The five-game winning streak has been snapped and the Los Angeles Lakers have lost their first game of three at Staples Center against the division rival Los Angeles Clippers. There is no question that the aging Lakers were tired coming into this matchup against the up-and-coming Clippers after playing three games in four nights, but Kobe Bryant and company will have to get used to this if they expect to compete with the best of the best in this shortened NBA season.
In the three games before this Battle for Los Angeles, perennial All-Star Kobe Bryant was on a hot streak having score 40 or more points in three consecutive games. This was impressive to say the least, but it didn’t stop with three as Kobe scored 42 points (14-for-28 shooting) in a losing effort against the Clippers. Four games of 40 or more is amazing for a 16-year veteran and 33-year-old with a numb wrist, but Kobe Bryant continues to prove that he isn’t human and can play through any injury or adversity.
Despite another amazing 40+ point performance by Kobe Bryant, the Lakers just weren’t on their game on Saturday night. The glaring problem for the Lakers these days seems to be that no one else on the roster can create their own shot and put points on the board like Kobe can. With that being said, Kobe has been given the green light to shot as much as he wants, but that might prove to be the Lakers undoing this season with the rest of the team getting used to watching Kobe go to work.
As for the Clippers, Chris Paul led the way with a team-high 33 points, six assists and three steals. Paul did go down late in the fourth with a hamstring injury, but he had his team firing on all cylinders at that time with the Clippers cruising to a 102-94 victory in the closing minutes. Blake Griffin also had an impressive performance with 22 points, 14 rebounds and a few highlight reel dunks.
Chauncey Billups (19) and Caron Butler (13) also got in the mix with double-digit scoring to help the Clippers get their first win of the season against the crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers’ bigs didn’t make much of an impact in this game offensively with Pau Gasol scoring 14 points and Andrew Bynum adding just 12 points. The two big men did combine for 26 rebounds, but a better effort on offense could’ve changed the outcome of this game.
The one big question for the Los Angeles Lakers moving forward is whether or not Kobe Bryant is taking too many shots. The Black Mamba might be lighting up the scoreboard for 40+ a night and leading the league in that category (32 ppg), but not getting his teammates like Gasol and Bynum involved makes the Lakers one dimensional on offense and extremely predictable.
Next Lakers Game: Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers Mon. Jan. 16, 2012 7:30 p.m. PST (Lamar Odom's first game against Lakers since being traded)
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