{"id":314777,"date":"2025-11-26T12:47:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T12:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/314777\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T12:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T12:47:09","slug":"plummeting-clippers-see-their-fortunes-reversed-against-the-reborn-lakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/314777\/","title":{"rendered":"Plummeting Clippers see their fortunes reversed against the reborn Lakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 In January of this year, the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers met for the first time at Intuit Dome. The Clippers, led by James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell, beat the Lakers 116-102 in a game that wasn\u2019t as close as the final score suggests; the Clippers led by as many as 26 despite the Lakers having LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves on the court.<\/p>\n

At that time, the Clippers were fifth in the West at 24-17, while the Lakers were sixth at 22-18. Then first-year Lakers head coach JJ Redick said that he considered the Clippers a \u201cgreat team\u201d and a \u201cdefensive team with an offensive engine and a bunch of guys who play their roles really well.\u201d Let\u2019s just say that midway through Redick\u2019s first season, he did not describe his Lakers in such glowing terms.<\/p>\n

That win gave Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue a 13-3 record against the Lakers. He\u2019d won his first 11 games in the role, tied for the longest win streak over the Lakers in the intracity rivalry.<\/p>\n

But then the Lakers traded Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Don\u010di\u0107. Suddenly, the Lakers had their offensive engine, a guy who draws two to the ball, an isolation world beater in the prime of his career.<\/p>\n

The Lakers haven\u2019t lost to the Clippers since. The three Lakers-Clippers games after the trade last season, two of which Don\u010di\u0107 played in, were critical wins that allowed the 50-32 Lakers to get the No. 3 seed and a division title, while the Clippers settled for the No. 5 seed with the same record.<\/p>\n

Both teams were built with visions of contending in the Western Conference. But while the Lakers have stabilized around Don\u010di\u0107 while reintegrating James after an injury, the Clippers have capsized.<\/p>\n

That the two SoCal teams are heading in opposite directions was made crystal clear in a nationally televised NBA Cup matchup Tuesday night in downtown Los Angeles. In beating the Clippers<\/a>, 135-118, the Lakers have established their first four-game win streak against the Clippers since winning nine straight meetings from 2007 to 2009, when the Lakers were three-time Western Conference champions and had won back-to-back NBA titles.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just that the Lakers are beating the Clippers, it\u2019s how they\u2019re doing it. James Harden may be the father of the isolation stepback, but Don\u010di\u0107 is its best descendent. The Clippers couldn\u2019t do anything with Don\u010di\u0107, who outscored Harden, 43-29. Thirty-two of Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s points came in the first half.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing for Don\u010di\u0107 to go off, but he had help. Reaves scored 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, while James was able to pitch in with 25. The Clippers\u2019 Big 3 of Leonard, Harden and Zubac was outscored by the Lakers\u2019 Big 3, 99-58. While Don\u010di\u0107, James, and Reaves all made at least half of their field goal attempts, the Clippers\u2019 star trio were all held under 50 percent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best three players had over 25 points,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cGotta do better defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Redick noted in January how good the Clippers defense was. They finished last season third in defensive efficiency. But this season, the Clippers are as bad on that end as they were good in 2024-25. Last season, only the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic were better on defense than the Clippers. After Tuesday night, only the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets are worse. Leonard noticed, both during his recent 10-game absence and on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we got to start making it a little bit harder on the better offensive players on the other teams,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cTonight, Luka with 40. In one of the games, (Denver Nuggets center Nikola) Joki\u0107 had 50. So I think we\u2019ve got to try to make them pass the ball like they\u2019re doing to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked Kawhi Leonard about the Clippers defense while he was out and what it needs to be better now that he\u2019s back<\/p>\n

He mentioned that Clippers should probably make star scorers pass more (like LAC opponents do to Harden\/Leonard\/Zubac) instead of getting slaughtered by those stars pic.twitter.com\/rPccp8pCJD<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Law Murray \u26f2\ufe0f (@LawMurrayTheNU) November 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

It would be nice if Leonard, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, could shut the water off. But his health, age and offensive workload on a depleted team have kept him from taking on defensive matchups that matter.<\/p>\n

In his first game back on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, All-NBA shooting guard Donovan Mitchell was going for 37 points on 14 of 22 field goals while Leonard was spending most of his time defending point guard Darius Garland or forward De\u2019Andre Hunter. While Don\u010di\u0107 was going off Tuesday, Leonard spent most of his time on James, who was playing in only his third game of the season. Lue said that Leonard\u2019s defensive assignments are part of an effort to build his minutes back up after a multi-week layoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when he gets healthy, 100 percent, and then also when he\u2019s able to get his minutes up, I think it will be better for him,\u201d Lue said. \u201cBut just getting his legs \u2014 (it\u2019s) only his second game back (and) putting that kind of pressure on him, I think it would be unfair right now, this early. So just letting him get 100 percent healthy and then he will have to have some of that responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leonard needs to show he can still handle that responsibility. Lue described him as a top-10 player who is not easily replaced. But Lue regularly needs to replace Leonard, with two-way contract player Kobe Sanders starting November games in Leonard\u2019s place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you lose your best player, a top-10 player when he\u2019s on the floor, it\u2019s hard to really make up for that,\u201d Lue said before the game. \u201cI know a lot of people say \u2018next man up,\u2019 but if he\u2019s making $60 million and your next man is making $400,000, it\u2019s not really the same. We just got to continue to just keep playing through it, and like I said, hopefully getting Kawhi we can start getting his minutes up and start feeling better. We will be a different team.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Lue waits for his rudderless team to break through, the Lakers are right where they need to be. Just as Redick acknowledged that the Clippers were better in January, Lue now admits that the NBA pecking order has changed in Southern California.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got to play better,\u201d Lue said. \u201cTeams are better than we are right now. So it\u2019s part of it, you know? \u2026 We got beat by a better team right now. They\u2019re playing at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n