After a demanding overtime win on Tuesday over the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers had to take the court again the following night against the Los Angeles Clippers, a team they have almost never beaten dating to the 2012-13 season.
It was thought LeBron James and Anthony Davis would be held out of this contest, but both played, as did D’Angelo Russell. In addition, backup center Mo Bamba, who had missed about a month with a sprained ankle, was made available.
It did little good.
The Lakers promptly fell behind 15-3. Although they briefly fought back to take a 26-25 lead, the Clippers went back up by double digits early in the second quarter. Energy seemed a problem for the Purple and Gold.
Although the Lakers seemed to find some energy in the third quarter, they were never able to make this game that competitive and fell, 125-118, and it wasn’t nearly as close as that score would suggest.
They simply couldn’t defend the 3-point shot, as the Clippers shot 44.4% from downtown. In particular, Norman Powell was a huge problem. He came off the bench and was blisteringly hot late in the first quarter, allowing him to finish with 27 points.
When the Lakers managed to prevent Powell from hitting shots, they often fouled him, and he took advantage by making all 10 of his free throws.
Even with this loss, the Purple and Gold can still finish sixth in the Western Conference with two more wins in as many games and one loss by the Golden State Warriors. But by losing to the Clippers, the Lakers have seriously hurt their chances of accomplishing their goal of bypassing the play-in tournament.