The Clippers let a big first-half lead slip before coming back to take the win over the Lakers in the closing seconds, 105-102. Sound familiar? It was a lot like their last contest, only longer. Read on for this full recap of the Clippers’ victory over the Los Angeles Lakers:

Summary

Basketball is a game of runs reviews; a tale of two halves; role-player heroes; adventures in transition; and more. Here’s what you need to know:

— The lead story of this game was going to be about two disparate halves. But the officials turned the last 30 seconds of game-time into 30 minutes, so let’s talk about that first.

With 24.5 seconds remaining and the Clippers leading 103-102, LeBron James landed out of bounds while trying to pass the ball away. Robert Covington intercepted the ball but his first gathering dribble was called out of bounds. In real time, it seemed clear that LeBron’s foot was on the floor before he’d gotten the ball away, but it was fast and it was close, so we’ll be fair.

Tyronn Lue challenged the call on the floor.

The officials watched the replays. For more than 10 minutes.

Eventually, they realized what most everyone else knew and awarded the Clippers the ball while resetting the clock to 25.6 seconds. The Clippers inbounded the ball to a gassed Reggie Jackson in the backcourt, who dribbled sideways for a while before drawing an apparent bailout foul with 17 seconds on the shot clock. Close one. The Lakers challenged.

Many more minutes later, the officials rescinded the foul and gave the Clippers a side-out with a single second to advance the ball into the front court. Nic Batum passed to Reggie way back near their own defensive baseline. Reggie crossed half-court four seconds letter. Lakers’ ball.

Fortunately for the Clippers and their place in the standings, Carmelo Anthony missed the go-ahead three-pointer, Reggie Jackson splashed two free throws, and LeBron heaved a literal last-second miss to seal the season-series victory and playoff-seed tiebreaker for the Clippers

As long as it took you to read that, rest assured that it took much longer to happen.

— Let’s talk actual basketball things, of which the Clippers were much better in the first half than in the second.

After a cautious post-All-Star-break start for both teams, the Clippers’ offense cranked into motion, eating when either LeBron or Dwight Howard was off the floor.

Luke Kennard connected on 4 of 6 threes, a couple coming from Highland Park, to record 14 of his 18 points before halftime. He was a man in motion, encapsulating a first-half team effort that crackled with defensive intensity and crisp ball movement, neither of which were matched by the creaky Lakers.

For 24 minutes, the Lakers’ offense failed to get unstuck. They attempted 11 wayward threes before finally connecting on their 12th. Their offense mostly consisted of Dwight Howard rebounds. His first-half double-double, on the way to 14 and 16 for the game, helps explain how the Lakers trailed by just 10 at the half while being outshot 51% to 38%.

Two very different teams came out for the third quarter. The Lakers discovered their urgency. The Clippers, whose current roster leaves little room for margin, failed to execute to the same level.

Half-time wasn’t the exact turning point — the Lakers had already begun clawing into the Clippers’ largest lead of 16 in the second quarter — but the third quarter clarified that the game had indeed turned. Law Murray of The Athletic observed that the Clippers’ 16-point third-quarter shortfall represented their worst mark for any quarter this season.

Much of the Clippers’ struggles were in transition, going in both directions. Officially, they lost the fast-break battle by just 5 points, but that hardly accounts for missed opportunities. And the Lakers made the most of theirs, executing their open-floor chances to build both rhythm and crowd enthusiasm. It was here that the difference in available playmakers really became apparent.

The fourth-quarter was more closely contested, teeter-tottering as Brian Sieman is fond of saying. But it was the identity of the key contestants that made it really interesting.

— With Reggie Jackson faltering under the weight of his playmaking burden, the Clippers needed somebody to step up. Terance Mann and Amir Coffey did.

Terance was the leading Mann, coming through with timely buckets and pacing the Clippers with 19 points and 10 rebounds. His energy is game-breaking, and tonight he showed a real feel for the moment, taking over at critical junctures to break the Lakers’ rhythm.

Coffey provided the fourth-quarter buzz — pats self on back — tallying 12 of his 14 points in the final frame. He still has his adventures in transition, but he brought the necessary downhill element to force cracks in the Laker wall.

Even for the Lakers, it was the secondary players who largely carried the night. LeBron was listed as questionable yesterday, but started and played a game-high 36 minutes. He struggled under heavy defensive attention, recording a game-high in points with a pedestrian 21 on 33% shooting. The Clippers made him pass early, and the lack of incisive opportunities is reflected by his 3 meager assists against 6 turnovers.

With LeBron neutered, Carmelo Anthony and Talen Horton-Tucker managed a heavier load. (Yes, Carmelo is a role player now.) Carmelo did his thing from the low-post while also homing in from beyond the arc. He scored 18 off the bench with 4 made threes.

Horton-Tucker put forth one of his better efforts of the season, scoring all 16 of his points in the second half. Much to the relief of the Lakers, he looked dangerous off the bounce and connected on both of his three-point attempts.

— Reggie Jackson scored 17 points in another high-usage role. He added six assists but turned it over five times. He was conspicuously spent by the fourth quarter.

Robert Covington finished plus-19 in just 20 minutes. He scored 10 points and was an absolute wrecking ball on defense. He probably should’ve played more.

Ivica Zubac won’t put this game on his CV. He was bullied by Dwight in the first-half and played sparingly in the second after drawing an early fourth foul. Isaiah Hartenstein played 28 capable minutes in his stead, matching Reggie for the team-high in assists.

Marcus Morris Sr. scored the Clippers’ first 6 points and made a tough go-ahead jumper in the final minute. He didn’t do a lot offensively in between.

Russell Westbrook scored 18 points in 33 minutes and didn’t turn the ball over once. Laker fans will still find ways to be mad at him.

Austin Reaves only scored 6 points but made 2 blocks, including a power swat on Reggie Jackson. He did positive things all night after earning a starting nod.

Thanks for reading this recap of the Clippers’ win over the Lakers. Stay on the lookout for more game coverage and analysis and an episode of TLTJTP soon.

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Clippers vs. Lakers Recap: Game of Reviews
Thomas Wood

Summary

In one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, the Lakers outplayed the Clippers for much of the contest, and won relatively handily, 112-103. The game started out decently for the Clippers, who came out with a ton of energy and some really solid defense. Unfortunately, some bad shots by Marcus Morris and a couple live-ball turnovers by Patrick Beverley gave the Lakers some early transition opportunities, which they took advantage of. Fortunately, Paul George was up for the challenge, and his aggression in creating his own offense kept the Clippers within a basket. The Clippers’ bench unit performed no better offensively, though Montrezl Harrell had a couple nice baskets, and the Lakers led by a score going into the 2^nd quarter.

As it has been for the Clippers of late, the 2^nd period was a good one. Despite more bad shots attempts, this time by Reggie Jackson, the Clippers defense tightened up further, and the Lakers struggled to score as a result. JaMychal Green cleaned up on the glass, Jackson was able to get a couple shots to fall, and the Clippers were able to build a small lead. The return of the starters kept the momentum going, with George picking up right where he left off in the 1^st. Even with a somewhat quiet showing from Leonard, and more bricks from Morris, the Clippers were able to hold onto their slim advantage due to their stout defense.

Unfortunately, that defense failed after halftime. The Clippers offense remained at an acceptable level (if still too stagnant and turnover-prone), but their defense dipped, and that was all the Lakers needed. LeBron barreled his way into the paint and kicked to shooters, and when they missed, other Lakers were there to get the offensive rebounds. Paul George struck back and again regained the lead for the Clippers, but the momentum had turned. Similarly, while the bench played well on initial return, the Lakers continued to score far too easily, with Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell being the main culprits. The Clippers were able to score just enough to stay in it, but the Lakers had a lead and confidence going into the 4^th.

Oddly, Doc Rivers rolled out an all-bench lineup against LeBron James, and was swiftly punished for it. Landry Shamet’s lack of confident continued with some poor decision-making on offense, and the Lakers lead doubled in an instant. Kawhi returned just a minute later, but the damage was done, and the Clippers would never get as close again. Doc Rivers continued to shift lineups to discover a mix that combined enough offense and defense, but never found it. The Lakers relentlessly targeted Lou Williams, who surrendered bucket after bucket, with Montrezl Harrell and Marcus Morris providing no help defense or rim protection. On the other end, while Kawhi go tgoing, the ball continued to stick, and the Clippers were unable to string together any kind of run. There were points where the Clippers could have made a push, but the Lakers would score or the Clippers would miss a shot, and the Lakers won going away with their starters resting the final minute.

Notes

Odd Rotation Choices: It’s always easy to second-guess coaching, but Doc Rivers made some peculiar decisions tonight. The biggest one was probably playing Lou Williams most of the 4^th quarter – as great as Lou is, he did not have it tonight offensively, and the Lakers were brutally targeting him on defense. Even with Pat Beverley having a mediocre game, he still would have been a beter option. Meanwhile, Montrezl Harrell played 19 minutes in a row, and continuously gave up rebounds and shots in the paint to the Lakers. Ivica Zubac also didn’t have a particularly great performance, but he should have received some minutes down the stretch. Finally, Marcus Morris was dreadful on both ends, and was soundly outplayed by JaMychal Green. Green played a mere 11 minutes, a travesty considering what he did on the floor, and it continues to be irksome that Morris dominates the minutes load to the extent he does. Maybe Doc was just holding off on true adjustments until the playoffs, but this was not a great coaching performance.

The Disappearance of Landry Shamet: After surging to start 2020, Shamet has retreated into a shell over the past couple weeks. His minutes have been gashed by Reggie Jackson (and the return of Paul George), and his confidence seems to have gone with his playing time. He passed up a couple open looks today, bricked a wide open three, and just generally is not playing well. The Clippers are at their best when he’s creating havoc offensively, and he’s also a better option on defense than Jackson or Lou due to his size. Doc said post-game that Shamet’s minutes will continue to be reduced with George and Kawhi playing more, and while that makes sense, Reggie Jackson playing more than Shamet seems questionable in the broader picture.

PG Thrives: While Kawhi Leonard was solid, and JaMychal Green played quite well, Paul George was the only reason this game was remotely close. PG had 31 points on 16 shots, and scored in a wide variety of ways. The Lakers simply could not stop him for much of the game. Weirdly, he only took one shot in the 4^th quarter. While the Lakers keyed in on him, the Clippers went away from him far too much considering how hot he was. Even though this was a loss, George’s strong play was a great sign, and his ability to cook the smaller Lakers defenders should hold true going forward.

Avery Bradley Revenge Game: Perhaps the most irritating element of this game for Clippers fans was the play of universally loathed former Clipper Avery Bradley. Bradley, who seemingly couldn’t hit an open shot if his life depended on it as a Clipper, went 6-12 from deep, and made huge shot after huge shot. On the other end, he bohered the Clippers with his pesky on-ball defense, and picked a couple of pockets. He’s been better for the Lakers than he was for the Clippers, but this was still an outlier shooting performance for Bradley, who is an average outside shooter. The knowledge this was probably a one-off did not make those threes feel any better though.

Takeaways: It’s hard to take too much away from this one, same as with any one game. The Lakers were brilliant, especially defensively, and outplayed the Clippers on both ends. However, the Clippers’ role players were awful collectively, and that likely won’t happen again. Still, the Clippers will need to make some adjustments to get their offense going in the future, because they had real trouble even moving the ball today (12 assists to 15 turnovers). It was a loss, but it was a learnable one, and the Clips should be better for it down the road.

Clippers Fall to Lakers 112-103 in Hard-Fought, Physical Game
Robert Flom

Game Information

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

When: 12:30 PM PT

How to Watch: ABC, Fox Sports Prime Ticket, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Lakers: Avery Bradley – Danny Green – LeBron James – Anthony Davis – JaVale McGee

Clippers: Patrick Beverley – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Lakers: Talent Horton-Tucker Out (Foot)

Clippers: None

The Big Picture

The Clippers are on their most impressive stretch of the season, winning six games in a row including big victories over the Nuggets, Thunder, and Rockets. The team is finally healthy, and have looked as expected now that their roster is complete. The defense has been locked in (outside of one slip against the Sixers), with the starting unit in particular scrambling on that end in a terrifying manner. Paul George still might not be shooting at the level he was earlier in the season, but he appears to be healthy, and so does Pat Beverley. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell have stepped up their games up with the arrival of Reggie Jackson, and Ivica Zubac continues to improve on a seemingly daily basis. The past two weeks have demonstrated the starpower and depth of the Clippers, and it’s been fun to watch.

The Antagonist

The Lakers, of course, are no slouches themselves. The Lakers have won three games in a row, and are 9-1 in their last ten. They’ve been powered by their own superstars and a gritty, defense-first attitude, with very few let-ups over the course of the season. LeBron James somehow looks (nearly) as good as ever, and remains one of the three best players in the NBA. He’s not the athlete he was 10 or even 5 years ago, but he’s trying harder on defense than he has in years and is still a dominant post presence. Anthony Davis is a beast on defense and a matchup nightmare on the other end, a probable top five NBA player as well. The rest of the team fits smoothly around them, with low-usage shooters, high-intensity defenders, and rim-running big men making up the supporting cast. They’ve been the best team in the West all season, and are clearly the Clippers’ biggest rivals for control of the conference.

Notes

Guarding LeBron: As always when facing a team featuring LeBron James, slowing him is the main challenge. There was much discussion when the Clippers acquired Marcus Morris that they were doing so to help against Bron, with stats cited regarding how much Morris has guarded Bron in recent years. Unfortunately, the actual effectiveness of that defense is somewhat in question, but Morris is certainly at least a solid enough option on James. When push comes to shove, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will probably get the task, especially since Morris is also a decent option on Anthony Davis due to his heft. The Clippers could try to go small and out-shoot and out-athlete the Lakers, or they could go big with JaMychal Green to match the size and rebounding. It will be interesting to see how both teams approach this third matchup with the playoffs coming in just over a month.

Pat Beverley, Lakers Agitator: As long as he’s been in a Clippers uniform, Pat Beverley has loved playing against the Lakers. There was that infamous game two years ago, the first game of the season, where he shut down and rattled then-rookie Lonzo Ball. There was last year’s game, where he was a key contributor to a late season win and made several huge rebounds to seal the game. And, this year, despite a combined 4-14 shooting in the two previous Lakers games, Beverley has been a plus 39, with an average of 9.5 rebounds per game. A ferocious presence night in and night out, Beverley seems to take particular pride in his play against the Lakers. It’s an early 12:30 start, a time that throws off many players – but it’s likely Pat will not be one of them.

Marcus vs. Markieff: The Lakers signing Markieff Morris a couple weeks ago added a new twist to a Lakers-Clippers matchup that already had plenty of intriguing storylines. The Morris brothers always play hard against one another, and will be sure to be talking plenty of trash throughout the contest. Marcus plays a more prominent role for the Clippers than Markieff does for the Lakers, but both were brought in for their toughness and ability to stretch the floor. Twins sharing the court together is always entertaining, and never more than with two guys like the Morris brothers.

Wait for Joakim: News dropped yesterday that the Clippers will sign veteran center Joakim Noah to a 10 day deal, and expect him to remain on the team for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, fans won’t get a look at Noah until next week, as his signing is not official and he has yet to join the team. This is particularly tough for the Lakers game, not necessarily because Noah will be needed (though that is the sort of team he would be most needed for), but because he has an incredibly long history of playing against LeBron James. Chris Herring (of 538) found that a quarter of Joakim Noah’s technical fouls (and he’s had a lot) have come against LeBron James’ teams, which is remarkable. Watching him against LeBron is just fun.

Comment on this post or on the forum if you have access (we are still working on the log-in issues), and get excited for what should be a great basketball game!

Clippers vs. Lakers Preview: Battle for LA, Part Three
Robert Flom