The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Los Angeles Clippers on opening night. Here are some takeaways from the loss.
The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t get off to the start they were hoping for in the 2017-18 season. The Lakers played their STAPLES Center co-tenant Los Angeles Clippers and it did not go well. The Clippers ended up handling the Lakers rather easily, defeating them 108-92.
It was a choppy game from the start as neither team was able to get into much of a flow in the early going. The Clippers were able to get it together a little more than the Lakers, and it showed in the final score. The Clippers essentially put the game away in the third quarter, where they outscored the Lakers 34-21 to extend their lead to 24 points.
The Lakers really struggled on the inside, where the Clippers have a distinct advantage with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Griffin and Jordan dominated in the paint, as the two combined for 36 rebounds in the game, 11 of which were offensive.
The Lakers looked like a team that was playing their first game of the season and didn’t have their regular lineup together much in the preseason.
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It was a sloppy, uneven game for most of the night as they struggled to get easy baskets. Some credit should be given to the Clippers for the job that they did, as they made the Lakers uncomfortable all evening.
It was only the first game of the season, so emotions will be high. The Lakers have a lot of work to do, and this was the first step in the learning process. The nice thing about the NBA is that you don’t have to wait too long to put a bad game behind you; the Lakers play again tonight against the Phoenix Suns.
Before we get to that game, let’s review the opening night game against the Clippers. Here are five takeaways from the Lakers loss to the Clippers.