On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers were cruising to victory against the Los Angeles Lakers and led by as many as 22 points. However, they went cold on both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter and were outscored 39-16 to succumb to a 116-112 loss. Lakers superstar LeBron James outscored the Clippers 19-16 in the final 12 minutes and took the game away from his team’s arch-rivals. In the post-game press conference, a despondent Kawhi Leonard praised the Lakers but did not mince words about his team’s performance.
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Kawhi said,
“Things like this shouldn’t happen. But you gotta give the Lakers credit.”
The 2x NBA Finals MVP was responsible for guarding James. In the fourth quarter, but the Lakers kept setting screens for the forward and forced the Clippers to switch James Harden or Daniel Theis on the veteran. He exploited the mismatch and scored 19 of his 34 in the last 12 minutes.
In the post-game press conference, Clipper head coach Tyronn Lue revealed that his team expected the Lakers to set screens for James but did not want Leonard to fight through screens to stay on the forward. The plan backfired spectacularly. Lue also took responsibility for the Clippers’ offense going stagnant in the fourth quarter.
The Clippers’ implosion handed the Lakers the win and the season series for the first time since 2012. The Clippers’ 11-year streak of dominating their more accomplished city rivals has now ended.
LA Clippers’ injury woes
The Clippers building a 22-point over the Lakers was a surprise considering they were down two starters. They were without superstar forward Paul George, who missed a second straight game due to a knee injury, and center Ivica Zubac, who was down with illness.
They were coping well without their two stars, but their absence was palpable when they couldn’t cope with LeBron James and the Lakers’ fourth-quarter explosion. Post-game, James Harden said that the Clippers wanted to win the game and rescue their 11-year season series win streak over the Lakers, but they couldn’t cope with George and Zubac’s absence. He said,
” “It’s a long season. As much as we wanna win every game, it’s not reality.”
The Clippers’ loss to the Lakers was their third in their last four outings. Their only win was against the injury-riddled Memphis Grizzlies. With their regular season schedule entering its home stretch, the Clippers cannot afford to lose momentum and slip in the Western Conference standings. They’ll have to refocus and get their season back on track with a win over the Washington Wizards on Friday, but they’ll likely have to do it without Paul George, who’s expected to remain sidelined.
