Lakers rout the Clippers, win their first game after emotional Anthony Davis trade
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Of course the Lakers were excited, a perennial MVP candidate now sitting on the end of their bench in Luka Doncic, a 25-year-old offensive maestro now on their roster.
Of course, the offensive possibilities of him playing with LeBron James and with Austin Reaves, of whipping passes to Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura for open corner threes have JJ Redick ready to get to work.
But no matter what happened during the Lakers’ 122-97 win over the Clippers Tuesday, the team’s feelings following this trade are certainly more complex.
For 47 games, the Lakers tried to solve the problems their roster presented, finding the best ways to cover up their flaws, accentuate their strengths and maximize their potential. And after a win last Saturday night against the Knicks, the Lakers could see it.
The Lakers’ newest superstar showed up Tuesday admitting criticism from some in Dallas provides motivation. “I have everything left to prove,” he said.
They were close.
And then in a matter of moments, everything was different. The previous season was over. The new season was about to start. And there was sadness in that.
“Guys are going to feel a certain way,” coach JJ Redick said. “And there’s a grieving process. There’s an excitement and a rebirth process. There’s all of these things and those things take time. It’s not, we’re not going to wave a magic wand and say, ‘Ah, we’re good today.’ Like it takes time. The important thing is that the mission has not changed and how we go about doing that mission has not changed.”
But even without Anthony Davis, even without Max Christie and even without Doncic, who is still recovering from a calf injury, the Lakers looked like a team still intent on accomplishing that mission, melancholy or not.
Against the Clippers at Intuit Dome, the Lakers continued to play with the kind of intensity, the kind of focus and the kind of execution that had them believing they could win this season in the first place.
While All-NBA star Luka Doncic was shocked by the trade, he then realized “This is the Lakers. It’s one of the best clubs in history. So I’m excited to be here.”
James, like he was for most of the Lakers’ recent road trip, played with the kind of timeless energy on both ends of the court that shouldn’t be possible for a player in Season 22. He scored 26 points on eight-of-13 shooting after opening the game by making his first five shots. And without Davis or Christie on the floor, he was one of the Lakers’ most active defenders.
Reaves and Hachimura scored 20 each — the 40 points coming on only 27 combined shots. Reaves adding nine assists. And Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers’ likely starting center moving forward, played 24 minutes with six points, six rebounds, four assists — and only two fouls — giving the Lakers an athletic presence around the rim on both sides of the court.
The Clippers, who like the Lakers played their last game out East, looked mostly lifeless in a game where they never led by more than a point. Kawhi Leonard, who carved up the Lakers’ defense in their last meeting, scored only 11 points in 23 minutes. Ivica Zubac, who dominated the interior so soundly that Davis publicly asked for the Lakers to add a center one day later, made just two shots to go with his 10 rebounds. And on the perimeter, Finney-Smith harassed James Harden into a two-for-12 night during which he scored only seven points, his second-worst scoring game of the season.
The Lakers held the Clippers to 37.8% shooting, their fifth-worst shooting game of the season. The Lakers ended up with five different players with at least six rebounds.
LeBron James may no longer be the No. 1 priority for the Lakers, but that doesn’t mean he’ll ask to be traded in the wake of the Luka Doncic trade.
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