NBA, Lakers vs Clippers, 4/2/21: The battle of Los Angeles although was shorthanded but a close one in the end. The Lakers fell just a point short and are now three games below .500.
For the Clippers, Marcus Morris Sr. scored 29 points leading his team. He also collected seven rebounds and three assists. No Paul George or Kawhi Leonard for the Clippers and it was the Lakers having a real shot at this game.
The first half was a back and forth action and the Clippers were leading 60-54. However, Carmelo Anthony late in the second quarter received a hamstring injury and that hurt the Lakers.
The start of the second half was not good at all getting outscored 14-6 before ultimately falling 111-110 after a late comeback allowed them to get close before falling just short once again, with Anthony Davis’ floater in transition missing at the buzzer.
This loss dropped the Lakers to 25-28, three games below .500. That’s tied for the furthest below that mark they have been this season.
Davis continued his stellar run of late and was the only reason the Lakers were even in this one for most of the night. He repeatedly battered the undersized Clippers on the glass for second-chance points and lobs, finishing with 30 points on 12-24 shooting while snatching 17 rebounds, but he got next to no help for much of the evening.
Shortly after the start of the second half, the Clippers’ six-point lead ballooned to double digits in less than three minutes. After a quiet first half, Reggie Jackson exploded with a mix of scoring and playmaking which opened up the team’s offense. The Lakers, though, began to gain momentum and started the fourth quarter by scoring eight straight points, cutting what was once a 17 point lead to just four.
The Lakers are not a good team at this point without their central star, but even they should have had enough to beat this Clippers squad, who are missing both their stars but are still somehow ahead of them (27-27) in the standings.
