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LeBron James on Clippers: ‘You said Harden Clippers? Nah, it’s the T-Lue Clippers’

Los Angeles Clippers v Los Angeles Lakers

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 1: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers greets Head Coach Tyronn Lue of the LA Clippers after the game on November 1, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

NBAE via Getty Images

LeBron James and the Lakers got the kind of signature win they needed last night — they got into the paint and played inside-out, they hit their 3-pointers, they defended pretty well, and role players such as Taurean Prince and D’Angelo Russell stepped up around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. With that the Lakers snapped their four-game losing streak — and it’s their second straight win this season over them after an 11-game losing streak to the Clippers — with a 106-103 win.

That put LeBron in a good mood, so when Tomer Azarly of Clutch Sports asked him about “Harden’s Clippers,” LeBron came back with a classic response.

“They look great… You said Harden Clippers? Nah, it’s the T-Lue Clippers,” James said. “I know T-Lue very well. It don’t take T-Lue long to make sure s*** get right. It took him five games, and they’ve been cooking since.”

Just a reminder that Tyronn Lue was LeBron James’ hand-picked coach in Cleveland after David Blatt was fired, and Lue coached the Cavaliers to the 3-1 NBA Finals comeback against the Warriors and a ring. LeBron and Lue have a bond.

The Clippers are rolling under Lue, even after Sunday’s loss they have win 14-of-17. Harden has brought high-level passing and even more shooting to the Clippers, and he has found chemistry with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Russell Westbrook’s asking for a move to a sixth-man role also changed the bench and that dynamic, making the Clippers even more dangerous.

Which is why the stumbling Lakers finding a win against the T-Lue’s Clippers mattered. Now, can the Lakers build on it?