Clippers looking to right ship after dropping first two to cross-hall Lakers
The Clippers had won 11 in a row against the Lakers before this season but have since lost two straight.
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — The LA Clippers enjoyed a healthy relationship with their cross-hall brethren since Tyronn Lue was hired by the Clippers in October 2020. That is until this season when the Los Angeles Lakers have won the first two meetings.
Before this season, the Clippers had won 11 in a row against the Lakers, turning most of them into routs as they won by an average score of 116-105. But times have changed.
Despite the Clippers (27-14) being a full 6½ games up on the Lakers (22-22) in the standings, it’s the Lakers who have earned bragging rights through the first part of this season due to those two wins.
“I think the first game we traded away all of our fours, and James [Harden] didn’t play, so that was kinda like a different vibe,” Lue said ahead of practice Monday. “And then last game they just played better than us. I thought they really was up for the game.”
The second matchup was the first time under Lue that the Clippers did not hold a double-digit lead at any point throughout a game against the Lakers.
Lue credited Lakers head coach Darvin Ham with some quality adjustments in the second meeting that ultimately saw the Lakers end the four-game losing streak that they rolled into the game with.
“[Darvin Ham] did some things that were really good as far as rotations and how he wanted to matchup, they did some great things schematic-wise, defensively, what they wanted to do to try to take us out, and so they had a really good gameplan. They played well and they played better than us,” Lue said.
Through two meetings thus far this season, the Lakers have racked up 38 fast break points and converted 37 points off of turnovers following 29 Clippers miscues. On top of that, the Lakers have roped in 17 offensive rebounds that have led to an additional 19 second-chance points.
Those two areas are something Lue is quite cognizant about heading into Tuesday’s matchup.
“Just for us, it’s gonna be the biggest things is keeping LeBron [James] and those guys out of transition, not turning the basketball over, taking care of the ball. That’s number one. And then rebounding the basketball. Keeping [Anthony Davis] and ‘Bron and those guys off the glass and not letting them get extra possessions.”
Those two losses to the Lakers could come back to haunt a Clippers team that is attempting to net a Top-4 seed in a tough Western Conference that has seen four squads break from the pack — Minnesota Timberwolves (30-12), Oklahoma City Thunder (29-13), Denver Nuggets (30-14), and the Clippers (27-14).
“We’re used to that team, it’s the same team,” forward Amir Coffey said Monday. “They just kind of beat us to the hump a little bit the past couple games. It’s nothing to panic about. We watched the film from it and everything, and I feel that we made the adjustments we need, so we’ll put it to the test tomorrow and see what happens.”
The Clippers held a 19-point lead in the first half of the first meeting before letting go of the rope and getting dethroned in overtime to end the team’s 11-game winning streak against the Lakers. But the Clippers also have a few more things to play for in Tuesday’s meeting.
A win on Tuesday would clinch the career Hallway Series for the Clippers, something they presently lead 49-47 with two games to go. Secondly, and more importantly, it will at least keep the prospect alive that the Clippers can split the season series with the Lakers. That could matter depending on how the final games shake out.
Following Tuesday’s game, the Clippers will embark on their yearly ‘Grammy Trip’ as they play seven games in seven Eastern Conference cities over the span of 11 days. Their trip starts in Toronto before playing a back-to-back in Boston. It’ll end with a back-to-back in Miami and Atlanta while featuring stops in Cleveland, Washington, and Detroit before that.
These next eight games, starting with Tuesday’s intracity affair, are a pivotal stretch for the Clippers. Anything better than 4-4 could be considered found money when factoring in travel, back-to-backs, and just general schedule congestion at this time.
Should the Clippers come out of this around 32-17, it could go a long way to establishing them as a team that’s truly serious about their business for the rest of the second half of the season.
But, first things first: the Lakers on Tuesday. And a chance to get a piece of revenge.
“I know that before I got here, the Clippers have played the Lakers really well,” said starting center Mason Plumlee. “So, tomorrow will be a good game.”