On Sunday March 8th, The NBA World was tuned in to the “Battle In LA”. The Los Angeles Clippers (#2 In the West, 43-20) hosted their in house rival the Los Angeles Lakers (#1 in the West, 49-13) for their 3rd matchup this season. Holding a regular season 2-0 record, the Clippers came into Staples Center with the mental advantage and roster depth presence with everyone healthy. the Lakers on the other hand just beat the Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo & the Milwaukee Bucks the previous game. It’s safe to say that both LA teams had momentum behind them going into battle. LeBron put up 28 Pts, 7 Rebs & 9 Ast. However, it was Anthony Davis leading the Lakers putting up 30 points, 8 Rebs & 2 Ast. The Clippers kept it close from start to finish. Paul George led the team with 31 points, 6 Rebs & 3 Ast. Kawhi Leonard also kept them in striking range dropping 27 points, but the overall team effort of the Lakers bench was too much for the Clippers. Avery Bradley led the bench with 24 points & Kyle Kuzma made his presence felt with 10 Rebs. In my opinio, the Lakers will need everyone’s effort come playoff time. LeBron & AD cannot defeat the Clippers alone in a 7 game Western Conference Finals matchup. They will need every body in a Lakers jersey contributing on all cylinders to make it to the 2020 NBA Finals. The Lakers needed this win to mentally prove to theirselves that they can defeat their in house rivals. Now the only question left to answer: Can the Lakers beat the Clippers 4 times in a row?
