The Los Angeles Lakers gave their all on Sunday against their old rival, the Los Angeles Clippers. However, they were too much as the Lakers suffered a 116-102 loss. In the 2024-25 NBA season, the Los Angeles rivals played the first of their four-game season series.
It was a collective effort by the team’s starters as all five players scored at least 10 points. Star forward LeBron James had a team-high 25 points, five rebounds, 11 assists and three steals in the game. The second-highest scorer for the team was Rui Hachimura, who had 19 points and seven rebounds in 45% shooting from the field.
All-Star big man Anthony Davis had a poor shooting performance and finished with only 16 points on 35.7% shooting. Fortunately for the team, Davis helped in other areas with his 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
The team’s third option, Austin Reaves, wasn’t as aggressive against the Clippers. Reaves finished with 14 points on six attempts from the field. In the fourth quarter, he left the game as he reportedly banged his knee with another player, head coach JJ Redick informed ESPN’s Dave McMenamin after the game. The reporter also revealed that the starting guard plans to play on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards.
Redick gave the Clippers credit for their defensive strategy, according to McMenamin. The former player said his former team forced the Lakers into tough situations because of their defense. Even with that, he still thought his players stayed composed and competed until the final buzzer.
JJ Redick praised the Clippers and their defense for forcing the Lakers into tough situations Sunday. He credited the Lakers for their competitive spirit and for staying together, despite things looking rough at times.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 20, 2025
Ivica Zubac, James Harden, and Norman Powell all scored at least 20 points for the Clippers throughout the game. Kawhi Leonard, an All-Star forward, scored 19 points in 24 minutes.
Fans roast the Lakers for their performance against the Clippers
Lakers fans didn’t hold back in roasting the team for their performance. On X (formerly Twitter), the supporters were a bit too honest in their feedback of the Purple & Gold team.
“Clippers run LA,” one fan summarized the first game.
“HOW COME LITTLE BROTHER ALWAYS BEATS US?????” another fan commented.
“Bench Rui for DFS and trade for a real center. Rob has to do his job,” a fan suggested.
Bench Rui for DFS and trade for a real center. Rob has to do his job.
— …… (@LakeShowJoe_) January 20, 2025
“AD too soft to play center smh.”
“AD forgot he had a basketball game today?”
“Zubac popped off tonight. So glad we traded him away for basically nothing.”
Zubac popped off tonight. So glad we traded him away for basically nothing.
— JP Valdes (@jpvaldes) January 20, 2025
“Horrible play by the Lakers. Big brother pshhh”
“Sucks to be owned by the Clippers… makes me miss our days of dominance in LA!”
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Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
