LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers and Patrick Beverley's L.A. Clippers have been in a heated playoff race until this past week.

The Lakers dropped a big game to the Clippers, ruling out any chance of winning the season series and putting a huge dent in their playoff hopes. The Clippers, on the other hand, continue their rise in the standings despite not having a top tier superstar on the team.

ClutchPoints introduces the Battle for L.A. Podcast, hosted by CP's Lakers reporter Ryan Ward, Clippers reporter Tomer Azarly, and former Lakers reporter Bob Garcia IV.

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On this week's episode of the Battle for L.A. Podcast, we discuss Clippers essentially eliminating Lakers from playoff contention, Patrick Beverley's hustle, Ivica Zubac switching L.A. teams, whether the Lakers should tank, and much more. Subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on Twitter for all your Lakers/Clippers news.

Follow Ryan on Twitter/Instagram: @RyanWardLA for Lakers content
Follow Tomer on Twitter/Instagram: @TomerAzarly for Clippers content
Follow Bob on Twitter: @bgarciaivsports for Lakers content

iTunes link: Episode 2 of The Battle for L.A. Podcast