The Clippers were in control for the majority of the game against the Lakers on Thursday night.
They jumped out to a double-digit lead early and had everything going their way. By halftime, the trio of
Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac, and James Harden were all in double figures.
Kobe Sanders was also dominating, shooting a perfect 3-3 from the bench. Each of his shots was a 3-pointer, and the other LA team led by 17 points after two quarters.
Sure, the Lakers came back and the contest went down to the wire, but they still lost to the Clippers.
Considering how well they played in the second half, it’s clear that their poor defensive play in the opening quarters cost them the game.
During his postgame media availability, Luka Dončić acknowledged this.
“We just got to be better in the first half,” Luka said. “The last three games, I think our defense was excellent in the second half. We just have to translate that to the first half.”
Luka is right about the poor starts in recent losses. In two of their last three games, they’ve been down by 13 or more points entering the third quarter. That’s not a recipe for success.
While Luka mentioned a poor first half defense as an issue to address, Lakers head coach JJ Redick mentioned the team needed to pass the ball more and trust each other offensively.
Had the Lakers done more of that against the Clippers, they likely wouldn’t have had such a big hole to dig out of in the second half.
A team can’t win a game during the opening quarters, but it can certainly lose one. Being down by so much means not only do you have to go on multiple runs to win, but all the breaks have to go your way. The opposing team has to go cold, no major calls can go against you and clutch time execution has to be perfection.
That’s a lot to ask a team to do expecially on the road.
The Lakers accomplished this in their victory over the Nuggets, but again, that’s not how a good team consistenlty wins games.
Playing a full 48 at a high standard is how you create a winnning culture and dominate in a very comeptitve Western Conference.
This loss against the Clippers is a reminder that the Lakers have work to do to become the team they want to be come playoff time.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
