Canada Sports News

The long-awaited clash between the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers brought so much fun for the fans. It could be said that the contest completely justified the hype, which surrounded it.  For the second time, this season, Doc Rivers’ boys defeated the purple and gold. This time the final score was 111-106.

The fourth straight loss of the Lakers’ crew came in the worst possible time, as the Clippers now narrowed the gap between them and the leaders of the Western Conference to just two games.

However, LeBron and the company had a chance to win this event. The nominal hosts in this match had a double-digit lead at the halftime, 63-51, and they even increased it after the break, to 15 points. Yet, they couldn’t hold out until the end of that sequence. A 16-3 rush of the Clippers brought back the balance on the court.

Once more did the Lakers had a chance to pull away, midway through the final period, when they had a 7-point edge. Kawhi and the boys woke up, shifted into a higher gear, and stopped the rivals.

The biggest difference was brought by the best players. While Kawhi dropped 11 of his 35 buckets in the last sequence, LeBron had just one point in the final six minutes of the game. He would have a chance to tie the match, but Patrick Beverly played fantastic defense on the Lakers’ superstar. Not only did he blocked the shot, but the ball went out of bounds after contact with LBJ.

“It says a lot. We’ve got waves of defenders. Our smallest guy tonight got the biggest stop of the game,” Paul George said of Beverly’s contribution.

Although he delivered just 8 points, his impact on the game was immeasurable.

Kawhi was the top scorer with 35 points and 12 boards, hitting five threes in seven attempts. The next in the line was Montrezl Harrell with 18 buckets, while George had 17.

“We have guys that’s going to have big nights. I think I had five or six points tonight, and that’s just how this team is built. It’s going to be different guys every night,” Lou Williams explained how his team works.

For the Lakers, both LeBron and Davis went above 20 points – LBJ 23, while AD had 24. King James was one rebound shy of another triple-double, as he also had 10 dimes. Lakers’ duo had a bad shooting night, combining 17 for 41 from the floor.

“They wanted it more,” Davis said. “We had a lot of mistakes down at the end of the game, mental mistakes at both ends of the floor.

Kyle Kuzma posted a team-high 25 points, but wasn’t able to step in when the game was on the line.

The Lakers are still first in the West with 24 wins and 7 losses, but the Clippers are knocking on the door with 23 victories and 10 failures. Up next, Doc Rivers’ team awaits the Utah Jazz at Staples this Saturday.

Meanwhile, the purple and gold travel up north on the same day. Their rivals are going to be the Portland Trail Blazers.