COMING ATTRACTIONS

By this point in the season we’ve used up the usual angles for a Lakers-Clippers meeting (hallway series, battle for Los Angeles) and are down to covering it like any other game.

Nevertheless, last week’s Clippers victory and Thursday’s rematch are of interest, just to show who both teams are, going (they hope) into the playoffs.

The Lakers outclassed the Clippers twice early in the season, and in mid-January the Lakers led the Clippers by eight games, but a lot has changed since.

The Lakers’ wheels have come off and even after putting them back on, they’re still wobbling. For the Clippers, who scraped themselves off the road, last week’s meeting marked a comeback for Chris Kaman and the first time he and Elton Brand had looked like last season’s dominating duo.

This one will be before the high-priced Lakers crowd rather than the Clippers proletariat, so let’s see who’s who.

-- MARK HEISLER