The Los Angeles Lakers have flipped the script against their in-city rivals this season, winning their first two matchups with the L.A. Clippers. In the last few years, the Clippers had owned the Lakers in head-to-head matchups.
The two L.A. teams met for the third time this season on Tuesday night as a part of the NBA’s annual ‘Rivalry Week.’ The Lakers were without LeBron James due to an ankle issue, however, and the result was a 127-116 victory for the Clippers.
Without James in the lineup, Rui Hachimura got another start for the Lakers and hit his first corner 3-pointer. D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis also connected from deep early, but so did Terance Mann and James Harden to give the Clippers an early 16-10 lead.
The Lakers responded well out of a timeout though as Austin Reaves made a layup and then Davis had six straight to tie things at 20.
While Kawhi Leonard started to get going, the Lakers bench, particularly Jarred Vanderbilt, did a nice job to end the quarter until Russell Westbrook beat the buzzer with a three-point play to give the Clippers a 35-29 lead.
The Clippers carried their run into the second quarter, extending their lead to double digits before Russell answered with a midrange jumper. Russell continued his great play with another triple and then a nice pass to Cam Reddish for a dunk.
While the Lakers did what they could to hang in there, their defense continued to struggle with guys like Leonard and Harden scoring with ease. As a result, the Lakers went into the halftime locker room trailing 77-64.
Russell continued his big night to begin the third with five quick points, forcing Tyronn Lue to take a timeout.
The Laker defense was significantly better in the third quarter. allowing them to stay within striking distance. Davis was a huge problem for the Clippers on the offensive glass, going to work down low, and then Russell hit another 3 to get the Lakers back within five.
Westbrook had a nice response for the Clippers with five straight points, and the Lakers eventually went into the fourth trailing 106-97.
Christian Wood went to work early in the fourth quarter to get the Lakers back within four. Russell then came up big on the defensive end with a transition block on Harden, bringing the Laker fans in attendance to their feet.
The Clippers began to take control from there, however, responding with nine straight points to get their lead back to double digits. From there the Lakers just did not have enough to mount a comeback in the final few minutes, suffering the loss.
Up next for the Lakers
The Lakers have a very home-heavy schedule in the month of January and that continues on Thursday night when they host the Chicago Bulls. They then head out on a season-long six-game road trip, however, starting on Saturday night when they square off against the Golden State Warriors for the first time this season.
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