The Los Angeles Clippers play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.

The Lakers (41-38) are one of the scariest teams in the NBA right now, winning seven of their last eight games. That run has nearly secured a playoff berth for this club, and a victory here would put them in position to avoid the play-in tournament. It's easy to look at the trade deadline and say that's what changed things because D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley have been massive additions. What's most important is that their superstars are finally healthy. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy for the first time in months, and we didn't even discuss the breakout of Austin Reaves. All of these pieces make LA extremely dangerous, and it'll be fun to see what they do in the postseason.

The Clippers (41-38) just ended a three-game road trip, losing to the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans in their two most recent outings. Those are teams LA might face in the postseason, and it's discouraging to see them struggle against such good teams. The absence of Paul George is what's really killed their momentum, and it's unclear when the superstar will be able to return from his knee issue. This team won't get far in the postseason without him, but there's some thought he'll be ready to go once the playoffs commence next week. If he is able to return, this is one of the sneakiest teams in the playoffs as well.

This is the third and final meeting between these teams, with the Clippers looking for the season sweep. They've won 10 straight games in this series in total, dating back four years.