The LA rivalry is as strong as ever, as both teams squared off in an intense, close battle. The battle of LA was not in LA, nor were there any fans in the Orlando Sports Complex, but fans could feel the intensity of the rivalry while watching from home.
After the Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Pelicans to restart the wild 2020 NBA season, the LA Lakers took on the LA Clippers in Game 2. LeBron finished with 16 points, including the game winning shot, and added 11 rebounds and 7 assists against the Clipper’s superstar tandem of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
After George hit a 3 pointer under pressure to tie the game 101-101, LeBron missed a 16-foot jump shot, but managed to get his own rebound and put the go-ahead basket in with 12 seconds left. It was the first time in his two years with the Lakers that James scored a go-ahead basket with less than 15 seconds left.
The win was LeBron’s 837th and put him ahead of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, as he now stands alone in 9th place all-time in regular-season wins. Even more important is that the NBA is back at high-level basketball. If this game was any indication of what’s to come, we may see these two LA teams face off in more important playoff games farther down the line.
