On March 4, Beijing time, the NBA regular season ushered in the 4th Los Angeles derby, the Clippers hosted the Lakers, the Lakers could bite the score in the first quarter, only 5 points behind, the Clippers in the second quarter once widened the point difference to 17 points, the Lakers then played a wave of 14-0, half-time chased only 3 points.
The Lakers have been in terrible shape recently, winning just three of their last 13 games and falling to No. 9 in the West, and falling out of the playoffs isn't alarmist. The Clippers are no. 8 in the West, 4.5 wins ahead of the Lakers after they had just won four straight games and were in excellent form. In the first 3 meetings of the season, the Clippers all laughed to the end.
James Westbrook led the Lakers' starters, and Howard also entered the starting line. After the opening, both teams were good offensively, with high shooting percentages and alternating points rising. James was very aggressive on the offensive end, with 6 points and 5 rebounds, sending a chase to explode, and also causing Zubac to foul twice. Reeves became a Surpriser, scoring nine points in a single quarter. The Clippers scored consecutive points in the last minute of the first quarter, scoring 36 points in the first quarter to take a five-point advantage.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Covington became a Surprise, he hit two consecutive three-pointers, and the Clippers widened the point difference to 9 points to stop the Lakers. After the timeout, the Lakers bit the score, James scored on a difficult pull-up layup, chasing 38-44, the Lakers' defensive attention was not concentrated, always gave the Clippers an empty shot opportunity, Reggie hit a three-pointer, and the Clippers led 47-38. The Clippers always suppressed the Lakers, Reggie broke through, and the Clippers stopped the Lakers 54-40.
Back from the timeout, the Lakers improved slightly, narrowing the gap to 10 points, but their defense could not limit the Clippers' offense, Kennard hit a three-pointer, and the Clippers led by 17 points 66-49. The Lakers went on a 14-0 run at the end of the quarter, trailing just three points. At halftime, the Lakers trailed by three points 63-66.
James had 18 points and five rebounds, Rivers 9, Munch 12, Westbrook 12 and Anthony 9. On the Clippers side, Reggie had 15 points and four assists, Zubac 10, Mann 7, Covington 10, Harten also scored 10 points, and Kennard scored 9.