Clips Are No Match for the Lakers This Time

Leading by only 3-points at halftime, the Los Angeles Lakers went on to outscore their co-tenants 73-36 in the second half, crushing the Clippers 126-86 at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant (30 points on 10-20, 3 assists, 2 rebounds) led all scorers while Andrew Bynum (20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots) and Pau Gasol (20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocked shots) terrorized the Clippers in the paint. Gasol, in his first action back after missing the previous six contests looked a little rusty from the field but sank 12-12 from the free throw line. His presence did not inhibit Bynum from continuing his string of good showings as he got easy dunks off quick post moves against the undermanned Clips. The game was actually competitive in the first half as both teams showed good execution and shot selection. The Clippers second unit jumped on the Lakers in the second period and established a 41-32 lead at the 7:28 mark, but the Lakers used an 21-8 run to quickly regain control of the ball game and head into halftime with a 53-50 advantage.

The Clippers forgot to show up to start the third period. The poise and ball movement that they had displayed earlier was left behind in the locker room. With the Lakers bullying their way to the basket, the Clips settled for jump shots. And as those wayward shots bounced into Laker hands, the purple and gold were off and running, extending their meager lead to 24-points. Ron Artest (10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) punished the smaller Clips on power drives to the basket. Late in the period, a frustrated Baron Davis (14 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds) got caught in the corner by Gasol and Derek Fisher (4 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) and as the two came in closer for the trap, Davis starting swinging his elbows wildly, first glancing Fish then hitting Gasol in the chest. Davis was hit with a flagrant 1 but he continued to jaw at Fisher as his teammates tried to calm him down. Fisher for his part, seemed stunned by his former teammate’s actions and stood perplexed as Davis continued to bark at him all the way back to his bench. Davis, obviously upset, lost his cool and perhaps a more accurate account of what transpired will come out in the next few days.

The Lakers left the Clippers in the dust, leading 89-67 after the third. The Lakers opened up the final period with a 16-8 run to push the lead to 30-points as Mike Dunleavy pulled the plug and emptied his bench. Jordan Farmar (5 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds), Shannon Brown (11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) and Sasha Vujacic (10 points in 8 minutes) added to the Clippers misery. Only wide-body Craig Smith (17 points, 5 rebounds) managed to have any success against the defending champs. Eric Gordon (17 points on 5-16, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) was the only other Clipper to score in double figures. The Lakers bench outscored the Clips, 42-35. The Clippers also committed 19 turnovers which led to 19 Lakers points. The Lakers shot 50% for the game (10-22 for 45.5% behind the arc), won the rebounding battle 40-38, and shot 34-41 from the line for 82.9%. The Lakers rest up over the weekend for a Monday night rematch with last season’s runners-up in the visiting Orlando Magic.