Late in the first quarter on Tuesday, Russell Westbrook was unable to place his right foot inside his black Jordans, but the play had to be made.

With just one sneaker and one sock touching the court, he dribbled to the left and swished in a three-pointer.

Even the most absurd shots would go in this most recent Lakers and Clippers game.

The Clippers were spoiled by Paul George’s drives, James Harden’s stepbacks, Kawhi Leonard’s midrange jumpers, and, of course, Westbrook’s threes. With the inside force of Anthony Davis, the scorching scoring of D’Angelo Russell, and the other three starters scoring in double figures, the Lakers replied.

Continue reading: A season to treasure? The Lakers need to work things out.

With their dispersed offєnsive capabilities, the Clippers defeated the Lakers 127-116. They were better prepared for this type of game than the Lakers.

The Clippers had six players in double digits, led by Leonard’s 25 and Harden’s 23. In the defeat, the Lakers managed 27 points from Russell and 26 points and 12 rebounds from Davis; but, they were completely ineffective in the fourth quarter.

Darvin Ham, the Lakers’ coach, stated that “you dαmn near have to play perfect basketball to bєat these guys.”

The Clippers bemoaned their carelessness, a reflection of how much larger their margins are than the Lakers’ at the halfway point of the season, while the Lakers were pleased with their effort in the absence of LeBron James.

The Clippers’ coach Tyronn Lue stated, “We just didn’t play a good mєntal game and we didn’t do a good job with our coverages, especially defensively.” “We had no idea where we were. All we need to do is keep becoming better.

In a contest replete with attacking prowess, there was one particularly noteworthy defensive play.

In what may have been the most spectacular defensive performance of Harden’s career, the former most valuable player met him halfway to the hoop for a big blocked jumper as Harden streaked toward the rim in transition.

The NBA’s offєnsive onslaught reached Crypto.com Arena the night after Joel Embiid of Philadelphia scored 70 points and Karl-Anthony Towns of Minnesota scored 62. New Orleans also scored 153 points against Utah on that same night.

Throughout the most of the game, the Clippers shot better than 60%, only faltering in the fourth as the intensity and toughness increased.

See more: The Clippers’ winning ways started with a mєntal shift

The Lakers’ offense, which has struggled for the majority of the season, managed to close the gap to just one possession in the fourth quarter, but without James, the team was unable to overcome a 16-point first-half disadvantage.

James’ left ankle ailment forced the Lakers to announce on Monday that their top player would not be playing.

Prior to the game, head coach Darvin Ham stated, “Just trying to be proactive with his ankle.” Most likely, he will be day-to-day. However, that is essentially it.

If the teams were in the same standings, the fact that the Clippers defeated the Lakers for the first time this season would be significant. The Lakers dropped to 22-23, while the Clippers improved to 28-14.

“Our guys gave it their all in competition,” Ham remarked. However, the errors? Ham declared, “They’re going to make you pay.” “That is their construction.” The Lakers’ final game in Los Angeles before leaving for their Grammy trip is against Chicago on Thursday. The Lakers have gone 5-5 in their building rather than taking the opportunity to fully improve. “The Clippers have a really nice flow right now. Nevertheless, Ham stated, “I believe the lesson we learned tonight was how we competed and how we did it together.” “Guys, once more accepting responsibility for errors and avoiding repeating them. With time running out in the game, I was trying to improve my defensive play. Though sad about the outcome, I’m pleased of our team’s performance in the absence of LeBron.