Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers: How to Watch, Live Stream NBA Games on Christmas Day
Los Angeles bragging rights are at stake on Christmas Day, when the Lakers and the Clippers collide at Staples Center on Wednesday night.
The two rivals began the season as the bookmakers' favorites for the NBA title and have lived up to expectations so far, with the Lakers arriving into the game top of the Western Conference with a 24-6 record, while the Clippers are in fourth place at 22-10.
Following their loss to the Clippers in the season opener, the Lakers dropped only two further games until last Tuesday, when they fell 105-102 on the road to the Indiana Pacers.
Since then, the 16-time NBA champions have tasted defeat two more times, losing 111-104 in Milwaukee on Thursday and 128-104 at home against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.
While the Lakers remain top of the Western Conference, the three-game losing streak has seen the margin over their closest challenges reduced with the Nuggets and the Houston Rockets on six-game and three-game winning streaks respectively.
The Lakers have had the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA in the week culminating in the loss to Denver, a problem that will have to be rectified swiftly.
"We lost our defensive edge," Lakers forward Anthony Davis told reporters after the game on Sunday.
"We're not guarding no more. We're not rebounding. [...] Our attention to detail on the defensive end and awareness has slipped the last couple games, and we're not aggressive on that end anymore. That goes back to even back to the road trip [12 of the Lakers' last 16 games have been on the road].
"We were winning games, but we had a lot of slippage on the defensive end. We got to be able to correct that."
LeBron James missed his first game of the season against the Nuggets due to a muscle strain in the rib cage area and according to ESPN he is listed as day-to-day for the game on Wednesday.
Like their local rivals, the Clippers also arrive into Christmas Day on the back of a defeat after losing 118-112 in Oklahoma City against the Thunder as they squandered an 18-point lead.
On his first return to Oklahoma City since swapping the Thunder for the Clippers in the summer, Paul George finished with 18 points on a modest six-of-17 from the field and had five turnovers.
Kawhi Leonard sat out the Clippers loss on Sunday with knee soreness but should be available to play against the Lakers on Wednesday. The reigning NBA Finals MVP is averaging 25.5 points per game—a franchise best—7.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Here's everything you need to know about the showdown between the two Los Angeles rivals.
When and where is the game?
The Clippers and the Lakers face each other at Staples Center in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, December 25.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
TV channel
The game will be broadcast live both on ESPN and ABC.
Live stream
A live stream will be available via ESPN's digital platforms, WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
Odds
According to Oddschecker, the Lakers are 2.5-point favorite and are 91/100 to cover the spread, while the Clippers are 6/5 underdogs.
The over/under bar for total points scored is set at 215.
