The Los Angeles Clippers routed the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night at Staples Center. With the loss, the Lakers collected their 56th loss, meaning the 2014/15 Lakers now sit alone as the worst team since the franchise moved to Los Angeles. Previously, the 2013/14 LA Lakers finished with a record of 27-55.
On Sunday, the Lakers and Clippers both started slow, but predictably, the visiting team picked up the pace. After one quarter, Blake Griffin had 10 points, and the Clippers held a 23-16 lead due largely to the purple and gold failing to get production from their starting back court. Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Lin finished the first quarter combining for zero points and zero assists in 16 minutes and 24 seconds. The duo also accounted for three of the Lakers' five turnovers to that point.
In the second quarter, the Lakers would struggle to score, and Chris Paul would continue to set the table for the Clippers' offense. By halftime, Paul had nine assists, and the Clippers led by 13 points. Incidentally, the entire Lakers' team had nine assists at the intermission, and that score failed to tell the story of Clipper domination.
In the second half, the Clippers' point guard proved his pedigree. Along with dribbling through Carlos Boozer's legs, Paul added another six assists in the third quarter to arrive at 15 assists for the game. At that point, he had more assists than the entire Lakers' team, 14 assists.
RT @LAClippers: In case you missed it. �� https://t.co/BQi4A9jblw — Triple Threat (@LA_TripleThreat) April 6, 2015
Effectively, the game was over after three quarters. The Clippers led by 29 points at that stage, and none of their starters would return to the court for the final 12 minutes.
For the Lakers, Sunday night did not offer much in the way of development or practice. The score would get out of hand, and the Lakers would trail by as many as 43 points in the fourth quarter. The final score would read: "Clippers 106, Lakers 78."
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With the loss, the Lakers have lost six straight to the Clippers. Both teams play again on Tuesday, but the Clippers will act as the home team in the next meeting.
