Believe it or not, the Lakers beat the Clippers. No, hell has not frozen over, although many NBA analysts might think hell has frozen over since the Lakers actually beat a “championship contender”.
They win 112-103, bringing their season series record against the Clippers to 1-2 with one more game remaining between the two on April 9th (the game that was rescheduled due to Kobe Bryant’s death). This ends a very impressive weekend for the Lakers, concluding with wins over the Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Here’s our recap of the game.
Lakers win a hard-fought matchup
This game was a battle between two juggernauts, as there were many fouls and many technicals in this game that is slowly becoming part of an intense inter-city rivalry.
Although he had an inefficient night from the field (7-of-17 FGs), the second-half was taken over by LeBron Raymone James as he ended with 28 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. The game was iced with 40 seconds left, as LeBron drove to the rim and finished an and-one before screaming to the “home” crowd. He proceeded to the line to finish the free throw, putting the Lakers up 112-100.
Avery Bradley gets it done on both ends
From the get-go, Avery Bradley was playing ferocious defense, almost playing the Patrick Beverly role for the Lakers. Funny enough, he got a technical early on in the game for taunting Beverly after Bradley finished a tough lay-up over him.
Bradley wasn’t only getting it done with his defense and intensity though. He was hitting his vintage mid-range all night, adding in clutch corner threes on the other end of many LeBron James skip passes. He ended the game with 24 points, making six of his 12 three-point attempts.
Paul George with a great game
The Lakers went into halftime down by four points, as the Clippers were elevated by the play of Paul George. He outscored his running mate, Kawhi Leonard (27 points on 9-of-18 from the field), dropping 31 points (9-of-16 FGs), 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
He was torching the Lakers in pick-and-rolls, finding a way to slowly and meticulously get a quality shot off right at the rim with a defender on his back as well as in front of him. He drew many fouls from this, making 10 free throws out of his 11 attempts.
—
The Lakers will now turn their sights to the Brooklyn Nets, who recently mutually parted ways with their head coach, Kenny Atkinson. That game will be Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. PST. See you then.
