The Lakers and Clippers tipped off their latest chapter of the hallway rivalry Saturday night at the Intuit Dome, and while the game was still young after one quarter, the tone was already set-and it wasn’t pretty for the purple and gold.
Coming into this matchup, the Lakers were riding a two-game win streak on their four-game road trip. The Clippers, meanwhile, were desperate to stop the bleeding, having dropped five straight and nine of their last ten. But if you were expecting the Lakers to capitalize on that momentum early, the first 12 minutes told a different story.
Short-handed Lakers struggle out of the gate
The Lakers were without two key starters-Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton-both sidelined with injuries. In their place, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes stepped into the starting lineup, but the early returns weren’t encouraging. The offense never found a rhythm, and the numbers reflected it: just 15 total points on 5-of-22 shooting from the field, including a rough 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.
LeBron James, typically the stabilizing force, played only 10 minutes and scored 7 points on 3-of-7 shooting. He didn’t record a rebound, assist, steal, or block-a rare empty stat line for the King, even in limited minutes.
Luka Dončić, who’s taken on a bigger offensive role with Reaves out, struggled to find his shot, going 2-for-10 from the field and missing all four of his three-point attempts. He managed just five points in 12 minutes and committed two turnovers.
The Lakers' bench didn’t offer much relief. Jake LaRavia chipped in two points and four rebounds, but the rest of the second unit combined for just one point.
Rui Hachimura was a late scratch, and the absence of his scoring punch was noticeable. In total, the Lakers shot just 22.7% from the field in the first quarter and were out-rebounded 14-12.
Clippers show signs of life amid tough stretch
On the other side, the Clippers looked like a team determined to claw their way out of a funk. Head coach Ty Lue made it clear before the game that the team’s goal is to win 35 of their remaining 55 games to finish at .500. That’s a steep climb from their current 6-21 record, but the first quarter showed a team playing with urgency.
James Harden came out aggressive, scoring seven points and knocking down two of his four three-point attempts. John Collins added six points on 3-of-4 shooting and brought energy in the paint, grabbing five boards and adding a steal. Ivica Zubac chipped in five points and a couple of rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard, though scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting, made his presence felt on the defensive end with a block and three rebounds.
The Clippers’ ball movement and shot selection were noticeably sharper than what we’ve seen during their recent skid. They shot 45.8% from the field in the first quarter, including 4-of-10 from deep, and committed just three turnovers. It wasn’t a dominant performance, but it was clean, efficient basketball-something that’s eluded them in recent weeks.
Early trends and takeaways
It’s only one quarter, but the early trends are hard to ignore. The Lakers looked disjointed offensively without two of their starters, and their makeshift lineup lacked cohesion. Dončić and LeBron couldn’t get much going, and the supporting cast didn’t step up to fill the void.
For the Clippers, it was a much-needed breath of fresh air. Harden looked comfortable, the bigs were active, and there was a sense of purpose on both ends of the floor. If they can sustain this level of play, even in short spurts, it could be the start of a turnaround-or at least a step toward respectability.
There’s still a lot of basketball left to play, but after one quarter, the Clippers held a 13-point lead and all the momentum. Stay tuned-this one’s far from over.