Clippers 91 - 96 Lakers
Final
  for this game

Lakers, Clippers continue LA rivalry

Jan 25, 2012 - 3:53 PM (Sports Network) - The struggling Lakers will play the host tonight against the Clippers when the two Staples Center inhabitants meet for the second time this season.

The Clips got the best of the Lakers, 102-94, back on Jan. 14 when they were designated as the home team behind a season-high 33 points from Chris Paul. That, however, was the last time the All-Star guard played due to a strained left hamstring.

The Clippers hope to have Paul back in the lineup tonight as they try to protect a slim one-game lead over the Lakers in the Pacific Division.

The Clips improved to 3-2 without their floor leader on Sunday when Mo Williams scored 26 points off the bench, helping Vinny Del Negro's club dominate the then-skidding Toronto Raptors, 103-91.

DeAndre Jordan added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers, who went 2-1 on a three-game homestand. Blake Griffin tallied 18 points and nine boards. Randy Foye and Caron Butler both donated 15 points for the Clips.

"Mo came out and shot the ball well and was really on fire again. He's done a great job for us lately, especially being aggressive off the bench," Del Negro said.

Paul if officially listed as questionable for tonight but the team said on its Twitter account that he hopes to play.

The Lakers, meanwhile, have dropped three straight, the latest of which was a tough 98-96 setback to visiting Indiana on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant had a game-high 33 points for the Lakers, who shot under 39 percent in the second half in that one. Andrew Bynum added 16 points and eight rebounds while Pau Gasol flirted with a triple-double, scoring eight points while grabbing eight boards and dishing out 10 assists.

Derek Fisher missed a floater and Bryant clanked a three-point try off the back of the rim in the waning moments to allow the Pacers to seal the win at the foul line.

"Give Indiana credit. They outworked us," said Lakers head coach Mike Brown. "The last three quarters we didn't play with a sense of urgency (and) this is a game that's tough to swallow."

The Lakers, long-regarded as the better of the NBA's two SoCal teams, have won eight straight over the Clips when they have been designated as the home team. They haven't lost two in a row to the Clippers since the final two games of the series in the 2006-07 season.






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