‘The Battle of LA’ ended with the LA Clippers beating LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers 125-118 (37-31, 34-21, 22-30, 32-36). By the way, the Lakers have lost 11 consecutive head-to-head meetings with the Clippers.
The home team got off to an immediate start, with Russell Westbrook (14 points) picking up the pace early on, while Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard tore up the Lakers’ defense throughout the game.
Although the final difference on the scoreboard was only 7 points, the Lakers basically lost, going down in the second quarter. They went into the break trailing by 19 points (51 to 72).
The Lakers tried hard to close the gap. But 20 points from Reeves, 17 points and 11 rebounds from Davis, and even the fantastic 33 points + 8 rebounds from LeBron James, weren’t enough to catch up with his opponent. Because Norman Powell (27 points) and Kawhi Leonard (25 points) put in incredible performances to help the Clippers win the game. Also note Zubac’s stats, with 17 points + 13 rebounds.
LeBron James said that the density of the schedule was one of the reasons for the defeat:
“It was one of the toughest matches this season. We’ve just returned from an excursion away from home and arrived late at night after an extra-time match. In the first half we played an unusual style for us. There were good attempts, but it wasn’t enough” said James.
But overall, the Lakers’ game was mediocre, with too many bad passes and mistakes. The loss left the Los Angeles Lakers in seventh place in the Western Conference with a record of 41-39. They are now tied with the New Orleans Pelicans and are under pressure as they prepare to face the Phoenix Suns in their next game. With playoff hopes at stake, they need to regroup and prepare quickly.