The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the L.A. Clippers 85-102 in their first trip to the Intuit Dome.
Clippers guard Norman Powell led with 22 points; he was one of three Clippers players to score over 20 points. Center Ivica Zubac made 19 rebounds.
“Zubac was a monster; he was in some ways the difference with his offensive rebounding, particularly the second half,” said Lakers head coach JJ Reddick. “Our guys competed, we fought, we stayed together.”
Lakers forward LeBron James had 25 points and Anthony Davis made 11 rebounds. All Lakers starters scored in the double digits.
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While he shared the court with the NBA all-time leading scorer, Harden surpassed Oscar Robertson to be 14th in all-time scoring.
Turnovers remain problematic for the Lakers as they gave up 21 points from 17 turnovers.
The Clippers built a 17-point lead from shots by guard Kevin Porter Jr. and forward Kawhi Leonard late in the second quarter. Porter Jr. ended the night with eight points off the bench while Leonard contributed 19.
The Clippers had twice as many points in the paint as the Lakers and had a 64-49 lead by halftime.
“We got a little stagnant at times but we did a good job of executing on what we wanted to do against the zone,” said Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. “I like [Leonard’s] pace getting to his spots, he attacked the basket so we got to keep building.”
Coming back from halftime, the Clippers found ways to make close-ranged scores.
“During the third quarter, they came out prepared. Got pretty active and made some shots,” Davis said.
Late in the third quarter, the Lakers found a 13-2 run. During this time, both centers Jaxson Hayes and Davis were on the floor. Lakers fans shouted unified chants for their team as they cut away at their deficit.
“In theory, we should get more defensive rebounds; when we set our defense, we have more size,” Reddick said. “That group did a really good job, some of that was in scramble mode too, when we mixed up some fires throughout the game.”
The Purple and Gold found an offensive rhythm in the fourth, Rui Hachimura and Hayes made dunks early. However, they could not make enough defensive stops.
Close to the end of the game, Clippers rookie Cam Christie got a chance to share the hardwood with his brother, Lakers guard Max Christie. Max ultimately scored 10 points in the matchup.
The Clippers return to action on January 20 when they battle against the Chicago Bulls at 7:30P.M. and the Lakers battle the Washington Wizards on January 21 7:30P.M.
