The Lakers and Clippers will square off at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Friday night, but the teams won’t look all that familiar. Both teams are dealing with major injuries. Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul will both be in street clothes for this one. That takes away some of the luster from this game, but this is always a spirited battle. ESPN will televise this game nationally on Friday night.

The Lakers are now just 14-22 and 10 games behind the Clippers in the NBA Pacific standings. While the Lakers hung around for a while, the amount of injuries to the team has been too much to overcome of late. The Clippers have only been without Paul for three games, but they have managed to win two of those games.

What will the game look like without the top stars for each team? Let’s take a closer look at this battle for Los Angeles bragging rights.

Lakers at Clippers Betting Story Lines

The Lakers stunned the Clippers 116-103 in the season opener this season. That has been the only meeting between these two teams up until this point in the 2013-14 NBA season. The Lakers won the battle on the boards 52-40 in that matchup. They also knocked down 14 three-pointers. The Lakers were 9.5 point underdogs heading into that game.

The biggest problem for the Lakers now is it isn’t just Bryant that’s hurt. Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Jordan Farmer, and Xavier Henry are all out. That means the Lakers are without their top three options at the point guard spot. Kendall Marshall has been called up, and he is getting the majority of the minutes at the point guard position right now.

There really is no identity for this current Lakers team, but it’s hard to blame them for that based on how short-handed they are. Pau Gasol is struggling, and he doesn’t seem to get along with Mike D’Antoni. Gasol is the only really good player left for the Lakers, but he isn’t playing up to his potential right now. The Lakers have lost nine of their last 10 games overall. Until some of their regulars come back, it’s hard to see things changing for this squad.

The Clippers are without their star as well, but things are a little different for this team. There’s no doubt that the Clippers are deeper than the Lakers, so there are more guys who can step in and produce in the absence of a star. There is also some good news for the Clippers on the injury front. J.J. Redick has missed the team’s last 19 games, but he is listed as probable for Friday night’s matchup. Redick is the team’s best outside shooter, and he was fitting in with the Clippers beautifully prior to his injury. His return should give the team a major boost.

The Clippers look like they’ll continue playing fast even in the absence of their star point guard. They put up 111 points on Boston Wednesday night. Jamal Crawford and Blake Griffin both had big nights to lead the way. The Clippers have been doing a good job staying aggressive and getting to the free throw line a lot of late. They attempted 39 free throws on Wednesday against Boston.

In order to beat the Lakers, the Clippers will need to do better on the boards, where they were beaten badly in the first meeting between these two. The Clippers have plenty of big guys with strength, and their issues on the glass have been a disappointment. That’s something that needs fixed before the playoffs roll around.

Lakers at Clippers NBA Betting Odds and Key Trends

According to odds from Bookmaker, the Clippers are 10.5 point home favorites in this one. The posted total is set at 208.5. The Lakers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall. They are 9-23 ATS in their last 32 road games when playing against a team with a winning home record. The Clippers are 6-1 in their last seven following an ATS loss. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last five against the Clippers. The “over” is 10-1 in the last 11 games between these teams.

Free NBA Picks: Lakers at Clippers Betting Predictions

Normally, 10.5 points would be considered a big line in a game like this, but I can’t imagine backing the Lakers right now. They are short-handed, and it seems like they are running on fumes every single night. The Clippers getting back Redick will be big for the team, and they have tons more offensive weapons. I think the Clippers win this game comfortably, but my favorite play for this one is the over. Look for the tempo to be quick and both teams to put up a lot of points here.

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