Clippers beat Lakers in Christmas Day comeback.
This Christmas day was full of NBA action. The game of Christmas day was the battle of Los Angeles between the Clippers and Lakers at the Staples Center.
The Clippers came back down by 15 at the end of the third quarter to beat the Lakers 111-106 on Christmas day, and what a come back it was. The Clippers hit their final 16 free throws to beat the Lakers. Patrick Beverly was the hero when he blocked a potential game tying three form LeBron James.
The Lakers have dropped four in a row and they are now 0-2 against the Clippers this season. The Clippers closed out the game on a 17-5 run to beat the Lakers but there were players of the game on both teams.
First for the Clippers..
Kahwi Leonard: He had 35 points, 12 rebounds, five assists.
Montrezl Harrell: how about 18 points off the bench and six rebounds.
Paul George: 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, three blocks.
Patrick Beverly: He might have only had eight points, nine rebounds, four assists, however the block on LeBron is what he will be remembered for.
For the Lakers..
Kyle Kuzma: 24 points and four rebounds off the bench.
Lebron James: 23 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds, I hate numbers like that in a losing effort.
Anthony Davis: 24 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks.
The Clippers did there job on the defensive side of the ball. The Lakers went 39-96 form the field, that's 40.6%. This was a Lakers team that started the season 24-3 and now they've dropped four in row. The Clippers dominated in the paint 54-42 in this Christmas day battle for LA.
Kawhi Leonard was asked about the battle of LA and how the Clippers are 2-0. His response was very simple. "I'm not worried about that right now because we have a long way to go in this season and right now we are taking it one game at a time. This was a great comeback, however we have a long way to go."
LeBron James was asked about the battle of LA, his response was simple. " We can't beat the Clippers and we need to find a way to win a game right now. We've dropped four in a row, we're 0-2 against the Clippers and we started the season 24-3. We have top play better including myself."
Here's my take..
This was the 2nd of four meetings between these two LA Teams. The Clippers have owned the Lakers so far in this Los Angeles rivalry. The Clippers did everything right in enemy territory. They were down by 15 and they came back with a 17-5 run. Patrick Beverly, was the real hero despite his numbers as he stopped Lebron James three pointer with 3.6 seconds left. This battle in Los Angeles was a game to remember
There are two games left between these two teams. The next game will be January 28th, 10:00 on TNT. Then the final battle between these two teams will be on March 8th, 3:30 on ABC.
The bottom line is this, both teams are playoff contenders at the moment. I know it's still December and we're nowhere near the All-Star break. But this is going to be fun to watch if these two teams meet somewhere in the playoffs.
Bottom Line..
