Preview: San Diego Clippers at South Bay Lakers

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (Interstat) — A Pacific Division showdown with playoff implications is set for Wednesday when the San Diego Clippers visit the South Bay Lakers in a G League matchup at the UCLA Health Training Center.

The Clippers (13-10) enter having dropped three of their last four, including a 105-98 home loss to Iowa on Saturday. They sit just ahead of the Lakers (11-10) in the Western Conference standings. South Bay looks to rebound from a narrow 107-106 road defeat to Austin on Saturday, which snapped a two-game winning streak.

The game features a marquee individual matchup between two of the league’s most prolific scorers. San Diego forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. is averaging 21.4 points and 7.5 rebounds over his last 10 games. He is coming off a 36-point, 7-rebound performance against Iowa and scored 27 in a loss at South Bay last month.

He will be countered by Lakers wing Kobe Bufkin, who has been on a torrid offensive run. Bufkin is averaging 27.6 points over his last five contests, including a 41-point outing on Dec. 27 and a 37-point game on Jan. 9. In the teams’ most recent meeting on Dec. 16, a 127-118 South Bay victory, Bufkin posted 15 points.

The season series is tied 1-1. South Bay won decisively at home on Dec. 16, but San Diego claimed a 108-107 victory when the Lakers visited on Nov. 30.

For San Diego, consistency will be key after a stretch of alternating wins and losses. Guard Jaelen House, who had 17 points and nine assists against Iowa, provides backcourt balance alongside Baldwin. South Bay will rely on Bufkin’s scoring burst and the supporting play of Chris Manon, who is coming off a 19-point, 6-rebound game.

The contest opens a critical two-game road trip for San Diego before returning home Thursday. South Bay begins a four-game homestand, seeking to climb above .500.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.