On paper, this should be the most lopsided LA derby since LeBron James arrived in southern California back in 2018. But there are no easy nights in the NBA, and the Lakers come into this one on a back-to-back after raising doubts, particularly defensively, in their first defeat of the season. What’s more, in their first meeting of the campaign, the Lakers already struggled to get past the Clippers.
Clippers vs Lakers date and time
Date: 28 October 2026, in the early hours of the 29th in UK time.
Time: Here are the Clippers vs Lakers start times by time zone.
| United Kingdom | 02:30 |
| Dominican Republic, USA (Boston, New York and Miami), Puerto Rico and Venezuela | 21:30 |
| Mexico (central), USA (Texas and Chicago), El Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua | 19:30 |
| Mexico (Pacific) and USA (Los Angeles) | 19:30 |
| Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay | 20:30 |
| Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama | 23:30 |
Venue: Intuit Dome, Los Angeles (California)
Clippers vs Lakers starting fives
Brandon Ingram remains out and Rui Hachimura will be injured until the weekend.
| CLIPPERS | LAKERS |
| Darius Garland | Luka Doncic |
| Kris Dunn | Austin Reaves |
| Gradey Dick | Matisse Thybulle |
| Derrick Jones Jr. | Ziaire Williams |
| Isaiah Jackson | Walker Kessler |
Clippers vs Lakers: best bet
Is the Lakers’ favouritism intact? The specialist sites say so. However, if any game between these two has the ingredients for an upset, it should be this one. Luka Doncic comes off two nights of carrying a huge load, with less than 24 hours’ rest. And JJ Redick’s side, generally, have doubts on defence.
Latest Clippers news: absences and form
- Absences: Rui Hachimura, Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Jordan Miller, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Max Strus
Luck is not on the side of a Clippers team already much maligned. Injuries are hitting them hard at the start of a season with a tough schedule. They have already faced the Lakers and Thunder after winning their opener against Sacramento.
It is a competitive group with surprising strength off the bench and good defensive foundations in Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr. and Isaiah Jackson. They lack size beyond Brook Lopez and may struggle to contain Walker Kessler, as they did in the first derby.
Player to watch: Darius Garland
Being the only reliable ball-handling creator on the team may be too much for him, but in this Clippers side we should see a Garland who proves once again that he is one of the best passers in the league. Besides, sharing the backcourt with Dunn gives him defensive cover that Donovan Mitchell did not.
Latest Lakers news: absences and form
- Absences: Adou Thiero, Cameron Carr
The Lakers are still a work in progress. JJ Redick keeps learning every night about lineup combinations that don’t make the team bleed. For now, the energy and youth added to the squad by splashing the cash show up in patches, but have not become the team’s identity.
Fortunately for them, having Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on offence buys the rest plenty of time. The main thing now is to sort out the interior rotation, because Kevon Looney looks uncompetitive.
Player to watch: Luka Doncic
He has scored 93 points in the last two games: 52 against Utah and 41 against Portland. Adding assists, he is producing more than 41% of the team’s total points. Against the Clippers he struggled with his shooting amid Dunn’s harassment and Lue’s double teams. His team-mates played more freely as a result.
Clippers vs Lakers: head-to-head record
For now, it is 1-0 in favour of today’s visitors. In recent years, the Lakers have turned the tables on what was their worst run of results against their neighbours in their history. It is a cumulative 9-3 over the last three seasons.
Clippers vs Lakers predictions
Luka Doncic over 48.5 points+assists+rebounds. He is currently putting up astronomical production and, if they deny him the shot, he punishes them with the pass. Yesterday he posted 55 in this stat.
Over 30 turnovers combined. Their last meeting saw 47 turnovers between the two teams. Darius Garland carries too much creative load and is prone to losing the ball.
Over 228.5 points. The Lakers are so far serving up high-scoring games because they have started like a house on fire in attack and have yet to find the right formula on defence.
Where to watch Clippers vs Lakers
The game between Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers is available in the UK via an NBA League Pass subscription.
Already decided on your bet? Then… now choose a good bookmaker that convinces you! To help you, at NBAManiacs we compare the betting sites for the NBA that best meet the mark for reliability, match coverage and user benefits.