Offense was never expected to be a problem for either Los Angeles team this season, and the Clippers’ 57-55 lead over the Lakers at the half has been proof of that, as the NBA season opened its curtains on Tuesday.
Clippers lead Lakers in first-half track meet, 57-55
Doc Rivers’ team is getting all it can handle from the Kobe-less Lakers.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor
The Battle of L.A. is already off to a good start, with two flagrant fouls and two technicals called amid several hard fouls and tense interactions. The explosive Clippers offense appears to be as advertised. Doc Rivers' team shot 58.5 percent from the floor and racked up 16 assists through the first two quarters, and the new pieces already look like a good fit.
J.J. Redick and Pau Gasol currently lead the Clips and Lakers, respectively, with 13 points apiece, and the Lakers survived 10 turnovers and only 42 percent shooting to head to the locker room down just two points to the favored Clippers. The Lake Show offense has looked pretty good running Mike D'Antoni's system, despite the absence of Kobe Bryant.
This one looked more like a rec league game for much of the first half, as both sides were living in transition and capitalizing on poor defense.
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