After two weeks on the road resulted in just one win, the Lakers stepped up on Christmas night by defending home floor against their Staples Center neighbors, the LA Clippers.
“It’s a grind coming in every day, traveling and working — and then playing well enough to win game, but just not winning them,” head coach Luke Walton said at Monday’s practice. “It starts to take a toll on each person, so it’s nice to get a win on the home court.”
The Lakers (12-22) certainly had opportunities to capture more wins on their seven-game trip, leading late in about half of those contests.