After a blowout loss on Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, things got no easier for the Lakers as they took on their Staples Center co-tenants, the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night.
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Rookie of the Month Jordan Clarkson continued his strong play on Friday night posting 27 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on Friday. He would be matched up with arguably the best point guard in the NBA today in Chris Paul who is averaging 19 points and 10 assists this year.
The Clippers have won the first two games of the season series so far, and came in having won 9 of their last 10 games overall as they get ready for the playoffs. The Lakers have lost their last two games and are hoping to have a strong ending to what has been a disappointing season.
First Quarter
Tarik Black got a steal to start the game for the Lakers and blocked Blake Griffin on the next defensive possession, but the Lakers were unable to take advantage on the offensive end. A Matt Barnes corner three started the scoring in the game and Deandre Jordan got a dunk before Black got a layup to fall to get the Lakers on the board as they trailed 5-2. A jumper from Wesley Johnson got the Lakers within one, but a lob from Griffin to Jordan put the Clippers back up three. A pair of free throws from Griffin gave the Clippers a seven point cushion midway through the first. A Johnson jumper ended a 7-0 Clippers run, but Griffin responded with one of his own. Carlos Boozer came in and hit a jumper to keep the Lakers within eight with three minutes left. A Jordan Hill jumper and a Jabari Brown layup brought the Lakers within six at 20-14. Boozer hit a jumper but was matched on the other end with a Hedo Turkoglu three as the Lakers trailed at the end of the first quarter, 23-16.
Second Quarter
Brown hit a three to get things going for the Lakers, but a bad pass led to an easy layup for Lester Hudson. Boozer hit a jumper as the Lakers remained behind by five, 26-21. The Clippers pushed ahead with a 7-0 run capped off by a Chris Paul steal and layup and went up by double-digits, 33-22. Another beautiful move from Paul led to another layup and free throws from Barnes pushed the Clippers lead to 15. An alley-oop to Jordan increased the lead to 17 as the Clippers looked to put this game away early. Free throws from Jeremy Lin ended the 11-0 run and a Ryan Kelly three cut the deficit down to 11, but the Clippers fought right back and threes from Barnes and Redick put them back up by 16. Johnson hit a three to cut the lead down to 13 and some hard fought possessions ended with the deficit the exact same as the Lakers trailed 49-36.
Third Quarter
Redick got the scoring started with a three and a pair of free throws before Black got a hook shot to go that got the Lakers on the board in the second half. Clarkson hit Black for another layup, but Griffin hit a jumper to keep the Clippers up by 17. The Lakers offense started to get going as Clarkson hit Lin for a transition layup and Johnson hit a three to cut the deficit to 12, but Paul hit a three on the other end to put the Clippers up 62-47. The Lakers left Austin Rivers wide open in the corner for another three as the Clippers pulled back ahead by 18 with four minutes left in the quarter. The Clippers continued their run as Chris Paul had his way with the Lakers, ending with an assist to Rivers for another three to cap a 10-0 run and give the Clippers a 23 point lead. The Clippers continued to pull away as Griffin hit Barnes for a corner three and Paul hit Jordan for a huge lob that pushed the lead to 27. Another lob to Griffin made the lead 29 as things got out of hand in the end of the third quarter. The Clippers led 83-54 after a dominant third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Ed Davis and Robert Sacre entered the game for the the first time to start the quarter, but it was more of the same as Turkoglu hit consecutive three-pointers to start the fourth. Johnson hit a shot to get the Lakers on the board, but the Clippers bench continued to increase the lead. A three from Spencer Hawes pushed the lead to 40 and another one from Turkoglu made it an embarrassing 99-56 Clippers lead. A Kelly three got the lead under 40 as the Lakers tried to save face down the stretch. The Lakers bench continued to cut into the lead as a Dwight Buycks three cut the lead to 31 with two minutes left. Ultimately the Lakers would drop their second straight home game in blowout fashion, 106-78.
[divide]Jeremy Lin After Lakers Get Blown Out By Clippers