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Lakers forward LeBron James, center, shoots between Clippers forwards Kawhi Leonard, left, and Nicolas Batum during the first half of the Clippers’ 116-102 win Sunday at the Intuit Dome. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The instrumental track behind one of Los Angeles’ biggest songs played over the Intuit Dome’s best-that-money-can-buy sound system late in the opening half — the perfect tune for what had been unfolding.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” wasn’t a Lakers diss track, and he didn’t even have to rap the chorus for the point to be driven home.
All the things that have made the Clippers one of the surprises of the NBA season threaten to make the Lakers a disappointment, hurdles the team has yet to conquer and ones that, barring roster reconstruction, just might never happen.
Read more: Clippers guard Norman Powell continues to grind at All-Star level
Defensive pressure all over the court? Yeah, the Lakers aren’t like that.
Consistent toughness and size? The Clippers have it.
Clear offensive identity and buy in? Well, the Lakers aren’t like that either.
The scoreboard confirmed the obvious for most of the Clippers’ 116-102 win Sunday night in the first meeting between the teams this season.
While the Lakers might have higher expectations because of their stars and because they’ve already been active on the trade market, the Clippers played Sunday like a team fully confident in itself, its identity and its plans for the future.
Sunday, their best basketball came when the game was already probably decided. Late in the third, while a “Let’s go Lakers” chant broke out in a primarily pro-Clippers crowd, the Lakers made a push, cutting a 26-point lead down to 11. But LeBron James, one of the instigators during that stretch, missed three point-blank looks at the basket with the Lakers needing to be perfect to have a real chance at a comeback.
They were not.
James led the Lakers (22-18) with 25 points and 11 assists and Rui Hachimura scored 19, but no other Lakers player made a sizable offensive influence, including Anthony Davis, who scored 16 points on five-for-14 shooting and Austin…
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Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2025-01-20 04:37:00
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