The Los Angeles Lakers looked to extend their win streak to three games on Tuesday night when they hosted the L.A. Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers came in having lost nine straight games to their in-city rivals, and that streak was extended to 10 as the Clippers came away with a 133-115 victory to drop the Lakers to 22-26 on the season.
It was the Clippers that got off to a fast start as they scored the first nine points of the game, forcing a quick timeout by Darvin Ham.
As can be expected, LeBron James got the scoring started for the Lakers with a three-point play. Troy Brown Jr. then hit a midrange jumper to help the Lakers settle in after their rough start.
After Patrick Beverley and James each made 3s, Paul George responded with a 3 of his own as he was hot early. Dennis Schroder then hit back-to-back buckets to cut the Lakers deficit to just three though, this time forcing a Clippers timeout.
Wenyen Gabriel went to work on the offensive glass after coming into the game with six quick points. Terrance Mann beat the first-quarter buzzer by banking in a 3 though to give the Clippers a 37-30 lead.
James began the second quarter with another three-point play, but that didn’t slow down the Clippers as they continued to make 3s at will, extending their lead to double digits. Mann, George and Reggie Jackson were the main culprets as the Clippers could not miss from deep in the first half.
Overall, the Clippers shot 65% from deep in the first half (15-for-23) while the Lakers struggled from both the 3-point line and the free-throw line, resulting in a 77-54 halftime deficit.
As was the case in their comeback victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers came out hot in the third quarter. James hit a couple more 3s and all of a sudden L.A.’s deficit was cut to 14.
Despite that initial burst to begin the half though, the Lakers couldn’t cut into their deficit further. Jackson and Powell continued to make shots from deep, giving the Clippers a 98-82 lead going into the fourth.
James had an outstanding shooting night for the Lakers, making another 3 early in the fourth quarter for his ninth, which is a new career-high. Thomas Bryant also hit one to cut the deficit to 14 although the Clippers responded with four straight points to keep their lead comfortable.
After a timeout, the Lakers made one final push with a 10-2 run to get back within 10.
Unfortunately though, that was as close as the Lakers would get as the Clippers responded with another run to close it out.
James had another 40-point effort, 46 to be exact, marking the first time he’s scored 40 or more against the Clippers. They were the last NBA franchise that he had yet to score 40 against.
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