Clippers fans get last laugh after LeBron James' pregame jab
Today at 10:36 AM
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers finally had their chance to play at Intuit Dome, the Los Angeles Clippers’ shiny new home in Inglewood, on Sunday night. Just before the game, James even boldly proclaimed to his teammates that it was a “home game for us,” as he tried to hype up his team for the meeting with their former fellow Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) residents.
"Home game for us."
LeBron James prior to the Lakers' first game at Intuit Dome vs the Clippers last night
(via @nicoleganglani)
pic.twitter.com/V35FPEOfjP— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 20, 2025
Lakers fall prey to Clippers in first visit to Intuit Dome
Unfortunately for James and the Lakers, the Clippers made sure that they drew first blood in their first-ever hosting of the Purple & Gold at Intuit Dome. The Clippers took down James and company to the tune of a 116-102 score, a lopsided result that betrayed the high level of confidence the four-time league Most Valuable Player showed before the Lakers’ Intuit Dome debut.
The Lakers’ loss was not because of a lack of effort from James, though. In fact, the ageless NBA wonder paced his team with 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting from the floor to go with 11 assists and five rebounds plus three steals and a block in 35 minutes of floor duty. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis had a letdown performance, producing only 16 points on 5-for-14 shooting, though, he did amass 10 boards, three assists, three blocks and a steal in 37 minutes of action. Davis was clearly outplayed by Clippers big man Ivica Zubac, who had a double-double of 21 points and 19 rebounds in 35 minutes.
The Clippers used a strong first half to take command of the game. They outscored the Lakers by eight points in the first quarter and by nine points in the second period before weathering the visiting team’s attempts at a comeback in the third and fourth quarters.
Norman Powell led the Clippers with 22 points while James Harden and Kawhi Leonard added 21 and 19 points, respectively.
The Clippers’ victory over the Lakers was their fourth win in a row and improved their record to 24-17. They will look to extend that streak this Monday night when they welcome the struggling Chicago Bulls before a marquee showdown versus the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
As for the Lakers, they will have three more games in the 2024-25 NBA regular season against the Clippers, including another visit at Intuit Dome on Feb. 4.
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