Without three of their key players (including their superstar) and on the second night of a back-to-back, the Lakers rode their defense into a seven-point lead late in the third quarter.
And then the dam broke.
The Lakers surrendered 22 unanswered points to the LA Clippers and never recovered, falling 118-107.
“Whether it was bringing the ball up court or trying to get open to run a set [play], they were pushing us off our spots,” coach Luke Walton said. “And we let that happen. We know that’s gonna happen.
“We’re playing five 20-[something]-year-olds. This is a man’s league. If you see young guys, you go at them physically. … That’s gonna happen again each and every night we step out until we’re ready to fight back.”
Without LeBron James, JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo, the Lakers (20-16) again started five players aged 23 or younger. While that lineup had the Lakers a buzzer-beater away from winning in Sacramento on Thursday, they could not muster a similar effort against the Clippers (21-14).
Kyle Kuzma led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds, though he needed 21 shot attempts to reach his total. The sophomore shot well inside the arc (9-of-14), but missed all seven of his 3-point tries.
Kuzma drops the hammer!!#LakeShow (: @SpectrumSN & NBA TV) pic.twitter.com/wr7O2mGBNF
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 29, 2018
“Every team has rough patches in the season, and we’ve been down bodies all year,” Kuzma said. “… We can’t let those things affect us. It’s all about us sticking together and keeping it like a fist.”
Lonzo Ball (19 points, six assists) and Brandon Ingram (17 points, seven rebounds) also had nice stretches, while Tyson Chandler provided six points and a season-best 15 rebounds.
But the Clippers eventually broke through, holding the Lakers scoreless for five straight minutes from the end of the third through the beginning fo the fourth.
They let Lou Williams — who had a season-high 36 points, while hitting all 11 free throw attempts and all three 3-point tries — cook, while his teammates focused on the defensive side, resulting in a 15-point lead with 9:36 remaining.
“They’ve got some big guys on their team,” Ball said. “They’re a lot older, so I think they were trying to punk us in a way. And they went on a big run.”
Lonzo Ball gives his takeaways from a tough night against the Clippers. pic.twitter.com/WjdoqPZwpF
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 29, 2018
With Williams guiding the way, the Clippers’ bench massively outscored the Lakers’, 71-28.
And while LeBron James’ teams have lost 13 straight games without him in the lineup, the Lakers believe that they can buck that trend.
“Every team has rough patches in the season, and we’ve been down bodies all year,” Kuzma said. “… We can’t let those things affect us. It’s all about us sticking together and keeping it like a fist.”
Notes
Danilo Gallinari had a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Clippers. … Josh Hart (12 points, three steals) was ejected for arguing a call in the fourth quarter. … The Lakers shot just 41.4 percent from the field. … Mayor Eric Garcetti, Jhené Aiko and Josh Duhamel were among the sold-out crowd.
Source: “Los Angeles” – Google News