Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 2/20/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Friday, February 20, 2026

Location: crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ESPN

The Los Angeles Clippers (26-28) are en route to crypto.com Arena on Friday where they will try to beat the Los Angeles Lakers (33-21).

The Clippers faced off with the Rockets and earned the victory with a final of 105-102 in their last game. Los Angeles wrapped up the contest with a 46.8% field goal percentage (36 of 77) and converted 11 of their 28 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Clippers knocked down 22 of 26 shots for a percentage of 84.6%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they earned 32 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 21 dimes in the game as well as forcing the opposition into 21 turnovers and having 13 steals. When talking about the defense, Los Angeles allowed their opponent to shoot 46.3% from the floor on 38 out of 82 shooting. Houston earned 25 dimes and had 3 steals in this game. In addition, Houston totaled 45 boards (13 offensive, 32 defensive) and got 7 blocked shots. Houston finished 77.8% from the free throw line by burying 14 of their 18 shots. They also converted 12 out of their 36 tries from beyond the perimeter. In regard to fouls, the Clippers ended up finishing with 15 and the Rockets recorded 17 fouls.

Kawhi Leonard is someone who was important for this contest. Leonard went 45.0% from the floor and recorded 4 dimes. He played 33 mins and also totaled 12 boards. He ended up finishing with 27 points on 9 of 20 shooting.

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Los Angeles heads into this one with a mark of 26-28 so far this season. They are giving up possession 15.1 times per contest and as a team are committing 18.7 fouls per game. As a team, Los Angeles is collecting 40.6 boards per game and has accumulated 1,270 assists so far this year, which ranks 30th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Clippers are connecting on 36.5% on shots from 3-point land (684 of 1,872) and 83.2% from the free throw line. They are averaging 111.9 points per contest (26th in the NBA) while going 47.8% from the field.

On defense, the Clippers are able to force 13.6 turnovers per game while drawing 19.7 personal fouls. They surrender 36.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 9th in basketball in PPG from their opponents (112.3). The Clippers are giving up a shooting percentage of 46.6% (2,203 of 4,732) and they concede 42.0 boards per game as a team. They are currently ranked 9th in basketball in giving up assists with 1,399 relinquished so far this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Lakers walked away with a victory by a final of 124-104 when they faced the Mavericks. The Lakers earned 34 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 44 for this contest. They also gave up possession 13 times, while recording 8 steals for the contest. The Mavericks were called for 18 fouls in the game which got the Lakers to the charity stripe for 21 attempts. They were able to bury 18 of them for a percentage of 85.7%. With respect to shots from 3-point land, Los Angeles made 10 of 31 attempts (32.3%). At the conclusion of this game, the Lakers went 48 for 86 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 55.8%. The Lakers allowed the Mavericks to make 39 out of 79 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.4% for the game. They finished 26.9% from 3-point land by going 7 out of 26 and finished the contest at 19 out of 25 at the charity stripe (76.0%). Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, Los Angeles allowed Dallas to collect 28 in all (4 on the offensive glass).

LeBron James was important for the Lakers for the matchup. James tallied 28 points in his 35 mins on the court and added 12 dimes in the game. He made 10 of 20 for this game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and accounted for 10 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a record of 33-21 so far this season. The Lakers commit 18.9 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 76.9% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 25.3 times per game (20th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 15.1 times per contest. Los Angeles has totaled 6,265 points for the year (116.0 per game) and they grab 41.1 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Lakers are hitting on 50.0% from the field, which ranks them 1st in basketball.

The Los Angeles defense gives up 36.4% on three-point shots (726 of 1,992) and their opponents are knocking down 78.6% of their free throw shots. They surrender 27.5 dimes and 40.6 total boards per game, which has them ranked 24th and 3rd in the NBA. The Lakers on the defensive side of the court are 18th in the league in points allowed per contest with 116.0. They have forced 14.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 48.6% from the field (27th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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