Times are changing for the Los Angeles Lakers. The franchise may have been stuck in neutral ever since they won the championship in 2020, but their trade for Luka Doncic has breathed new life into the team. On Sunday night, the Lakers were once again victorious, moving to 38-21 on the season and into second place in the loaded Western Conference following a 108-102 win over their in-city rival Los Angeles Clippers.
That makes it six wins in a row for the Lakers, and there are no signs of slowing down for a Purple and Gold squad that has gotten into quite a good rhythm on both ends of the floor. And just to add even further to the cause, the Lakers have managed to secure the season series against the Clippers, and for the second consecutive season; just to point out how rare that feat has been for LA in recent memory, ESPN pointed out that this is the first time in 13 years that the Lakers have won the season series against the Clippers in back-to-back campaigns.
Three of the Lakers' wins against the Clippers this season have come in the aftermath of the Doncic trade. Doncic has a long history of performing at his best against the Clippers, and it looks like that tradition will be continuing even now that he's in his new digs.
In 19 games against the Clippers prior to Sunday night, Doncic was averaging 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists, showcasing his dominance against the "little brother" NBA team in Los Angeles. And surely enough, Doncic stuffed the stat sheet yet again in their 108-102 win, tallying 29 points, six rebounds, and nine assists.
The Clippers may have spent over the past decade getting the upper hand over the Lakers, but that reign of terror appears to be over -- especially with Doncic now in Purple and Gold.
It appears as though the Dallas Mavericks' work ethic and defensive concerns regarding Luka Doncic were overblown. Somehow, the Lakers have the best defense in the league ever since they traded for Doncic. The team's effort levels have been consistently great over the past month, and it's not like Doncic is being exposed on a nightly basis for his perceived subpar defense.
James Harden, in particular, hasn't been finding it easy against the Lakers. Over the past three meetings between the Lakers and Clippers, Harden made just 11 of his 48 field-goal attempts, for a whopping 22.9 percent from the field. And the Lakers deserve a ton of credit for their swarming and in-sync defense.