The Lakers came into Thursday night riding the high of a gutsy comeback win over the Nuggets, hoping to carry that momentum into a crosstown showdown with the red-hot Clippers. But the Clippers, winners of 13 of their last 16 and clicking on both ends of the floor, weren’t in the mood to play along.
From the jump, the Clippers set the tone - fast, physical, and efficient. They built a double-digit lead late in the first quarter and never looked back.
A 9-0 burst late in the second helped stretch their lead to 64-47 by halftime. The Lakers, meanwhile, couldn’t find their rhythm.
They shot just 42.9% from the field in the first half, while the Clippers torched them at a 58.7% clip.
Still, if there’s one thing this Lakers team has shown lately, it’s that they don’t fold. Just like they did against Denver, they clawed their way back.
Down by as many as 26, they trimmed the deficit to just two - 93-91 - with under six minutes left in the fourth. But that’s when the Clippers countered with a 10-0 run that ultimately put the game out of reach.
The Lakers answered with an 8-0 run of their own, but the tank was empty. Final score: 112-104, Clippers.
The loss drops the Lakers to 26-17 and into sixth place in the Western Conference. Here’s a closer look at how the key players performed:
Marcus Smart: B
Smart was instrumental during the Lakers’ second-half surge.
He hit timely shots and brought his trademark defensive grit. He finished with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, adding four assists and two steals.
Most notably, he helped make life difficult for James Harden, who shot just 6-of-21 and turned the ball over seven times. That’s the kind of disruptive defense Smart brings - it doesn’t always show up in the box score, but it changes games.
Deandre Ayton: D
This was a tough night for Ayton.
Playing through an eye injury that required protective goggles, he struggled to assert himself - especially against Ivica Zubac, who dominated the paint. Ayton managed just four points and five rebounds in 21 minutes.
Zubac, meanwhile, looked like a man among boys with 18 points and 19 boards, 10 of them offensive. Ayton’s lack of physicality stood out, and not in a good way.
Jake LaRavia: C
LaRavia gave the Lakers some defensive activity - three steals and four blocks in 22 minutes - but offensively, he left a lot on the table.
With the Lakers needing scoring to keep pace, his seven points on 2-of-5 shooting didn’t quite cut it. The effort was there, but the impact was limited.
LeBron James: B
LeBron was relatively quiet through three quarters, scoring just 14 points, but he turned it on late as the Lakers made their push.
He finished with 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, plus five rebounds, six assists, and two steals. It wasn’t a vintage LeBron takeover, but he gave the Lakers a chance down the stretch.
Luka Doncic: B-
Doncic had a strong start - 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting in the first half - but cooled off significantly in the second.
He went just 2-of-9 in the third quarter and couldn’t find his shooting touch late. He ended with 32 points, but needed 27 shots to get there, including a rough 3-of-13 from deep.
Still, he contributed in other ways with 11 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. A mixed bag overall.
Rui Hachimura: B+
Hachimura brought energy off the bench and gave the Lakers a nice scoring lift.
He had 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting, though his 2-of-7 mark from three left something to be desired. Still, he added three rebounds, two assists, and a block, and his defensive intensity in key moments helped keep the game within reach.
Jarred Vanderbilt: B
Vanderbilt’s box score won’t jump out - seven points, one rebound - but his defensive presence was felt.
He logged four steals and was a key part of the Lakers’ fourth-quarter defensive effort. His hustle and activity were crucial, even if the stat sheet didn’t tell the full story.
Jaxson Hayes: B-
Hayes made the most of his 17 minutes, scoring six points on 3-of-4 shooting. He added two rebounds and a block, providing solid support in limited action.
Gabe Vincent: C
Vincent saw 16 minutes of action and knocked down one of his two shot attempts for three points. He added a rebound but didn’t make much of a dent otherwise.
Drew Timme: Incomplete
Timme played 10 minutes but didn’t attempt a shot. He recorded one rebound and one assist, but didn’t have enough time or usage to make a real impact.
Bottom Line:
This was a game of swings - and the Lakers nearly pulled off another improbable comeback.
But the early hole was too deep, and the Clippers had just enough answers to hold them off. The Lakers’ fight is admirable, but if they want to stay in the mix in a loaded Western Conference, they’ll need more consistency - especially on the glass and from their bigs.
Nights like this one show the margin for error is razor-thin.