With the NBA's opening night concluded, fans of the LA Clippers were watching their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, play, as Kawhi Leonard and co take the floor on a stacked Wednesday slate against the Utah Jazz. In the Lakers' first game, they were taken down by the Golden State Warriors, 119-109, reminding Clipper Nation who the best team in the Los Angeles land really is.
The Clippers-Lakers debate has been a discussion for many, many years, and each season produces a different story, as both teams either produce similar win-loss counts or different ones, landing at their unique, respective places in the Western Conference. However, one thing is sure: the two squads usually make it to the playoffs.
Nonetheless, the Lakers were on their home floor tonight and did not play as well as they should have on both ends of the court against a team that is criticized for their age, similarly to the Clippers.
This only helps the Clippers in their argument, especially this season, when both teams are projected to be championship contenders after improving in the offseason.
The Clippers' depth and defense will set them apart from the Lakers
Although LeBron James was not on the court tonight for the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the world's best players, Luka Doncic, was still playing, backed by a solid supporting cast of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Deandre Ayton.
Doncic did more than what was asked of him, with a 43-point effort on one assist shy of a triple-double, and so did Austin Reaves with 26 points in 36 minutes.
But, that is all the Lakers had. The rest of the team scored 40 points, and the newest additions, Jake LaRavia, Marcus Smart, and Ayton, had 24 of them.
On the other hand, the Lakers gave up 31 points to Jimmy Butler alone, and another 57 to Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, and Jonathan Kuminga combined. In addition, Hield and Kuminga could not miss from three, with a total of nine made three-pointers, accounting for more than half of the Warriors' final count of 17.
Thus, the Lakers are a great team, but their lack of depth and incompetent defense is what will separate them from the LA Clippers. Head coach Tyronn Lue has multiple stars on deck, plus guys who will show effort and passion in winning through exceptional defense.
As a result, the Clippers will likely have a better record when all 82 games are up.