PREVIEW: Not Even Clarkson/Lin Can Bring Fanfare To Kobe-Less Lakers (18-47) Visit To Warriors (52-13)

Los Angeles Lakers (17-48) at Golden State Warriors (52-13)

Tip-off: Monday, March 16th, 2015 – 7:30PM PDT

Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland CA

TV: ESPN & CSN Bay Area | Radio: KNBR 680 AM

Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors #LetsGoWarriorsLive

Projected Starting Lineups:

Warriors

PG: Stephen Curry (23.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 7.8 APG)

SG: Klay Thompson (21.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.0 APG)

SF: Harrison Barnes (10.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.4 APG)

PF: Draymond Green (11.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.6 APG)

C: Andrew Bogut (6.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.6 APG)

Head Coach: Steve Kerr (52-13, .800)

Lakers

PG: Jordan Clarkson (9.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.5 APG)

SG: Wayne Ellington (9.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 APG)

SF: Wesley Johnson (9.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.6 APG)

PF: Jordan Hill (12.4 PPG, 8.0 APG, 1.4 APG)

C: Tarik Black (5.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.9 APG)

Head Coach: Byron Scott (433-560, .432)

Last Times Out

LAST WARRIORS GAME: On Saturday 3/14/2015, Golden State defeated New York, 125-94, as Curry recorded 25 points and 11 assists on his birthday.

LAST LAKERS GAME: On Sunday 3/15/2015, the Hawks defeated the Lakers, 91-86, in Los Angeles.

LAST WARRIORS-LAKERS MATCHUP: On 12/23/2014, the Lakers defeated the Warriors, 115-105, in Los Angeles, as Ronnie Price hit three three-pointers in a key stretch in the third quarter. The Lakers shot 12-for-26 (.426) from beyond the arc.

LAST WARRIORS-LAKERS MATCHUP AT ORACLE: On 11/1/2014, Golden State defeated Los Angeles, 127-104, in the season home opener as Thompson netted a then-career-high 41 points.

Game Notes

• “James Michael McAdoo recalled and Ognjen Kuzmic out vs Lakers” — Diamond Leung, Bay Area News Group

• “Golden State has won the last 4 at home vs the Lakers.The last loss at Oracle in the series was on December 22, 2012.” — Tim Roye, Warriors radio broadcaster

• “Kobe Bryant (right rotator cuff surgery) is out, Steve Nash (sciatic pain) is out, Ronnie Price (right elbow surgery) is out, Julius Randle (tibia fracture, right leg) is out, Nick Young (sore left knee) is out.” — Lakers PR

• “The Lakers have had far closer games lately, with Sunday’s 91-86 home loss to Atlanta marking their 12th straight decided by single digits. They’ve still lost seven of eight and failed to score over 94 points in their last six.
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  Los Angeles outrebounded the Hawks 54-34 and is averaging a 48.4-36.6 edge on the boards over the last six, but 22 turnovers helped cancel out the dominance Sunday.” — Kevin Chroust, AP/STATS

• “Clarkson’s fellow point guard, Jeremy Lin, can relate to the rookie. As the first Chinese- and Taiwanese-American in NBA history, Lin knows the value of having an international fan base like Clarkson.
  .
  ‘I’m thankful that the fans care that much and they care about me,’ Lin said. ‘I truly know that whatever team I go to, they’ll support me. It’s a great feeling to have. Not everyone gets to have that unique platform.’
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  For his part, Clarkson is making the most of his platform. Though he is ineligible to play for the Philippines national team due to a FIBA rule that mandates players acquire dual citizenship before they turn 16, Clarkson is looking to secure an exemption so he could play for Gilas Pilipinas.
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  ‘It definitely would mean a lot,’ he said. ‘It’s just one of those things you want to do, like how I want to make my city proud and make that country proud as well.'” — Joey Ramirez, Lakers.com

• Initial indications are that Asians and Filipinos of #DubNation are relatively ambivalent about the appearances of Clarkson and Jeremy Lin tonight.