Five years ago, when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined forces in Los Angeles with the Clippers - Leonard via free agency and George through a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder that included All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a slew of draft picks - there was a prevailing thought that the Clippers became instant contenders, perhaps equipped to win a championship over the ensuing five seasons.
The year prior, in 2018, LeBron James headed to Los Angeles to join the Lakers, and eventually won a championship with the Lakers, leading them to a 2020 title in the bubble.
Up until the Lakers' 130-125 overtime victory on Nov. 1, they had lost 11 consecutive games to their in-city rival, not having been victorious since July 30 of 2020, a 103-101 win.
Sunday night, their latest match-up proved to be just as exciting as that early November tilt. And it also proved why there needs to finally be a playoff series between the two.
Leonard, who was 15-for-28 for 38 points in the November meeting, was just 6-for-17 on Sunday night, missing shots that he normally makes. James Harden scored just 15 points on 4-for-13, though he did have nine assists, as he and Ivica Zubac - who was spectacular with 22 points and 19 rebounds - continued to show that they have developed a great rapport with each other in the pick and roll. George scored 22 points, but was 8-for-18 from the field and made just four of 11 three-point attempts.
James had a great night, with 25/8 rebounds/7 assists on 11-for-19 (including a ferocious dunk on George in transition) and Davis had a solid double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds on 10-for-15 shooting.
Despite a measly 39.6 percent shooting night as a team (Russell Westbrook was 3-for-9 while Norman Powell was 3-for-12), the Clippers still had a great chance to extend their winning streak to six games, with the Lakers going from the eight minute mark of the fourth quarter to the five minute mark without scoring a field goal, until a jump hook from Davis put them up 96-93. Uncharacteristic of Leonard, he lost the ball on the next possession while elevating over Austin Reaves. Fortunately for the Clippers, Zubac tipped the ball in after Leonard retrieved it and missed a contested 15-footer over Davis.
Leonard once again missed after Davis was called for a moving screen, and then on the ensuing Clipper possession, he lost the ball out of bounds while trying to work on Taurean Prince. After Davis hit an elbow jump shot with 2:47 remaining to give his team a 98-95 lead, Clipper head coach Tyron Lue called his final timeout of the evening.
Strangely, Leonard was subbed out for Terance Mann, giving the Clippers one less shot maker to play with down the stretch. With the Clippers in possession with 1:50 to go in a tie ball game (Powell made three free-throws on the prior Clipper possession) George, trying to create against Davis, lost the ball, and after recovering the ball had to heave up a three-point attempt with the shot clock the winding down. The ball caromed off the backboard, resulting in a shot-clock violation.
With 1:17 remaining, Prince drilled a three-pointer from the top of the arc that put his team ahead 101-98. After Harden missed on a baseline jumper, James, driving left, hit a contested shot over Zubac with 41.9 seconds to go. However, Harden responded with a patented step-back three with 22.9 seconds remaining. Fouled with 4.2 seconds on the clock, Austin Reaves made one-of-two free throws. The Clippers, down 106-103, had a chance to tie.
With no timeouts, Norman Powell caught the inbounds pass and sped up the right side of the floor, elevating and fading for a three-pointer that seemed to go halfway down before rolling out.
With the loss, the Clippers' five-game win streak was snapped, losing their first game post-Christmas, putting them at 22-13 on the season. The Lakers, meanwhile, playing as the home team on the night, snapped a four-game losing skid, and improved to 18-19.
While the game delivered on drama, it did not include the performances that we consistently need to see from Leonard and George in this match-up. The Clippers, with unexpected little production from their four All-Star level players, got the most from Zubac, which is something that cannot happen in big games - that one of your role players outshines one of your stars. The game, though, was no doubt a positive for the league, with a rivalry game such as this one coming down to the wire. With so many injuries and load management between both clubs since those summers of 2018 and 2019, it was nice to see all of the stars play in the last two match-ups.
The Lakers, once again, played up to their competition, something that has been a conundrum of sorts for the team - winning 43 games last season but making the Western Conference Finals, while this season, people have been calling for Darvin Ham's firing during a slide and then the team goes out and beats a team as hot as any in the NBA.
With the Clippers at the four seed right now and the Lakers at number 10, a potential playoff match-up would wait until the later rounds. The Clippers are three games back of the conference-leading Timberwolves, while the Kings, Mavericks, and Pelicans are each one game back of the Clippers. The Lakers are one-and-a-half games behind the Phoenix Suns, who have been a disappointment thus far themselves.
The hope and wish is that both LA teams meet in the playoffs with a win-or-go-home scenario in place. It would be five years in the making, and would make for a very compelling series with star power that few match-ups could create.
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