LeBron James Kawhi Lakers Clippers
Kawhi Leonard will have to lead the Clippers anew over a dangerous Lakers quintet. Harry How/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • The Clippers will try to snap the winning run of the Lakers on Wednesday
  • The winner between both teams can move up the Western Conference standings
  • Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook will need to push themselves against the Lakers

It will be a battle between two Los Angeles teams on Wednesday, April 5 when the Lakers and Clippers face off at the Crypto.com Arena.

Although the Lakers are on a four-game winning streak, oddsmakers pick the Clippers to come out on top in the clash of Western Conference teams.

The Clippers are -3 favorites to prevail over the Lakers per Covers.com, while the moneyline set for this game is -150 for the LA Clippers and +130 for the LA Lakers.

In their regular-season series, the Clippers have won all three previous encounters. Wednesday's matchup will be the last for the two teams before they head to the playoffs.

The Clippers are, however, reeling from two-straight defeats. Their last loss came at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans, 114-122.

Kawhi Leonard exploded for 40 points in that loss and grabbed eight rebounds, whereas ex-Laker Russell Westbrook chipped in 24 points and 10 rebounds.

"It was just a tough night for us defensively," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue stated via ESPN. "After that first quarter, they really picked up the offensive scoring and it was just tough to slow them down."

The Lakers, on the other hand, are on a four-game winning roll. They survived the Utah Jazz in overtime, 135-133, thanks to the game-winner courtesy of LeBron James.

The four-time NBA champion had a chance to win it all in regulation but missed a layup.

In the extra period, James converted a basket with 27 seconds left to lift the Lakers over the Jazz.

James finished with a game-high 37 points along with six assists and five rebounds, while Austin Reaves had 28 markers and six dimes in that victory.

"This has been us lately. We've been one of the top teams defensively," James stated after the win in a report by ESPN. "We had to get stops and we did that."

With both clubs tied at 41-38 win-loss records in the Western Conference, a victory will be essential to either team.

A win would draw the winning team abreast with the Golden State Warriors, who are in the fifth spot with a 42-38 win-loss card.

With the tip-off set for 10:00 PM ET, the game will be shown over ESPN with live streaming also available via the NBA League Pass.

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers try to defy the odds to keep their winning streak going against the Clippers. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images