The Los Angeles Lakers’ early returns in NBA Cup play this season have been quite promising. They are undefeated in the tournament at 2-0 with wins over the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies.
They’re not the only team in the Western Conference’s Group B that has yet to lose an NBA Cup game, as the crosstown Los Angeles Clippers are 2-0 as well, but the Lakers hold the No. 1 seed in the group because they have the better point differential.
The Lakers will look to stay undefeated in NBA Cup play and retain their spot as the No. 1 seed when they take on the Clippers on Tuesday night. With the NBA Cup matchup just hours away, let’s break down five keys to the Lakers picking up their third tournament win of the season.
1. Keep James Harden under wraps from a scoring standpoint
With guard Norman Powell now a member of the Miami Heat and forward Kawhi Leonard having been in and out of the lineup with injuries, Harden has been far and away the Clippers’ best offensive player. He’s averaging a whopping 27.8 points per game this season and isn’t far removed at all from dropping 55 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 22.
Hence, it’s vital to the Lakers’ chances of winning on Tuesday that they don’t let Harden torch the nets against them. If they can hold Harden to below his season average in points, that should be enough to secure a victory for the storied franchise. The Clippers simply don’t have enough scoring firepower outside of Harden to beat the Lakers without him having a big scoring night.
The Lakers can help to ensure that Harden has an off game by putting guard Marcus Smart on him and being aware of where he is on the floor at all times. Even sending double teams his way here and there probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.
2. Make 10 or more 3s
While the Lakers aren’t the best 3-point shooting team in the league in terms of volume or efficiency, when the 3s have been falling for them this season, they’ve been an incredibly tough out.
In 12 of their 16 games thus far, they’ve tallied double digits in made 3s. Of those 12 contests, the Lakers have won all but two of them, and one of those losses came against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Los Angeles can reach and even eclipse 10 made 3s on Tuesday if they rain down 3s by committee. A whopping nine players for the Lakers are averaging at least 1.0 made 3 this season, but forward Rui Hachimura has maybe been their best threat from that range. He’s shot an impressive 48.3 percent from deep on 3.9 attempts per contest this season.
3. Let LeBron James cook on offense
The NBA’s oldest active player made his season debut a week ago now and has played in two games in his 23rd season, but he has yet to put together a breakout scoring showing. He mustered just 28 points across the two games combined and scored only 11 in his season debut.
But if James puts together a vintage scoring performance on Tuesday, he could almost single-handedly put the game out of reach against the reeling Clippers. However, he needs to be more aggressive looking for his shot than he has up to this point in order for that to happen.
James took just seven shots in his season debut, but he was more aggressive with 18 shots in his last game. If he attempts at least 23 shots tonight, that will give him the usage rate necessary to score a whole lot of points. The 40-year-old should aim to score at least 25 points, and if he hits that benchmark, the Lakers will be in the driver’s seat to pick up their fifth win in a row.
4. Dominate the offensive boards
Defensive rebounding has been a real Achilles heel for the Clippers to begin the 2025-26 campaign. They rank just 25th in the league in defensive rebounds grabbed per game, and the Lakers have a chance to take advantage of the Clippers’ inability to finish off defensive possessions.
The Lakers will have clearly done their job on the offensive glass if they grab five or more offensive rebounds than the Clippers do on Tuesday. It’s hard to imagine that the final outcome of the game is anything but a win for the Lakers if they check that box.
5. Pick up plenty of easy baskets in transition
The Clippers’ defensive woes extend far beyond merely their issues securing defensive rebounds. They also have struggled mightily to limit teams from picking up points in the open court, as they’ve allowed 18.2 fast break points per contest. Only the Philadelphia 76ers have done a worse job guarding teams in transition.
Fast break points might be the easiest points to score in the NBA, as in those situations, defenses are usually outnumbered and not fully set up. So, a great recipe for the Lakers to light up the Clippers on the scoreboard would be to play with great pace and look to score in the open floor as often as possible.
The Lakers play at far from the fastest pace in the league, but it would do them good to speed up their modus operandi on offense temporarily on Tuesday.
Hopefully, the Lakers will manage to accomplish all five of the listed goals for their Tuesday bout and come up with another victory.