Clippers Try to End a Six-Game Skid Against Giannis and the Heat as Lakers and Kings Also Play Tonight

Three L.A. teams are in action Wednesday: the 1-6 Clippers host Miami at Intuit Dome, Luka Dončić and the 6-2 Lakers visit Sacramento, and the Kings face the Sharks at Crypto.com Arena.

By Herald Staff · Nov. 4, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles at night, its curved glass facade glowing blue beneath an illuminated rooftop sign, with palm trees, a vintage street lamp and crowds of fans, many in gold jerseys, gathered on the plaza out front. — Crypto.com Arena in November 2023. The Kings host the San Jose Sharks there at 7 p.m. Wednesday, while the Clippers play Miami at Intuit Dome and the Lakers visit Sacramento. Photo: Troutfarm27 (cropped) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (license).

Three Los Angeles teams play Wednesday night, and two of them are trying to stop a slide. The Clippers, losers of six straight, host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat at Intuit Dome at 7:30 p.m. Pacific. The Kings face the San Jose Sharks at Crypto.com Arena at 7 p.m. And the Lakers, the one local team on a roll, visit the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center at 7 p.m.

Clippers: Six Losses and a Fourth-Quarter Problem

The Clippers won their opener and have not won since. Monday's 125-118 home loss to Toronto stung more than most: they led by double digits going into the fourth quarter, then gave up 47 points in the final period as the Raptors went 19 of 26 from the free-throw line over the last 12 minutes, according to the Field Level Media preview on NBA.com. Darius Garland had 16 points and eight assists but shot 5 of 14 and committed seven of the team's 15 turnovers.

There were bright spots. With forwards Derrick Jones Jr. and Rui Hachimura out, Kobe Sanders scored a career-high 26 points, Isaiah Jackson added 19 off the bench, and Max Strus scored 11 in his Clippers debut after recovering from a foot injury. Jones and Hachimura are day-to-day and were not on Tuesday night's injury report, and the team hopes to have Brandon Ingram (heel) and center Yanic Konan Niederhauser (foot) back soon.

"We started to get bodies back," Garland said. "... There were a lot of positives. We just have to finish the game."

Miami arrives at 2-5 and in a mood of its own. The Heat opened a five-game West Coast trip with a 138-117 loss to the Lakers on Monday, when Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in his seventh game with his new team. Opponents are scoring 123.9 points a game against Miami, fourth-worst in the NBA. "We're not playing hard enough," Antetokounmpo said. "... Right now we don't trust one another."

Lakers: Dončić Looks for His First Win in Sacramento

The 6-2 Lakers have won two straight behind Luka Dončić, who had 45 points and 15 rebounds against Toronto on Sunday and 42 points and 13 assists against Miami on Monday. He is averaging 38.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.1 assists, NBA.com's preview noted, and the Lakers piled up 39 assists against the Heat. "We're sharing the ball really well," Dončić said. "I think everybody feels comfortable with that kind of offense."

Sacramento has been the one stop he hasn't solved. Dončić has never won there as a Laker; he scored 42 in his only visit last January, a 124-112 loss. The Kings are 1-6 but just became the last NBA team to win a game, beating Dallas 115-100 on Monday as rookie Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 pick in June's draft, scored 25, The Associated Press reported. Malik Monk added 24 and Zach LaVine 23. Acuff has averaged 32.3 points over his last three games, and Wednesday opens a seven-game Sacramento homestand.

Kings: A Rematch Billed as a Measuring Stick

At 4-7-2, the Kings rank 29th in the NHL in winning percentage and have yet to win a game within their division or conference, LA Kings Insider noted in calling the game a measuring stick. They are 1-1 on a season-long, seven-game homestand after a 6-5 overtime win over Ottawa and a 3-2 loss to Buffalo. San Jose (7-8-1) beat them 5-4 in overtime in October. "I thought we played a really solid game, but it didn't go our way," coach Peter Laviolette said of that loss.

Adrian Kempe is expected back after missing the Buffalo game, and defenseman Brandt Clarke is expected to play after leaving Monday's practice early, the Kings said. Clarke told LA Kings Insider he had taken an accidental stick to the eye. "Luckily, I'm in full health. I'm not banged up," he said. Forward Kenny Connors, recalled from the AHL's Ontario Reign, is projected to make his season debut on a line with Erik Haula and Joel Armia. Darcy Kuemper, 10-5-5 in his career against San Jose, is expected in goal. Kevin Fiala (leg surgery), Mats Zuccarello and Alex Turcotte remain out, NHL.com reported.

The Sharks are projected to put Macklin Celebrini and former King Tyler Toffoli on their top line, with Yaroslav Askarov in net. The Kings will also wear their purple "Hometown Remix" jerseys for the first of seven home games this season. The game airs on TNT, truTV and HBO Max, with radio on 830 AM KLAA.

Original reporting by The Los Angeles Herald, drawing on NBA.com and Field Level Media, The Associated Press via NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, NHL.com, the Los Angeles Kings and LA Kings Insider, as linked above.