Lakers, Clippers Both Slated To Play Christmas Day As Training Camps Begin
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Both the Lakers and Clippers are set to play on Christmas Day, but unlike last season, they won't be facing each other.
The NBA champion Lakers are set to play the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas, while the Clippers will try and get revenge against the Denver Nuggets for knocking them out of the playoffs last season in historic fashion, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The NBA has not yet released the full 72-game regular season slate, which begins Dec. 22. For the Lakers, who played in the Finals a mere seven weeks ago, it will mark the shortest offseason in NBA history.
The Lakers will kick off their training camp Thursday, while the Clippers began training camp Tuesday.
Despite numerous personnel changes, both teams are still arguably the two best teams in the league.
The Clippers, who lost a 3-1 series lead to the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, replaced head coach Doc Rivers with Tyronn Lue, who helped LeBron James win a title for Cleveland back in 2016. They also lost Sixth Man of the Year winner Montrezl Harrell to the Lakers, but added Kawhi Leonard's former Toronto Raptor teammate Serge Ibaka.
Along with adding Harrell, the Lakers made a flurry of moves. While they lost Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, Avery Bradley and Dwight Howard, they added Marc Gasol, Dennis Schroeder and Wesley Matthews.
Neither the Lakers or the Clippers are expected to have any fans for their homes games at the Staples Center all of next season.
