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Clippers win 11th straight game against Lakers, tie longest win streak

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated06 Apr 2023

Clippers win 11th straight game against Lakers, tie longest win streak

The Los Angeles Clippers won 125-118 over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, earning their 11th straight win versus L.A. and tying their longest ever win streak against them. From 2014 through 2016, the Clippers won 11 consecutive games against the Lakers.

Of course, the Clippers (42-38) are also now tied for fifth with the Golden State Warriors (42-38) in the Western Conference standings. In the Clippers’ win against Los Angeles, guard Norman Powell led his team in scoring with 27 points. Along with tallying two rebounds, four assists, and two steals, Powell shot 8-of-15 (53.3%) from the floor.

According to a few NBA betting sites, the Clippers have ninth-shortest odds to win the championship. Check out which sportsbooks are giving the Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Warriors better odds.

Kawhi Leonard ended his outing with 25 points, seven boards, and four assists in 43 minutes of action. The five-time All-Star reached 4,000 career rebounds in the third. The Clippers outscored the Lakers 20-8 in fast-break points in the first half, the most such points since November 2021 against Minnesota.

With only two games left of the regular season, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is aiming to avoid the Play-In Tournament. For that to happen, wins over the Portland Trail Blazers (Saturday, Apr. 8) and Phoenix Suns (Sunday, Apr. 9) are a must. “I’m not a fan of the Play-In Tournament,” said Lue. “We’re still not out of the clear yet.”

Clippers win 11th straight game versus Lakers, tie longest win streak against L.A. in NBA history

Furthermore, the Lakers have not defeated the Clippers since Jul. 30, 2020, when Los Angeles lost 103-101 against them. The Lakers won 16 straight over L.A. from 1997 through 2000, their longest win streak head-to-head versus the Clippers since the ABA-NBA merger.

Meanwhile, although the Lakers went on a 15-2 run in the opening quarter, the Clippers still outscored them 71-52 in the first half. Thirty of LeBron James’ 33 points were scored in the second half. The Lakers have already clinched a Play-In spot, so the focus now is on securing a playoff berth.

Staying healthy is a tall order for the Lakers, especially for James and Anthony Davis. At full strength, the Lakers are perhaps a playoff contender. “Whatever we end up, that’s where we end up,” James said. “For us, it’s always about health. Over the last couple years, that’s been our Achilles’ heel.”

Considering the Clippers own the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Lakers will have to beat Phoenix on Friday. Per ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, L.A. has a 64.8% chance of winning.

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