An instrumental track of one of Los Angeles’ biggest songs was played late in the first half on the best sound system money can buy at the Intuit Dome. This was the perfect song for what was unfolding.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” wasn’t a diss about the Lakers, and he didn’t even need to rap the chorus.
Everything that has made the Clippers one of the surprises of the NBA season threatens to disappoint the Lakers, with hurdles the team has yet to overcome, and hurdles that may never happen without a roster rebuild. be.
Is there defensive pressure on the entire court? Well, the Lakers aren’t like that.
Consistent toughness and size? The Clippers have that.
Agree with a clear offensive identity? Well, neither do the Lakers.
The scoreboard confirmed most of the obvious results Sunday night, with the Clippers winning 116-102 in the first meeting between the teams this season.
While the Lakers may have higher expectations due to their star presence and those already active on the trade market, the Clippers said Sunday they are completely confident in themselves, their identity and their plans for the future. He played like he was.
Perhaps their best basketball came Sunday, when the game was already scheduled. Late in the third inning, the Lakers pushed forward, cutting a 26-point lead to 11 points amid chants of “Let’s go, Lakers” among the largely pro-Clippers crowd. However, one of the people who started that game was LeBron James. , the Lakers missed three close-range shots to the basket as they needed to be perfect to have a real chance of a comeback.
It wasn’t.
James led the Lakers (22-18) with 25 points and 11 assists, and Rui Hachimura had 19 points, but Anthony Davis and Austin Reeves, who had 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting, and Austin Reeves, led the Lakers (22-18) with 25 points and 11 assists. None of the other Lakers players had a big impact offensively. He hit 14 shots, but only made six shots. He appeared to injure his knee in the fourth inning and left the game limping.
The Lakers’ weaknesses are obvious. They tried to prevent Ivica Zubac from dominating in the paint, but the former Laker took advantage of the Lakers’ lack of size and finished with 21 points and 19 rebounds. They need playmaking help from Reaves and James. These two primary ball handlers each accounted for five of the Lakers’ 17 turnovers.
And more defensive toughness is needed to limit a team like the Clippers, who drive a lot of offense from the perimeter, on nights when they shoot more than 52.8%.
League insiders almost unanimously predict that the Clippers will be quiet until the trade deadline (despite having a number of players coveted by NBA teams). Their big move is simpler: reintegrate Kawhi Leonard with the goal of keeping him available for the remainder of the season.
Leonard played a season-high 24 minutes, 17 seconds as he continues to recover from knee problems that plagued him for much of his time with the Clippers. He scored 19 points on just 13 shots and had three of his four assists early in the first quarter to help set the tone for the Clippers.
Norman Powell had 22 points and James Harden had 21 points and 12 assists for the Clippers (24-17).
This schedule will likely dampen the Clippers’ shine, who have won their past three games by an average margin of 34 points. They will play five times this week, but the schedule has been changed as a result of postponements due to bushfires.
The Lakers have two more chances at home before hosting Washington on Tuesday to begin their annual Grammy Road Trip, followed by a rivalry game against the Celtics on Thursday.
