NBA

Clippers-Lakers Open the NBA Season With a Lot Riding on the Rivalry

Offseason additions that shook up the league have the Clippers and Lakers in contention in a wide-open Western Conference

The Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers made a lot of noise in the off-season with big-name acquisitions.

They'll have an opportunity to see whether that noise turns into harmony on the court Tuesday night when they meet at Staples Center in one of the most highly anticipated match-ups of the new season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For the Lakers, forward Anthony Davis was the most high-profile off-season addition. The Clippers may have upstaged the Lakers when they added reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard from Toronto and six-time All-Star Paul George.

Those moves and the seemingly weakened state of Western Conference powerhouse Golden State make Staples Center home to two potential NBA title contenders. Denver, Portland and Utah also will likely have a say in the West, which is wide-open for the first time in years.

"It's not about what people think or what they picked, it’s about the work we do and what our mindset is going to be," Leonard told the Associated Press. "If we don't want to win then we’re not going to win. If we want to, then we have a big chance to win."

The Clippers will be without George, who is recovering from right shoulder surgery, Tuesday when they take on the Lakers.

The Lakers will be missing the injured DeMarcus Cousins and Kyle Kuzma.

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