4 Teams that are worse than the Lakers despite their records
By Tyler Watts
2. LA Clippers
Fans have dreamt of seeing the battle for LA in the playoffs since the Clippers acquired Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in 2019. Coming into this season, Leonard and company had won 13 of the 15 meetings against the purple and gold, but things have changed.
Kawhi and PG13 are playing more this season. The Clippers added James Harden and it has helped them vault to fourth in the West. LA looked like a serious title contender but quickly fell back to earth.
The Clippers have some serious playoff demons, which gives the Lakers a distinct edge if the two sides match up in the playoffs. LA has won just three playoff series in four years with Leonard and George. They made the Clippers only trip to the conference finals in franchise history in 2021, but Kawhi was already out for the season. Can they finally break the curse and win in the playoffs? It will be tough if they face the Lakers.
The Lakers won three of the four meetings this season and outscored the Clippers by three points over the 985 minutes. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have the edge when the Clips attempt to go small and space the floor. The purple and gold arguably have a depth edge, and it is tough to bet against LeBron, especially if he is facing the crosstown rival in the playoffs.