The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers squared off in an epic Christmas Day clash on Wednesday, with the Clippers narrowly edging out a five-point victory.
Kawhi Leonard's squad has now won each of the first two meetings between the L.A.-based teams, staking their own clam to dominance in Hollywood. The Lakers also have cause for concern after dropping their fourth consecutive game.
However, Lakers center Dwight Howard says his team is still confident they will win when it matters most (via Brett Dawson of The Athletic):
“We don’t want to allow a loss like this to have our confidence waver,” he would say later when a question was posed about the Lakers’ four-game losing streak. “We still got to believe. And I know for a fact I won’t (let it waver), and the guys we have in this locker room, we’re hungry for a championship. (The Clippers) probably won the war today, but we’re gonna win the battle.”
Hold up. Howard had inverted the adage, a reporter told him.
“I said it wrong? Battle, war, well, it don’t matter,” Howard said with a smile. “Y’all know what I meant to say. We gonna win when it counts.”
Howard struggled to find a rhythm on Wednesday night, racking up five personal fouls in just over 12 minutes of action. That foul trouble helped the Clippers to win the rebounding battle (50-42) and control the paint.
The gap has suddenly narrowed between the Lakers and the rest of the Western Conference. The bigger question may be whether the team can handle the Clippers at full strength.
Regardless, Howard and co. believe they will have the answers come May.
Follow Us
Subscribe