Lakers may have found their ideal lineup, now they just need to use it

Julius Randle and Brook Lopez played together for only five minutes against the Chicago Bulls last week, but it was enough for Randle to really appreciate the way his game complements Lopez’s game.

“I really noticed the spacing in Chicago in the second half,” Randle said, and added, “If I’m in a screen and roll or attacking, getting downhill, he spaces the floor really well.”

The Lakers play well when Lopez and Randle are on the court together, which has happened for 23 minutes this season.

They are never better on defense than when Randle and Lopez play together — the team’s defensive rating is 74.7 with both players on the court, the best rating among any pair of players and far better than the Lakers’ overall rating of 101.

The Lakers’ offensive rating is 107 with the two of them on the court together, significantly better than the team’s overall rating of 99.2, which ranks 28th.

“Julius becomes the big man that’s sprinting down the lane,” Coach Luke Walton said. “He’s the one that’s switching out on guarding the guards. He’s playing more the traditional four. Which continues to allow Brook to do what he’s doing and score the ball and try a traditional five spot.”

The lineup they’ve used the most with Lopez and Randle also includes Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It has an offensive rating of 122.

The connection between Randle and Lopez took time to develop. Lopez was injured for much of training camp when the Lakers were trying to decide what power forward would fit best with their starting center.

“The training camp was tough because we missed Brook for half of it,” Walton said. “When he was playing obviously [he] had to get back into shape and all those type of things. They’ve been playing well together, but I also think Julius is playing at a much higher level than he was back then, too.”

Another new look for Clippers

The Clippers, who beat the Lakers handily in the teams’ season opener, will look quite a bit different Monday in their second meeting.

Guards Milos Teodosic and Patrick Beverley, who harangued Ball, both are out with injuries. The dearth of guards has brought Lou Williams into the starting lineup.

Williams spent the 2015-16 season and part of 2016-17 with the Lakers, a rare veteran on some very young teams. And while the Lakers didn’t spend much time on the Clippers in practice Sunday, Williams’ tendency to go left and ability at drawing fouls was mentioned. They’ll be trying not to get caught in his trap.

“That’s what we’re striving for, for sure,” guard Jordan Clarkson said. “So I know if you do, you’re for sure getting in trouble.

“He plays at his own pace. Don’t let nobody speed him up. Get where he wants to on the floor. Gets to his spots. The game’s easy for him.”

In the two starts Williams has made for the Clippers, he has averaged 19 points.

Nance in stitches

Practice on Wednesday was feisty. So feisty that Larry Nance Jr., participating fully in just his second practice since recovering from a broken hand, needed stitches.

Andrew Bogut elbowed Nance in the face, lacerating it just above Nance’s left eye.

“Larry looked good,” Walton said. “He got cracked in the head pretty good today. He was not happy. The blood coming down. … The competition, people going that hard, is great.”

Nance received sutures to close the wound, which won’t impact his ability to make his return to the lineup Monday.

“It was a little chippy in here, which I love,” Walton said. “It was a nice day of practice.”

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli