The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the L.A. Clippers for the third straight time this season, 105-102.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first quarter as both teams struggled to find momentum, but the Clippers struck first and took a 16-point lead in the second quarter.
But the Lakers used a 31-15 advantage in the third to storm back and reclaim the lead, which led to another back-and-forth shotmaking contest in the final 12 minutes.
After multiple long reviews within the final minute, the Lakers had two chances to either win the game or force overtime, but both Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James fell short on their 3-point attempts.
Here is how the Lakers, now 27-32 on the season, graded individually from the loss:
Russell Westbrook: C-minus
Russell Westbrook definitely got the rim whenever he wanted; the problem, which has become normalized this season, is his inability to convert bunnies. He shot 9-of-21 overall, 0-of-3 from deep and 0-of-2 from the charity stripe for 18 points to go with three rebounds, one assist and one steal. The Lakers needed more from their $44 million man in this one.
Austin Reaves: B
Austin Reaves earned his first career start, and he made the high-IQ plays the Lakers have come to expect from him. His emphatic defensive sequence when guarding Reggie Jackson resurrected both the Lakers and the fans, which helped spark the comeback. Reaves finished with six points, three assists and two blocks.
Trevor Ariza: D
Trevor Ariza played just 18 minutes, the lowest of any starter. He secured four rebounds early on and helped push the tempo, but he couldn’t replicate the same energy on offense. The veteran forward shot 1-of-5 overall and missed all three of his 3s, so he doesn’t pass this game.
LeBron James: C
LeBron’s streak of 25-plus points came to an end after 23 games. He had a terrible shooting game for his standards, going just 6-of-17 overall (35%) for 21 points. He went 2-of-7 from deep and 7-of-8 from the stripe. The King added 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block to his stat line, but he also turned the rock over six times. A more efficient game from James probably flips the result.
Dwight Howard: A-minus
Dwight Howard got the start for Anthony Davis, and he unexpectedly produced in a major way. Howard got a double-double in the first half, finishing with 14 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal in 26 minutes, but some of those rebounds were off his own putbacks because he shot 5-of-11 overall. If the Lakers can get this type of production from him, it’ll definitely lessen the burden on not having Davis available.
Carmelo Anthony: B-minus
Carmelo Anthony had a slow start but got the rock falling the more the game on, which was expected because he hadn’t played since Feb. 3, the last game against the Clippers. Anthony finished with 18 points off the bench on 7-of-14 shooting overall and 4-of-9 from deep, adding three assists, one steal and one block in 28 minutes. However, it’ll be his deep rainbow 3-pointer to take the lead in the final seconds that fell short that will be remembered.
Talen Horton-Tucker: B-plus
Talen Horton-Tucker also started things slowly, but he got going parallel to the Lakers’ comeback. He dropped 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and touched all net on both of his 3s. Horton-Tucker put up three rebounds, two steals and an assist, so the Lakers need him to sustain these types of performances to supply the rotation with another scoring punch. His defense down low against bigger players also stood out.
Malik Monk: B-minus
Malik Monk had a shooting night to forget, going 3-of-9 overall and missing all four of his 3s. But he made up for it with six assists, one of his better playmaking nights of the season.
Stanley Johnson: D-plus
Stanley Johnson rounded out the nine-man rotation tonight, but he played the lowest of any Laker (14). He missed both of his shots (one mid-range one went in and out) and had two rebounds and two assists.
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