Westbrook Derby Southerner wins 11th straight game against Westbrook LAC LAL
The Clippers took on an important showdown with the Lakers.
The LA Clippers won 125-118 against the LA Lakers in the 2022-2023 NBA regular season at the CryptoCom Arena in LA on the 6th (Korea Standard Time).
The match between the two teams, called the LA Derby because they use the same hometown. In addition, there was one more interesting factor in the match. It was the presence of Russell Westbrook, who joined the Clippers through buyouts after breaking up with the LAL in February. Westbrook faced the Lakers for the first time since the transfer.
In addition, it was an important situation in which a ranking battle was at stake. The Clippers (42 wins and 38 losses) pushed the Lakers (41 wins and 39 losses) back to seventh place in the west with the victory, and their regular season record became the same as Golden State (42 wins and 38 losses). Currently, the team with the tiebreaker is the Clippers (relative overall advantage between divisions). The Clippers will become the fifth seed at the end of the regular season while the situation is maintained.
The Clippers also succeeded in 11 consecutive games against the Lakers. He is the Clippers who have never lost to the Lakers since the appointment of Turan Lu.
The Clippers won despite the absence of Paul George, who is recovering from injury. Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points, while Norman Powell (27 points) and Ivica Zubachi (17 points and 13 rebounds) also performed well. Westbrook, who had a good start, added 14 points and 4 assists, including two three-point shots. It is the Clippers, where six players have surpassed double-digit scores.
LeBron James, who rebounded in the second half, scored 33 points and Anthony Davis 17 points and 11 rebounds, but failed to prevent the defeat. The loss cut the Lakers’ four-game winning streak.
In the first quarter, the Clippers got off to a good start and took the lead. Westbrook, who met his former team, made a series of three-point shots, and Leonard and Gordon also scored one by one.
The Lakers, who were being dragged, changed the mood with Austin Reeves’ outside shot. After a successful rebound, the Lakers pushed the Clippers with three-point shots from Troy Brown Jr. and DiAngelo Russell. The Clippers, who turned off the heat around Leonard and Gordon, finished the first quarter 37-31.
The Clippers ran away in the second quarter after finding time to relaxation. Powell took the lead in the attack, and Ivica Zubachi and Terence Mann also helped. The Lakers fell behind, rarely catching up with the Clippers’ pace, and Leonard showed a good shot and widened. The Clippers finished the first half with a 71-52 lead
LeBron, who had been quiet in the Lakers of crisis, survived in the third quarter. Leonard allowed a three-point shot again, falling behind by 24 points. LeBron changed the pattern of the game by scoring with a logo shot. Even Davis responded, reducing the score gap to a single digit.
The shaky Clippers prevented Powell from closing the gap further this time as he actively worked on scoring. The Clippers, which Powell endured, finished the third quarter 93-82.
The Clippers, who took a breather, ran away again early in the fourth quarter with bench units active. The Clippers’ outer shot went through the rim one after another, while the Lakers, to their chagrin, didn’t keep getting three-pointers.
The Clippers, who were on the offensive, quickly drew closer to victory. Leonard, who received Powell’s pass in a swift attack, hit a fantastic Allieup Dunk, making the score gap 20 points with six minutes left.
The Lakers, who did not give up easily, started their final chase with LeBron. However, the Clippers, who remained cool, drove in a wedge with Zubachi’s foot-back dunk. Despite the struggles of LeBron and Austin Reeves, there was no turnaround in the remaining time
