12/25: vs. LA Clippers 111-106 [L] (24-7)
WE ALMOST HAD THEM! DAMMIT!
I'll be honest, I was super salty at the end result of this game. As Snoop Dogg says in his rants: "this ruined my Christmas." If there's anything to sum up the first two meetings with the Clippers as 2019 comes to a close, it's this: the Lakers are only good against their hallway brother for 24 minutes. Oh and they had the odds in their favor too! Despite a hobbled LeBron and AD and LeBron having an off game, the Lake Show stood their ground. Kyle Kuzma went off in the first half. Lou Williams was held in check to 5 points. Paul George didn't go off either. The Lakers were up big at the half and had fun with Kevin Hart courtside.
Then the 2nd half happened. Allow me to summarize this to the tune of Jingle Bells to exemplify the spirit of Christmas:
Silly fouls
Turnovers
Missed threes from LeBron
Kawhi went off
For 35 Points
And Pat Beverly talked some sh*t. F*CK!
Just like Patrick Beverly, we will never hear the end of it from Clipper fans. "We're the better LA team" echoed across the Internet as the Clippers go up 2-0 in the Battle for LA. And like that, they creep closer to the top of the Western Conference. That 2nd half was pathetic and once again, Doc Rivers outcoaches Frank Vogel in the 2nd half. How do you sit Kuzma out that long when he's got the hot hand? Danny Green, you've been selected on an all-defensive team. How the hell are you this undisciplined? He committed some silly fouls to let the Clippers back in. And LeBron, you stunk it up this game. I don't know if it was the groin injury that affected your psyche. 1-6 from three point land, unacceptable. Honestly, I don't care if the Clippers sweep the Lakers in the regular season. If they meet in the playoffs, I WANT THE LAKERS TO HANDLE THAT BUSINESS WHEN IT MATTERS THE MOST!
12/28: @ Portland 128-120 [W] (25-7)
This game was the perfect "get right" game for the Lakers. Let's face it, Portland is in the midst of turmoil after an improbable run to the Conference Finals last year. Despite strong acquisitions of Hassan Whiteside and Carmelo Anthony, they are struggling so far this season. However, they didn't make this any easy for the Lakers. When the Lakers dominated the Blazers earlier this month at the Moda Center, I figured the next meeting won't be so easy this time around. But, they hung tight on Saturday behind another stellar scoring performance from Kyle Kuzma and some key clutch shots from KCP to add on to LeBron and AD's typical 20+ point stat lines.
12/29: vs. Dallas 95-108 [W] (26-7)
Ending the year on a high note. It's quite a coincidence that the Mavs are the Lakers' first opponent and their last opponent for the month of December. The last meeting between these two teams was an ugly loss for the Lakers as Luka Doncic put up early MVP numbers. But last night, the Lakers made sure they game planned for Luka this time around. To their success, they held him to 19 points and 5-14 shooting. Last night's win was an all-around team game. Honestly, this team has a lot of savvy veterans they can't rely on LeBron and AD to carry them. Six Lakers were in double figures this game. KCP lead the bench with 19 points. Dwight Howard added 15 points. JaVale McGee and Danny Green chipped in with 11 points and 10 points respectively. And of course, AD and LeBron with 23 points and 13 points respectively. The only blemish this game was that Kyle Kuzma had no points after a pair of 20+ point games off the bench. But at the end of the day, a W is what matters. The Lakers end 2019 with an outstanding 26-7 record. 2020 will present an even greater challenge.
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