Clippers vs. Lakers: Lake Show Will Make Chris Paul's Return Unpleasant

When the Lakers and Clippers square off on Wednesday, Showtime will remind everyone who the top team in Los Angeles is. In doing so, they will get a measure of revenge against their Staples Center co-tenants. 

When the teams first played, the Clippers won. Chris Paul has not played since.

The 3-2 record the Clippers posted without Paul looks okay, but they were a noticeably different team. The Jazz beat the Clippers by 30 points, while Minnesota won in Los Angeles. 

USA Today had the following to say about Paul's injury: 

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Paul strained his left hamstring against the Lakers on January 14th but results of an MRI came back negative. He hasn't played in a game since sustaining the injury but will play Wednesday against the Lakers.

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It is good for Lob City that Paul will play, but CP3 will have to be eased back into action. A team like the Clippers has to get out and run, and it's hard to do that with a point guard easing his way back into action. 

The Lakers' offensive attack—specifically Kobe Bryant—will be too strong for the Lakers. The Clips will be going against a defense that allows only 90.5 points a game, sixth best in the NBA. They will need to be at full strength to outscore the Lake show.

Paul is back, but a player like that needs to ease back into action to be at full strength. He has missed too much time to expect that kind of performance against the Lakers for four quarters. 

The Clippers will be the team with more highlight-caliber plays. Paul may still be working back into action, but he will connect with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan for some exciting plays. This is Lob City, after all. 

Still, the overall balance will go to the Lakers in this one. They won't have a player to stop Bryant, who went for 42 in the team's first meeting. Andrew Bynum scored only 12 points in the first meeting. The Clippers can't count on that again, as Bynum as averaged nearly 16 points a night this season.

Everything that worked in the Clippers' favor before is now neutral, or an advantage to the Lakers. As a result of that, they will even the early race in the Pacific Division.

Prediction: Lakers 98, Clippers 89

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