Lakers, Clippers Set For Showdown On Christmas Day

USA Today

The schedule for the 2015-16 NBA season will be released at some point next week with all the dates for the most anticipated matchups being announced. Although the NBA is yet to make any dates for matchups official, there’s always leaks that come out early.

One of those leaks is one of the premiere matchups on Christmas Day. According to Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times, the Los Angeles Lakers will host the division rival Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center on December 25:

Lakers will apparently be home for Christmas. Clippers, too. They're tentatively scheduled to play each other Dec. 25 in a Laker home game.

— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) August 7, 2015

Over the past few years, the Clippers have dominated their showdowns with the Lakers. Chris Paul and company are a team on the rise in the Western Conference and have reloaded their roster with the additions of Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith and Paul Pierce. The Lakers on the other hand are rebuilding with Kobe Bryant likely set to play his last season in the NBA.

The storied franchise will have Kobe leading the way for a squad filled with young players with a few veterans added over the summer. Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass and Lou Williams have joined the team along with rookie D’Angelo Russell adding to a roster with Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson.

Once again, the Lakers are expected to be much of a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference. Kobe and company have 100/1 odds to reach the 2016 NBA Finals while the Clippers are sporting 7/1 odds behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (18/5), Golden State Warriors (3/1) and San Antonio Spurs (12/5), according to Sportsbook.ag.