Kobe Bryant will likely sit out Wednesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic, which means playmaker Jordan Clarkson will have an itchy trigger finger.
Time/TV:
7 p.m./FSFlorida
Line:
Magic by 8
Tickets:Season Series:
Tonight in Orlando; March 8 in Los Angeles
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.A. Lakers | 102.4 | 98.2 | 108.4 | 46.0 | 20.1 | 13.7 | 33.7 |
| Orlando | 99.9 | 96.9 | 98.3 | 47.8 | 23.9 | 16.0 | 22.5 |
Kobe Bryant will likely be sitting this game out, but that only means Jordan Clarkson is going to go that much harder, and that might not be such a good thing.
Clarkson trails only Bryant in scoring for the Lakers, but he has by all means outplayed the veteran (Bryant is shooting 32 percent from the floor). Clarkson is shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from 3-point range in averaging 15.9 points per game this season.
His shooting is enough to keep the Lakers in this, if the Magic did not learn their lesson from George Hill’s antics on Monday night.
To be sure, Clarkson has had his struggles of late, though. He is just 10 of 29 from the field in the last two games, both losses to the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. In those two contests he averaged just 11 points per game, and the Lakers looked pretty outmatched by the Heat last night.
The fact that this is the second of a back-to-back gives the Magic an edge.
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Payton does have the length to counter Clarkson who is a taller point guard at 6-foot-5. The 2014 second round pick made the All-Rookie team last season along with Payton in the backcourt, so this could be reasonably rendered a matchup of the top guards in last year’s draft class.
Clarkson averaged 11.9 points and 3.5 assists per game as a rookie, and his knack for scoring is his calling card.
The Lakers also have No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt, and he will test Payton as well. The rookie is averaging 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 24 minutes per night.
The Lakers are a team whose talent is highly concentrated in their backcourt, and they can get production from their guards even without Bryant in the mix. Louis Williams has never met a shot he did not like, and last season’s Sixth Man of the Year brings another 14.1 points per game off the bench.
Payton and Victor Oladipo will put their defensive talents to the test against the Lakers.
The Lakers average 102 points per game as a team, but have been a defensive mess.
Los Angeles has allowed 100 points or more in five of its seven games, and the team is 1-1 when holding teams below 100. The Lakers have allowed 112 points or more three times, to the much improved Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets.
It is very much in play that Orlando explodes offensively against Minnesota, even with Nikola Vucevic unlikely to be available to provide reliable post play. The Magic are 2-1 with Dewayne Dedmon starting at center.
Payton must keep Clarkson in front of him or it could spell foul trouble for Dedmon as the Magic are a body short up front. So it will be crucial for Dedmon to avoid reaching too much in this game.