The Los Angeles Lakers play the second half of a back-to-back tonight against the cross town rival Los Angeles Clippers.
Last night, the Lakers suffered their first loss of the season to the Portland Trail Blazers, 136-129, after giving up 18 threes and 26 free throws.
Offensively, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves continued to carry the load. Dončić had 41 point, nine assists and five rebounds, while Reaves poured in 26 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
The Lakers' defense proved to be a major problem in this game - as they struggle to contain Portland's ball handlers. Damian Lillard had 21 points for the Trail Blazers while going 4-for-8 from long range. His running mate, Ja Morant, led the team with 23 points and continuously gashed the Lakers. Deni Avdija also had 23 points for the Trail Blazers, going 4-for-7 from three.
The Clippers' present a different challenge for the Lakers to guard. Darius Garland leads the team with 24 points per game so far, but the Clippers' true strength is in their forwards and center. Center Brook Lopez can space the court and knock down threes from any range, thus far averaging 18 points per game.
Forwards Derrick Jones Jr. and Rui Hachimura each provide good depth at forward - both of whom are scoring in double figures to start the season.
Lakers' center Walker Kessler struggled in his last two games, but dominated on Friday in the Lakers' first matchup against the Clippers. Kessler had 22 points and eight rebounds as well as six blocks against the Clippers.
First pick: Austin Reaves over 22.5 points
Rundown: Reaves led all Lakers in the last matchup against the Clippers with 28 points. Although he shot the ball incredibly well that game (10-for-13 from the field), he turned the ball over six times and left more in the tank. He has also scored 23 or more win every game this season. So long as he is healthy, he'll continually be Dončić' second option.
Second Pick: Walker Kessler over 12.5 points
Rundown: Kessler's last two matchups against the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers were very unfavorable for his point total. The Jazz and Trail Blazers emphasized denying easy entries to Kessler as well as preventing easy lobs. Kessler had all of that available against the Clippers on Friday since they prioritized blitzing Dončić and Reaves.