Tale of two cities: Numbers behind Lakers', Clippers' opposite directions
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Anthony Gharib, ESPN
The Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers face off Sunday heading in opposite directions.
The Clippers are one of the hottest squads in the NBA with a five-game winning streak and hold the best record in the NBA since Dec. 1. The Lakers have lost four in a row and have fallen outside the NBA play-in standings.
In their first meeting of the season in November, the Lakers defeated the Clippers in overtime. The win snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Clippers, tied for the Lakers’ longest losing streak against their intracity rivals in franchise history.
A win Sunday would leave the Lakers one game below .500, a contrast to the team that won the inaugural in-season tournament in December. Since then, the Lakers haven’t found enough success on the court, while the Clippers have hit a strong stride.
Here’s a look at notable recent numbers from the Lakers and Clippers heading into their matchup:
64: The Lakers’ stars haven’t been able to pull them out of this stretch. Los Angeles is minus-64 since Dec. 15 when LeBron James and Anthony Davis share the floor.
Davis is having one of his best seasons in Los Angeles, averaging 25.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. James is holding his own too — he’s averaging 25.2 points, 7.4 assists and 7.3 rebounds a game. But it hasn’t led to consistent wins.
14: On the other end, the Clippers have been rolling when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are in the lineup together. Since shifting Terance Mann into the lineup for Russell Westbrook on Nov. 17, the Clippers are 14-3 when George and Leonard play.
The Clippers have won 12 straight games when Leonard is in the lineup. Leonard is the first player in NBA history to shoot 60% from the field, 50% from the 3-point line and 90% from the free throw line over a 13-game span (between Nov. 29 to Jan. 3).
George has scored at least 20 points in nine straight games.
111.2: It’s been a struggle offensively for the Lakers. Since Dec. 15, they have a 111.2 offensive efficiency, 26th-best in the NBA.
They’ve also shot 35% from deep during that span, 24th-best in the NBA.
143: Much was made of the Clippers’ poor start when they acquired James Harden. However, after a lineup change on Nov. 17, everything has shifted, especially when Harden, George and Leonard share the floor — that three-man lineup has outscored opponents by 143 points since then.
The Clippers also have a net-efficiency of plus-17.8 with Harden, George and Leonard on the court in that same time period.
2: Since Dec. 15, the Lakers are 2-9, tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the third worst.
Only the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons (both 1-10) have worse records than the Lakers in that span.
40.8%: The Clippers’ offensive surge has been aided by hot shooting from deep. They’ve shot a league-high 40.8% from the 3-point line since Dec. 1.
The Clippers also are second in the NBA in field goal percentage with 51.5%.
ESPN Stats & Information research contributed to this article.
