The Los Angeles Clippers play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto Center on Thursday.

The Lakers (25-27) played an ugly game on Wednesday but got a 99-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Both offenses battled their way through that nasty game, but Los Angeles was able to prevail thanks to one of their best defensive efforts of the season. They held Portland below 36 percent from the field, 33 percent from three-point range, and 53 percent from the free-throw line. That victory snapped a streak in which LA lost four of its previous five games, and it's encouraging to finally see them grab a win without LeBron James. It's unclear exactly when the superstar small forward will be back, but it'll be a struggle for this team until then.

The Clippers (26-27) have been middling around .500 for most of the season, and it looks like a mediocre team at best. Having to play the whole season without Kawhi Leonard (knee) started that downward fall, but losing Paul George (elbow) for the last month makes it even more challenging. It's tough for any team to play without their two best players, let alone two superstars. It's put more responsibilities on guys like Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, Amir Coffey and Ivica Zubac. Those guys have responded as well as they could, but the inconsistencies from those players speak loudly on how valuable Kawhi and PG13 are for this team. In any case, it's impressive for this club to hover around .500 with so much adversity, and they could be a threat in the postseason if those superstars do end up returning.

These teams played back on December 3, with the Clippers prevailing, 119-115. That gives the Clippers four straight wins in this series, dating back to last season.