Lakers fall to Clippers in close 4th quarter.
After coming back from a 16 point deficit with a solid 3rd quarter outing, the Lakers' efforts weren't enough, falling to the Clippers in a close 4th quarter battle, losing 105–102 to drop their season record five games under .500 at 27–32.
The game came down to the final few possessions, with a long-awaited controversial replay review. The officials took over 7 minutes to determine if LeBron stepped out of bounds before saving the ball, as it went to Clippers Robert Covington as he stepped out. The officials ruled that LeBron stepped out before getting rid of the ball.
LeBron voiced his frustration on a controversial replay at the end of the game. “That rule has never been explained to me, and I know every rule in this game. I never knew that you could challenge a play that wasn’t called on the floor, and that’s essentially what happened.”
It would have given the Lakers the ball back down just one point with 24 seconds left. The Lakers were still able to get the ball right back after forcing an 8-second violation. Still, they were unable to capitalize, with Carmelo Anthony shooting a prayer three that hit the iron just short and secured the win for the Clippers.
After coming out with a hot start to the half, outscoring the Clippers 31–15, the game came down to the 4th, with the Lakers getting outscored 33–24. Their struggles came from beyond the arc, shooting just 26% (8-for-31) from three to the Clippers' 38% (10-for-26).
LeBron James was the Lakers leading scorer in tonight's loss, scoring 21 points on just 33% (6-for-18) overall from the floor, adding 11 rebounds and 3 assists in 35 minutes.
LeBron spoke on how confident he is that the Lakers can build a contender around him, explaining: “Very confident. They’ve done it. They’ve shown me that. Ever since I got here, the front office, Jeanie, Linda, Kurt, and everybody has welcomed me with open arms.”
Outside of his final possession, Carmelo Anthony had a solid outing for the Lakers in his first game back in almost a month, hitting 50% (7-for-14) of his shots, scoring 18 points, and adding 5 rebounds and a couple of steals.
After the game, Melo said the Lakers have to stop “shooting ourselves in the foot” but said the team’s approach won’t change. They’re still going to show up, watch film and try to learn from this. “There’s no level of frustration because we know who we are, and we know our potential.”
The Lakers' next game comes this Sunday at home against the New Orleans Pelicans, who sit at 24–36. As the Lakers come into their next matchup against a team at the bottom of the West, that should help them get back in the win column.