The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their fourth consecutive game as they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, 111-106.
Anthony Davis and Danny Green got the offense going as they combined to score the first 10 points of the game for the Lakers, each nailing a pair of jumpers. Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard took advantage of switches in isolation and carried the Clippers offensively, scoring almost at will.
Kyle Kuzma, who missed the first meeting between the two, came off the bench and scored 10 quick points, including a couple of triples, to help keep Los Angeles close. Kuzma capped off his hot shooting quarter with a deep three-pointer to put the Lakers up 33-31 going into the second quarter.
Even with LeBron James struggling to convert from the field, the Laker bench picked up the slack with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Rajon Rondo making plays to help them maintain their lead. Dwight Howard was also a spark off the bench as he helped keep possessions alive on the offensive glass while also providing his usual rim protection.
The defense on both sides picked up midway through the period as neither team was able to go on a major run to capture any momentum. However, the Lakers closed the quarter on a 17-2 run and they went into the half with a 63-51 lead.
The purple and gold saw their double-digit nearly erased early in the third as the Clippers battled back thanks to Leonard and Paul George looking more aggressive on the offensive end. Meanwhile, the Lakers struggled to get anything going as they went cold settling for jumpers along the perimeter.
The Lakers held on to their slim lead after Davis and James were able to convert on some easy looks at the rim while Kuzma later found some success driving hard to the basket. Despite that, the Clippers bench came alive and the two teams found themselves tied at 86 heading into the final frame.
James finally began to settle into the game, knocking down his first attempt from beyond the arc while forcing a miss on the other end to set up a Caldwell-Pope three. He answered a small run from with the Clippers with a 5-0 stretch of his own to give the Lakers some breathing room.
However, the Clippers quickly answered to take their first lead of the second half as the Lakers went cold from downtown.
With the game winding down, the Lakers offense stalled out and a Patrick Beverly block on James sealed the win for the Clippers.
