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.
Anthony Davis: C
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue originally planned to have Ivica Zubac guard Davis one-on-one. Instead, the Clippers often sent a second defender to corral the Lakers superstar big man. As a result, he was often forced to pass when he got it in the post or on the wing.
When Davis was able to get a good enough look, he was efficient, going 7-of-14 from the field. But he attempted only four free throws, making three of them, giving him just 17 points on the night, to go along with 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.
On the other end, his defense against Zubac was lackluster. The former Lakers center put up 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 13 rebounds.
Jarred Vanderbilt: C-plus/B-minus
Vanderbilt couldn’t contain Kawhi Leonard, who shot 9-of-17 and scored 25 points. But the Lakers forward had six rebounds in 25 minutes and at least one nice hustle play, while also contributing eight points on 3-of-5 shooting on offense.
This was the type of game in which a player such as Vanderbilt could’ve supplied some much-needed energy, but energy and high production are two different things.
LeBron James: B
James was 1-of-6 and scored just three points in the first half, and he looked like he may have lacked energy after playing a high number of minutes on Tuesday. But he apparently fought his way through it. He scored 30 points in the second half on 12-of-14 shooting, which included some hot 3-point shooting.
For the game, James added eight rebounds and seven assists, but his six turnovers accounted for almost half of the Lakers’ 14 and hurt their cause.
The four-time MVP’s lack of energy and execution early also contributed to his team’s early deficit. Perhaps this was a night where he should’ve let his teammates bring the ball up the court and make plays more often early.
D'Angelo Russell: B-minus
After sitting out Tuesday’s game with foot soreness, Russell played a decent game with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting and seven assists. But the Lakers could’ve used more from him, especially early when the Clippers established the tone for this contest.
Austin Reaves: A-minus
Reaves continued his recent offensive tear with 20 points on 6-of-11 overall shooting, 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Perhaps a little more ball-handling, playmaking and aggression from him could’ve changed the outcome of this game, especially in the first half when he took just four shots, three of which he made.
Rui Hachimura: D
Hachimura was another player the Lakers needed more from, especially offensively. He played extremely well in their previous two contests, but against the Clippers, he went 1-of-5 and scored just four points as they didn’t let him get many good looks from mid-range.
Wenyen Gabriel: B-minus
In 16 minutes, Gabriel attempted to give the Lakers some energy by contributing six points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. However, he was matched up defensively against Zubac, who took advantage by posting him up and scoring easily on him multiple times.
Head coach Darvin Ham chose to play Gabriel at the 5 instead of Bamba in relief of Davis, and it was a curious decision that likely contributed to this loss. When Gabriel replaced Davis late in the first quarter, the Lakers were down by just four, but when Davis returned with 4:38 left in the second period, that deficit had ballooned to 17.
Troy Brown Jr.: B
Brown shot 2-of-4 from 3-point range against the Clippers, with both of his makes coming in the first quarter. But he went scoreless afterward and finished with just six points, plus three rebounds and one assist.
Overall, the Lakers shot a robust 12-of-29 (41.4%) from downtown. But it wasn’t enough to overcome their poor defense and uneven play offensively.
Dennis Schroder: D-plus
Schroder could’ve helped supply the Lakers with some pop off the bench, but he shot 1-of-6 and scored only two points in 13 minutes. The one positive contribution he made was his four assists against zero turnovers.
Malik Beasley: A-minus
Beasley did very well when he was on the court, going 3-of-4 overall and making his lone 3-point attempt. He didn’t force shots against a stiff Clippers defense, and he looked to drive the ball to the basket and played unselfishly when the outside shot wasn’t available.
All of his offensive production came in the first half, and some similar shot-making from him in the second half could’ve given the Lakers a better shot at winning this one.
