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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 takeaways from ugly loss to Los Angeles Clippers

By Zain Danani

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Julius Randle #30 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes to the basket against the LA Clippers on December 29, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Julius Randle #30 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes to the basket against the LA Clippers on December 29, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 29: Julius Randle #30 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes to the basket against the LA Clippers on December 29, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 29: Julius Randle #30 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes to the basket against the LA Clippers on December 29, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Los Angeles Lakers extend their losing streak to five games after suffering defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers 121-106.

For the first time in 13 seasons, it looks like neither one of the L.A. teams will be making the playoffs. This statistic displays the falloff that these teams have experienced since the departure of their superstars.

The Los Angeles Lakers currently stand at the 13th spot in the Western Conference and are 6.5 games away from the eighth seed. The team has struggled gravely over the past few years, but have been trending in the right direction. Although Kobe Bryant was physically on the team until the 2015-16 season, his star play had disappeared after his achilles injury at the end of the 2012-13 season.

Since then, the team has had four of their five worst seasons in franchise history. Moreover, their worst season came in 2015-16 when Bryant chose to retire. The recent history has been pretty dark, but the future seems bright as the Lakers now have three budding stars – Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma.

The Los Angeles Clippers sit at the ninth spot in the Western Conference, but are still a whole 3.5 games behind the eighth seed. The team, however, had great success over their span with Chris Paul.

Since his arrival in 2011, Paul led the Clippers to their six best seasons in franchise history. Now, however, that is no longer the case. The Clips have been a below average to mediocre franchise for most of their time. Their record now does not seem to be one of the worst in franchise history, but it will not compare to the success that Paul brought either.

In their matchup on Friday, Blake Griffin stole the show as he returned to play for the Clippers. He finished the night with 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists. As for the Lakers, Jordan Clarkson led the way with 20 points, five rebounds, and eight assists.

The Lakers’ next game will be on Sunday at the Toyota Center as they take on the Houston Rockets. Before that game, however, let’s take a look at a few takeaways from last night’s game.

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