February 15, 2025
The Clippers show the Lakers everything they are not in the first rivalry game at the Intuit Dome

The Clippers show the Lakers everything they are not in the first rivalry game at the Intuit Dome

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (center) shoots as Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard shoots.

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 on Sunday at the Intuit Dome. (Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)

The instrumental behind one of Los Angeles’ biggest songs was played toward the end of the first half over the Intuit Dome’s best sound system money can buy – the perfect tune for what had transpired.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” wasn’t a Lakers diss track and he didn’t even have to rap the chorus to get the point across.

All of the things that made the Clippers one of the surprises of the NBA season threaten to make the Lakers a disappointment, hurdles that the team still has to overcome and that, unless the roster is revamped, may never happen.

Read more: Clippers guard Norman Powell continues to compete at an All-Star level

Defensive pressure all over the pitch? Yes, the Lakers are not like that.

Consistent robustness 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 victory Sunday night in the first meeting between the two teams this season.

While the Lakers may have higher expectations due to their stars and the fact that they’ve already been active on the trade market, the Clippers played on Sunday like a team completely sure of themselves, their identity and their plans for the future.

Their best basketball came on Sunday when the game was probably already decided. Late in the third period, a chant of “Let’s go, the Lakers” rang out from a largely Clippers-supporting crowd, but the Lakers made a push, cutting their lead from 26 points to 11. But LeBron James, one of the instigators on this stretch, missed three direct looks at the basket as the Lakers had to be perfect to have a real chance at a comeback.

They weren’t.

James led the Lakers (22-18) with 25 points and 11 assists and Rui Hachimura scored 19, but no other Lakers player had a significant offensive impact, including Anthony Davis, who scored 16 points on five-for-14 shooting , and Austin Reaves , who had 14 but only managed six shots. He left the game limping after apparently injuring his knee in the fourth game.

The Lakers’ weaknesses are obvious. They tried to stop Ivica Zubac from dominating the team, but the former Laker took advantage of the Lakers’ lack of size and finished the game with 21 points and 19 rebounds. They need playmaking help from Reaves and James, the two main ball handlers who are each responsible for five of the Lakers’ 17 turnovers.

And they need more defensive toughness to limit a team like the Clippers, who run so much offense from the outfield, to tougher nights than 52.8% shooting.

The Clippers, people around the league almost unanimously expect, will likely be quiet at the trade deadline (despite a number of players being coveted by NBA teams). Their big move is simpler – reintegrating Kawhi Leonard while trying to keep him available for the rest of the season.

Read more: Austin Reaves scores a career-high 38 as the Lakers defeat D’Angelo Russell and the Nets

Leonard played 24 minutes and 17 seconds – a season high – as he continues to recover from the knee problems that have plagued him for most of his time with the Clippers. He scored 19 points on just 13 shots and dished out three of his four assists early in the first quarter to help the Clippers set the tone.

Norman Powell finished the game with 22 points and James Harden had 21 points and 12 assists for the Clippers (24-17).

The schedule is likely to dull the luster of the Clippers, who have won their last three games by an average of 34 points. They play five times this week, their schedule postponed due to wildfires.

The Lakers have two more chances at home before beginning their annual Grammy road trip, hosting Washington on Tuesday before another rivalry game against the Celtics on Thursday.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

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