(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers went head-to-head on Wednesday in the latest edition of the Battle for L.A., with Kawhi Leonard and company coming out on top for the 11th time in a row against their division rivals.
It was a costly loss for the Lakers, who were at full strength except for the absence of center Mo Bamba.
The Clippers have been without Paul George for quite some time, and it didn’t matter as they made easy work of LeBron James’ squad.
Following the dominant performance by the Clippers, TNT’s Charles Barkley blasted the Lakers and praised Leonard by dubbing him the “King of L.A.” because he thinks Tyronn Lue’s team sent a message.
Charles Barkley:
“The Lakers ain’t gonna make no run…Kawhi Leonard ran them out of the building last night… Kawhi sent them a message last night. He’s the king of LA.”
(h/t @ClutchPointsApp)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 6, 2023
To the Lakers’ credit, Anthony Davis has been playing out of his mind as of late, and the team has played well, winning seven out of the last 10 games.
However, the Clippers did make a statement with how easily they dispatched the Lakers at full strength, which is telling ahead of the NBA playoffs.
The problem for the Lakers throughout this season has been the lack of consistency and chemistry, along with numerous injuries to key players.
Davis and James are healthy now, and the pieces acquired at the NBA trade deadline have fit in nicely, but it doesn’t seem like this team will be able to contend with the best of the best in the Western Conference in a seven-game series.
It’ll be interesting to see who the Lakers will play in either the first round of the playoffs or in the Play-in Tournament and whether this team can compete with the likes of the Clippers or any other team in the West moving forward.
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