The LA Clippers swept the regular season series against their next door neighbors the LA Lakers with a resounding 132-111 win on Thursday.
Game Summary
The Clippers came into Thursday night’s game having won six straight games against the Lakers and on the verge of sweeping the season series this year. They also came in right above the Lakers in the Western Conference standings and with an opportunity to put more distance between them.
From the opening tip, both teams came out playing like they knew what was at stake. Aside from city bragging rights, the game presented an opportunity to improve positioning in an increasingly competitive race for spots in the end of season play-in tournament.
The Lakers withstood some early momentum from the Clippers to take the lead midway through the first quarter, but the Clippers fought back and finished the quarter strong to take a slim 36-31 lead.
In the second quarter, the Clippers bench powered by Isaiah Hartenstein, Robert Covington and Amir Coffey, built up a double-digit lead, going up by as many 17 points. As has been the case all season with the Lakers, they’ve been able to play well in spurts before sputtering out of control and it looked like that would happen once again. But the Lakers had an answer again, going on a 14-0 run to end the second quarter and slicing the Clippers lead all the way down to 66-63 at the half.
The Clippers have been third quarter warriors throughout this season and once again, they showed up and showed out. Sparked by Reggie Jackson, the Clippers opened the quarter on a 19-2 run and midway through the quarter, their defense had held the Lakers to only six total points.
In total, the Clippers put up 40 points in the third quarter while holding the Lakers to 18. The Lakers were never able to seriously challenge the Clippers anytime after that and the play of the night came with Jackson isolated on the wing against his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook.
Jackson was able to blow by Westbrook with a crossover before being fouled in the paint. During the dead ball, Jackson and Westbrook barked back and forth at each other while the crowd broke out into a “Reggie” chant.
On the ensuing possession, Jackson buried a three-point shot on the left wing causing the Lakers to call a timeout. Before heading to the bench, he waltzed to midcourt and gestured for the crowd to make noise. He would finish with 36 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Notes
- Robert Covington continues to prove his worth to the Clippers. He may be just as integral and important to the team as Norman Powell was. He fits in seamlessly, just doing whatever it is the team needs on both ends of the floor. He guards multiple positions and he has some of the quickest hands in the league. Offensively, he does his part knocking down his catch and shoot threes. He’s steady, he rarely makes mistakes and he contributes to winning. Against the Lakers, he had a sequence in the second quarter when the Clippers were on a run and he knocked down back to back three-point shots. He’s long been an underrated player in the NBA and the Clippers are now reaping the benefits.
