On Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers fell short against their crosscourt rivals with Blake Griffin's L.A. Clippers getting the best of the Lonzo Ball and company at the Staples Center. It was the Lakers' 12th loss of the season and their second consecutive defeat as they prepare for the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

Following the loss to the Clippers, rookie Lonzo Ball spoke to the media in the Lakers locker room and the team's upcoming matchup with the Warriors later this week. Ball, who has had his fair share of struggles as of late, knows what is coming if his team isn't ready to play on Wednesday.

“It’s a tough team,” Ball said of the Warriors. “We got to be ready to play, or we're going to get blown out.”

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Golden State will head to the Staples Center having lost to the lowly Sacramento Kings on Monday. The Warriors were without their two best players with Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry both unable to play against Sacramento.

Curry is dealing with a contusion on his right hand while Durant has missed the last three games due to an ankle injury. It remains uncertain at this point whether either player will be ready to go for Wednesday's game against the Lakers in Los Angeles.

The Lakers have had a lot of success against the Warriors at the Staples Center as of late. Luke Walton's team has come out on top against Steve Kerr's squad two out of the last three times they've played at the Staples Center, and they'll look to add one more in the win column on Wednesday as they play host to the Warriors for the first time this season.