howard
Reserves
Duhon |Meeks | Artest | Jamison | Hill
Inactive List:
Chauncey Billups (Left Foot Tendonitis), Grant Hill (Knee - Bone Bruise) and Trey Thompkins (Knee - Bone Bruise) are out.
Chris Duhon (Back Spasms) is questionable.
Steve Blake (Abdomen) is out.
Team Leaders and Statistics
Blake Griffin - 17.4 Points, 8.7 Rebounds in 32.1 MPG
Chris Paul - 9.2 Assists (2nd) and 2.7 Steals (1st) in 33.1 MPG
DeAndre Jordan - 1.6 Blocks in 25.1 MPG
Team Performance
101.4 Points Per Game - 9th Overall
41.7 Rebounds Per Game - 19th Overall
11.3 Offensive Rebounds Per Game - 17th Overall
11.7 Offensive Rebounds Per Game (Opp.) - 22nd Overall
23.4 Assists Per Game - 2nd Overall
92.9 Points Allowed - 4th Overall
14.5 Turnovers Per Game - 13th Overall
17.5 Turnovers (Opp.) Per Game - 1st Overall
34.4% on 3 point field goals - 21st Overall
36.7% allowed on 3 point field goals - 22nd Overall
Offensive Rating: 109.7 Points Scored Per 100 Possessions - 5th Overall
Defensive Rating: 100.6 Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions - 3rd Overall
Pace: 92.1 Possessions Per 48 Minutes - 12th Overall
Kobe Bryant - 30.3 Points (1st) in 38.3 MPG (4th)
Dwight Howard - 11.9 Rebounds (3rd) and 2.6 Blocks (4th) in 36.0 MPG
Steve Nash - 8.0 Assists (6th) in 31.7 MPG
Ron Artest - 1.6 Steals in 34.7 MPG
Team Performance
102.8 Points Per Game - 5th Overall
46.1 Rebounds Per Game - 2nd Overall
13.1 Offensive Rebounds Per Game - 6th Overall
11.8 Offensive Rebounds Per Game (Opp.) -24th Overall
21.3 Assists Per Game - 19th Overall
100.3 Points Allowed - 25th Overall
15.5 Turnovers Per Game - 27th Overall
13.5 Turnovers (Opp.) Per Game - 26th Overall
35.8% on 3 point field goals - 12th Overall
35.9% allowed on 3 point field goals - 17th Overall
Offensive Rating: 108.7 Points Scored Per 100 Possessions - 6th Overall
Defensive Rating: 106.0 Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions - 19th Overall
Pace: 94.3 possessions per 48 Minutes - 4th Overall
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ECy_B0C4A8[/youtube]
Chris Paul doesn't focus on the what ifs"Never, ever – ever, ever," he told USA TODAY Sports emphatically on Wednesday night when asked how often he wonders what life with the Lakers might have been like before commissioner David Stern vetoed the deal with New Orleans back then for those infamous "basketball reasons." "
And why would he?The game itself will come with some consequence, though, even if Clippers forward Blake Griffin said it was "just like any other game." The Clippers, who beat the Lakers without Steve Nash on Nov. 2, don't want to lose a third game in a row. The Lakers, whose fans so often point to the title count between the two organizations (16 to zero) as their ultimate defense, need a win like this to keep momentum moving forward after winning six of their last eight games.
"It's a big deal for us," said reserve small forward Lamar Odom, the longtime Laker who was traded to the Clippers during the summer. "What's most fun is to be here and to really see the change in (expectations), as far people expecting us to come out and play at a high level. That's fun."
Said reserve small forward Matt Barnes, who signed the Clippers in the summer after spending his last two seasons with the Lakers: "Any time you play an old team, and it's the talk of the town – Lakers-Clippers - it's going to be a fun one."
Sam Amick, USA Today
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS4lfL4se1M[/youtube]
Big game for both teams tonight. Not so much bragging rights or anything like that, because the fact of the matter is that both teams really need a win right now. The Lakers have fallen under .500 by a game and are currently the 11th placed team in the West. The Clippers have started off 2013 without a bang by getting beat handily in 2 straight contests.
Any team can beat any other team on any given night. We recently won 17 straight games most of which were with ease. Following that up with losses to playoff caliber teams in convincing fashion, you start to wonder what team you will actually see out on the floor tonight. The team that was on top of the world less than a week ago or a team that has struggled to keep up over the last 2. Can our defense regain its form? Can slumping players rise out of their funk? Will we be able to actually grab a rebound? Who knows? All I know is that the team must once again play with purpose, confidence and poise if we're hoping to get the victory.
