After three long years, the Lakers finally snapped their losing streak against the Clippers, ending a series of painful regular-season defeats. Still, as Crickex Login reports, this win didn’t come easy. Both teams entered the first Battle of Los Angeles of the season with issues to resolve. For the Clippers, James Harden had just been traded in, several forwards had departed, and Harden wasn’t yet cleared to play—forcing Coach Tyronn Lue into an awkward rotation.

Making matters worse, the Clippers were playing the second night of a back-to-back, clearly at a physical disadvantage. The Lakers had their own problems: LeBron James’ gradual transition out of a ball-dominant role wasn’t going smoothly, and the roster’s hidden potential had stalled. On top of that, three key role players—Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and Taurean Prince—were out with injuries, leaving Coach Darvin Ham scrambling for workable lineups.

LeBron, true to recent form, coasted through the early game, but that gave Kawhi Leonard the space to erupt. Despite looking disengaged in previous outings, Kawhi came out sharp, knocking down back-to-back mid-range jumpers. The Lakers failed to make any defensive adjustments, and it cost them. As the saying goes, nothing in this world can be endlessly borrowed—not even effort. Kawhi extended his attack beyond the arc, hitting deep shots with surgical accuracy. LeBron, who was tasked with guarding him, offered little resistance, sagging off screens and defending passively. Kawhi capitalized with devastating precision.

While the Clippers looked unstoppable in the first quarter, the Lakers’ lazy defense and LeBron’s “preservation mode” only made Kawhi hotter. Thankfully for the Lakers, they remained self-aware. Coach Ham has publicly acknowledged the need to unlock contributions from players beyond the LeBron–AD duo. Against the Magic, it was D’Angelo Russell’s late-game surge that sealed the win. In this game, Russell continued to provide reliable support, and Christian Wood came off the bench to hit clutch shots and secure key rebounds—easing the burden on the stars.

Cam Reddish, thrust into the starting five, struggled offensively but brought increasing energy as the game progressed. With strong momentum from their role players, the Lakers stormed back in the third quarter and grabbed the lead. Meanwhile, the Clippers lost their rhythm completely. Their offense stalled, and their biggest flaw—lack of a true floor general—was fully exposed. Russell Westbrook’s straight-line, high-energy playstyle failed to adapt when the team needed creativity and tempo control.

In the fourth quarter, the Clippers continued to lose ground. Crickex Login noted that Coach Lue benched Westbrook during the comeback attempt, turning to Kawhi and Paul George to lead the offense. But it was too little, too late. As painful as the loss was, it may have come at the perfect time. This defeat forced the Clippers to confront their most glaring weakness: the absence of an elite playmaker to orchestrate their offense under pressure.

That’s exactly where Harden comes in. His arrival promises to resolve their coordination issues, bring composure in late-game situations, and fill the missing piece the Clippers have needed for years.