Six months ago, no one was saying much about the Lakers or Clippers, at least not in terms of “Can they win it all?” The center of the NBA universe remained in Northern California, not Southern California.

But in June, the favored Golden State Warriors lost to Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals. Finals MVP Leonard then left Canada to team up with Paul George on the Clippers.

Anthony Davis got traded to the Lakers to play with LeBron James. In a few days, Lakers vs Clippers became a hot topic in LA again.

Let’s take a closer look at who should prevail in the Clippers vs Lakers battle.

The Results So Far

The Clippers defeated the Lakers in the season opener. In that game, the Clippers won by 10 points. That’s not so bad until you realize that Paul George wasn’t even playing for the Clippers.

That’s right, Paul George has an injury. As of this writing, George is still recovering from shoulder surgeries performed in the off-season.

The LA Clippers roster isn’t at full-strength yet, and they still won handily. Does that doom the Lakers to play second fiddle to the Clippers at Staples Center?

It’s too early to say for sure. Both have winning records, but right now, the Lakers seem like they’re still figuring things out.

LeBron James is one of the best to play the game, but he’s also turning 35 at the end of the year. At least Anthony Davis is only 26.

The Future of Lakers vs Clippers

There are three more Clippers-Lakers games left in the season. The first one is a nationally televised match-up on Christmas Day.

Paul George should be back in action for the Clippers by then. And that makes an already deep Clippers roster even more troublesome.

The Lakers have players like Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo playing alongside James and George. Both guys are more or less running on fumes at this point.

The Clippers roster has guys like Patrick Beverly, Maurice Harkless, and Lou Williams. Williams is a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

This is Los Angeles, so let’s use a show biz metaphor. Right now, the Lakers are like a blockbuster film with two main leads and not much else.

But the Clippers roster is like an ensemble piece where every actor gets a time to shine. The big stars get a lot of screen time, but they don’t have to be in every scene for the movie to work.

Of course, that can change. The Clippers roster in 2020 might go downhill for some reason. The Lakers might find unexpected depth.

One thing is for sure: This is going to be the hottest ticket in town.

Busy on Christmas? The Lakers and Clippers play again on January 28, and their final regular-season meeting comes March 8.

Beyond the Battle of Los Angeles

The Lakers vs Clippers is one of the top storylines in the NBA this year. But it’s far from the only story worth following.

If you like the NBA and other sports, bookmark our blog. We’ve got news and trivia that will keep you entertained all the way through the NBA Finals.