Lakers' Jordan Clarkson: Will earn third straight start Friday

Clarkson will make his third straight start at point guard Friday against the Bucks, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Analysis:

With former starting point guard D'Angelo Russell turning in a seven-turnover, six-foul effort off the bench in Wednesday's blowout loss to the Rockets, it looks like Clarkson has gained some security in his new role on the top unit. Following the trade of Lou Williams to the Rockets, Clarkson has stepped up to emerge as the Lakers' most consistent scorer since the All-Star break, averaging 19.1 points (on 44.2% shooting from the field), 3.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.4 three-pointers and 1.4 steals in 31.9 minutes per game during that span. Since Clarkson is considered a part of the team's long-term core, he's not expected to sacrifice many minutes over the final month of the season, even as the Lakers remain eager to improve their position in the draft lottery.