The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers fought fiercely, and in the end the Lakers won a heart-pounding victory.
It’s been a long time since two strong teams have competed against each other at full strength. LeBron James spearheads the Lakers’ offense and aims to disrupt Kawhi Leonard’s team.
Despite a slow start and falling behind by double digits early in the game, the Lakers fought back.
Powering this resurgence is LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell, all of whom share the team’s scoring load.
King James led the way for the Lakers, scoring an impressive 21 points in the first three quarters.
LeBron’s clutch block and heated exchange
At the beginning of the third quarter, the Lakers trailed the Clippers by 13 points.
Undeterred, LeBron turned down a layup attempt from former teammate Russell Westbrook.
Unable to contain his emotions, the four-time champion was caught saying: “Gimme That Sh*t.” (as seen in leaked audio clips).
This block marked the dawn of the Lakers’ revival, ending the quarter with a slim 2-point lead.
The heated exchange before the game showed that there appeared to be some underlying tension between King James and Westbrook.
Also read: Where can I buy the new 2023-24 NBA City Edition jerseys and how much does it cost?
LeBron praises Russell Westbrook’s performance
LeBron James praised Russell Westbrook’s performance, saying: “Tonight, his jump shot was spot on; he got into the paint and did what Westbrook does best – shoot the ball.”
However, there has been speculation about a potential rift between the two players.
After playing for the Lakers for a season and a half, Westbrook was traded at last year’s trade deadline and eventually settled with the Clippers.