3. Consistent scoring off the bench
In their first meeting on October 22nd, no Laker reserve reached double figures against the Clippers. In their second meeting on Christmas, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope both hit the double-digit mark in scoring, but neither provided much support in the second half of the game. Specifically the fourth quarter.
If the Lakers hope for a different outcome on Sunday, the Lakers not-named LeBron James or Anthony Davis must produce.
The Lakers can not solely rely upon LeBron and Davis for their scoring on Sunday. There are absolutely nights when Los Angeles can lean on James and Davis for the overwhelming majority of their points. Sunday is not one of them.
The Clippers are far too deep for the Lakers bench to replicate their previous performances against LAC this season. The Clippers have six players that are averaging more than 10 points per game, the Lakers have half that.
The only non-All-Star Laker to average double figures is Kyle Kuzma, at 12.7 points per game. And Kuzma has shown us that those 12.7 points can not be counted on consistently, to say the least.
In a plurality of games against elite teams this season, the Lakers bench has managed to come up short. In order to defeat the Clippers on Sunday, the Lakers’ bench needs to step up.