Clippers Win in the Lakers House

Unable to match the intensity of their across-the-hall roommates, the Los Angeles Lakers fell 102-91 to the Clippers at Staples Center. Baron Davis (25 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) stole the show as he dazzled the bewildered Lakers with a performance reminiscent of his hey days back in Golden State. He easily went around his defenders and found wide-open teammates for easy hoops. And when he wasn’t dishing, he was scoring at will, breaking down any and all takers. Kobe Bryant (33 points on 10-30, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals) had another off night from the field as his broken finger appeared to affect his shot more than any previous game. Chirs Kaman (21 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals) showed why he should be considered for the All-Star game, outplaying Andrew Bynum (15 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots) with a more refined and controlled game. Inside dominance, a Lakers key to success, was stolen by the resurgent Clippers, who outscored their roomies, 54-34 in the paint.

Lamar Odom (9 points on 3-11, 16 rebounds, 5 assists) again played ill and although he put up a valiant effort, it was the rest of the team that looked sick. Ron Artest (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist) looked a step slow as the Clippers raced the ball up the court on each opportunity. Derek Fisher (3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers) and Jordan Farmar (6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) had no answer to stop the rejuvenated Davis. The lone Lakers bright spot was the play of Shannon Brown (15 points, 2 steals, 1 rebound) but he was easily surpassed by Rasual Butler (14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and Eric Gordon (18 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist). Marcus Camby, playing the role of Odom, garnered 13 rebounds to go along with his 5 assists.

The Clippers trailed by a point after the first quarter, but a 27-17 outburst in the second period gave the Clippers command of the game and a 9-point lead going into halftime. Kobe’s 17 third quarter points kept the Lakers close, but they were never able to distance themselves from the Clippers. The Clips attacked wave after wave, forcing the Lakers back onto their heels as better ball movement and scoring distribution won out. The Lakers pulled even at 83-83 with 7:00 to play, but burly forward Craig Smith (12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists in 20 minutes) put the game out of reach scoring 8 of his points in the decisive 4th quarter. The Clippers distanced themselves with a 16-2 run for a 99-85 lead with 2:29 left in the game. Long distance bombs fell way short of the mark as Mike Dunleavy’s Clippers celebrated their first win over their home town rivals in the past ten games.