Lakers vs. Clippers preview: Again, with more feeling

The Los Angeles Lakers were shellacked by the Clippers last Sunday, and with a day off to lick their wounds, will get another crack at Chris Paul and company. There's little reason to believe the Lakers will magically reach for the stars and make this game competitive, but rookie Jordan Clarkson has been studying up on Paul. With an opportunity in front of him to apply what he learned, he's interested in stepping up to the plate for the purple and gold.

That'll be the biggest, and actually interesting aspect of this game. Clarkson really did ask for film, and really wants the chance to make up for a two-point, three-assist outing while Paul picked the Lakers apart for 15 assists. This type of stuff from such a young player is incredibly promising, as reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:

"I can definitely redeem myself," Clarkson said. "We're going to attack and play aggressively. All I was thinking about after the game was (Tuesday). I just got to come back and play better."

....

Clarkson asked Lakers player development coach Thomas Scott for a copy of the game tape. Clarkson chose relaxation and sleep over watching the tape following Sunday's loss. But Clarkson planned to have a detailed film session with Thomas Scott following Monday's practice.

The Lakers are all but locked into the fourth-worst record now. The two wins over Philadelphia made it nearly impossible for a jump to third, while the Magic have messed around with one too many wins throughout the season to pose a threat at this point. Maybe they can thank a handful of Tobias Harris game-winners for it. Everything is headed toward cruise control for the Lakers, but these last few games are players' final chances to show what they've got heading into the summer.

Enjoy the game, and lets see if the work Jordan Clarkson put in studying CP3 pays off.

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Station: TNT