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.
Me: “What did you make of the James Harden Clippers?”
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 8, 2024
LeBron James: “They look great… You said Harden Clippers? Nah, it’s the T-Lue Clippers. I know T-Lue very well. It don’t take long to make sure shit right. Took 5 games & they’ve been cooking since.”pic.twitter.com/bp2d0D4q5I
“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?
