The Battle of Los Angeles is renewed on Tuesday night, with two franchises heading in drastically different directions.
The pregame narrative: The Lakers (12-4) are humming while the Clippers (5-12) appear to be gearing up for the draft lottery — without owning their first-round pick. Kawhi Leonard is back in the lineup, but his squad is a 6.5-point road dog against LeBron James and Co.
Check out my Clippers vs. Lakers SGP predictions for Nov. 25, featuring LeBron and Ivica Zubac.
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Clippers vs. Lakers predictions
Parlay: Clippers +10.5 | LeBron 2+ threes | Zubac 10+ rebounds (+280)
Clippers +10.5 (-240): The Lakers are performing, especially at home, but I think there's value on the Clippers on this alternate spread.
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Leonard makes a world of difference in how his team performs. The Clippers are 29-15 with him in the lineup since the start of last season (3-4 this year), covering a +10.5 spread in 86.3% of those contests.
James Harden is also playing elite ball right now, averaging north of 30 points this month while shooting 40.3% from deep.
I think that duo can keep this within reach, especially as JJ Redick navigates the best ways to use LeBron in this lineup.
The veteran forward was an ugly -14 on Sunday when L.A. failed to cover. His defence has really fallen off, and I think the Clippers can take advantage of that.
NBA SGP legs
LeBron 2+ threes (-129): LeBron is just getting the wheels turning in his 23rd season after missing the first month with sciatic nerve discomfort.
The King has logged 30-plus minutes in both games so far, going 1-1 against this line.
I won't put much stock into the results, but I am encouraged to see his offensive usage.
LeBron took 18 shots on Sunday (went 0-4 from deep), second only to Luka Doncic, and he should keep firing tonight against the Clippers.
L.A. is a bottom-10 team in defensive rating and has the fourth-worst perimeter defence (38.6%) in the NBA.
LeBron averaged north of two 3s per game in each of his prior seven seasons with the Lakers, and I expect him to get back to that number this year.
-> Back LeBron and Zubac on Tuesday night
Zubac 10+ rebounds (-175): This feels like a good time to back Zubac on the glass.
Deandre Ayton is out, leaving the Lakers' frontcourt relatively undersized.
Jaxson Hayes is the lone 7-footer in the active lineup, but he plays less than 20 minutes a night. LeBron, Luka Doncic, Rui Hachimura and new signee Drew Timme all stand between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-9, but that shouldn't be an issue for Zubac.
The Croatian centre is averaging the most rebounds in November (12.8) and has cleared this mark in 11 of his last 14 games.
He had double-digit boards in all four games against the Lakers last year.
Clippers vs. Lakers predictions made at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 25, 2025.
