LOS ANGELES – The LA Clippers come into Friday night's showdown against LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers having lost seven of their last 10 games. Tyronn Lue has seen enough.
Ahead of Friday's game, Lue revealed a chance in the starting lineup: Reggie Jackson, Paul George, Marcus Morris, Serge Ibaka, and Ivica Zubac.
That's right, the Clippers are going big and pulled Eric Bledsoe from the starting unit against the Lakers.
With Paul George out due to rest on Wednesday vs. the Sacramento Kings, Lue ran a different starting lineup, starting Bledsoe with Jackson, Morris, Ibaka, and Zubac.
“I thought we got off to a decent start,” Lue said of the big lineup he started for the first time all year Wednesday. “Got off to a good start, was up 10 or 12 at some point and then in that third quarter they really hurt us. I thought they got out in transition, we turned the basketball over, and we couldn't get back so the start was pretty good. We just gotta continue to build off that.”
Friday's game was supposed to be a lighter challenge with LeBron James ruled out, but he's since cleared NBA protocols and will play. The change in James' status likely played a factor in the Clippers wanting to, one, match the Lakers size, and two, add more shooting in the starting lineup.
“LeBron at any position is a problem,” Tyronn Lue added on the Lakers star. “When they go small and put him at the center, that's kind of funky. When they put him at the center, now you got a five man who can roll, you can't switch onto him, but also when he rolls, they hit him in the short roll, he can make the plays and the passes to get guys open shots so it does cause a problem.”
"LeBron at any position is a problem. When they put him at the center, now you got a five man who can roll, you can't switch onto him, but also when he rolls, they hit him in the short roll, he can make the plays and the passes to get guys open shots."
Ty Lue on LeBron James pic.twitter.com/vF2arr5CHD
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) December 4, 2021
Tyronn Lue also said wanting to keep the bench trio of Terance Mann, Luke Kennard, and Isaiah Hartenstein played a part in wanting to start Ibaka, but now the team will get its first look at Bledsoe with the second unit.
The Lakers have won three of their last four games and have been playing much better of late, so Friday's showdown should be fun.
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