SAN DIEGO -- After a strong 5-1 start to the season, the South Bay Lakers took a step back this past weekend, losing a pair of close games to the San Diego Clippers, including a buzzer beating loss Sunday night.
These were South Bay’s first two games without Drew Timme, after he was signed to a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers last week. Timme led the team with 25 points and eight rebounds per game before his call-up. The team was also without Adou Thiero and Nick Smith Jr, two important pieces who were also with the parent team during the trip.
The Clippers were able to pull away late in Saturday’s game, and win 124-113. Sunday’s game went down to the wire, and even saw the Lakers leading with seconds left, before Clipper guard Taylor Funk scored at the buzzer, giving his team the 108-107 win.
In that Sunday night game at Frontwave Arena, much like when their NBA affiliates play each other, the Lakers and Clippers, went at it for 48 minutes straight.
The game was back and forth throughout, and was tied at 99 with just over three minutes to go. The Lakers would then go on a quick 7-2 run to lead 107-101 with 53 seconds remaining. After two free throws from Clipper guard TyTy Washington Jr., Funk made an and-one layup plus the free throw, bringing the deficit to one with 30 seconds to go. The Clippers then got a stop on the Lakers final possession, giving them the ball with four seconds to go.
Out of a timeout, with four seconds to go, they got the ball to Funk, who was already 9-11 from the field with 22 points on the night. He got the ball, and went downhill, beating Laker Guard Tevian Jones, knifing through the late help defense of Kylor Kelley, and finishing the lefty scoop layup as time expired, giving the Clippers the win, completing the weekend sweep.
Taking things back to the first game of the weekend, things were more of the same. The Lakers and Clippers went back and forth, yet this time, it was the Clippers who led for the game’s majority including by eight at the half, and the Lakers who came back and took the lead late.
At the start of the fourth, a layup from Laker guard Augustas Marčiulionis put them up by one. After this, the Clippers went on a 9-0 run, including a three point play for guard Jason Preston, and back to back triples for Funk, to take the lead 104-96. The Lakers cut the lead back down to five, but were never able to fully recover, eventually losing by 11.
The Laker’s performances in these games were very similar. Both games saw at least five players in double figures, led by R.J. Davis, who averaged 26 points and six boards, Tevian Jones who averaged 19.5 points and Kylor Kelley who averaged 18 points and 14 rebounds in the two contests. Both games also saw the Lakers make exactly 40 field goals, and match the Clippers in total three pointers made with 23.
The Lakers put together two good performances on the road, but still fell short in both. Was it just a case of the Clippers being the better team, or was this them showing what their ceiling will be now that they’re missing consistent production and leadership in Timme, Thiero, and Smith Jr.?
Either way, the team could not stop Taylor Funk, who scored 54 points over the two games and hit the game winner on Sunday, leading his Clipper team to two victories over their rival, and a 5-2 record.
The now 5-3 Lakers will look to right the ship on Tuesday against the 7-1 Salt Lake City Stars. Tipoff is set for 5.p.m. in Utah