Felicia Enriquez, aka Mynt J, is the host of the podcast BlackLove and Basketball – Compton Edition. She is a Clippers fan, an NBA credentialed creator representing thePeachBasket. In this article she breaks downthe Clippers puzzling loss to the LA Lakers. Was it just a curious collapse or a masterclass in misdirection?
Clippers Fans Left Confused
Lakers fans love to live in the past—banners, parades, and endless nostalgia for Showtime. But in the present? The Clippers have owned them on the court.
And yet, here they are, acting like they just won a title after a February win. Relax. Breathe. We know it’s been a tough season, but one game doesn’t erase the fact that the Clippers have dominated this matchup for years.
Need receipts? Just rewind to their last matchup, a 116-102 masterclass where Ivica Zubac turned the paint into his personal VIP lounge with 21 points and 19 rebounds. James Harden dealt out 12 assists like a high-stakes poker player, and Kawhi Leonard was, well, Kawhi Leonard—ruthlessly efficient and unbothered by the noise. Even Amir Coffey got in on the action, dunking on stars and making the hustle plays that never go viral but always swing games.
So, with all that dominance, how did the Clippers turn around and get smacked 122-97 on February 4?
Clippers Puzzling Loss: Did the Clippers Forget How to Play Basketball? Or…?
Look, I don’t do conspiracy theories. But if I did, I’d start with whatever that was.
The Clippers, second in the league in defensive rating, suddenly couldn’t stop a Lakers team missing its best defender (Anthony Davis), who was recently traded for Luka Dončić, a non-defensive player? The same squad that owned the boards, controlled the tempo, and dictated the paint just… forgot how to play basketball overnight?
And Kawhi Leonard—normally the closest thing to a metronome in human form—drops 11 points in 22 minutes and calls it a day?
This wasn’t just a loss. It was a glitch.
The Lakers, a team that has struggled with efficiency all season, magically shot 55.6% from the field and 48.6% from three?
Meanwhile, the Clippers—one of the most well-balanced offensive teams in the NBA—somehow stumbled into a 38.2% shooting night and an even uglier 29.3% from deep?
Even Amir Coffey, a 90% free-throw shooter, missed at the line?
I’m not saying, I’m just saying…
The Art of the Convenient L
It wouldn’t be the first time an NBA team strategically relaxed at the right moment. Maybe the Clippers, already confident in their position, saw an opportunity. Maybe they figured a Lakers win keeps things interesting, prevents their crosstown rival from totally imploding, and even adds some spice to their upcoming meetings on Feb. 28 and Mar. 2.
Or maybe they just had an off night. A very, very off night.
All I know is, for a team as disciplined as the Clippers, this didn’t feel like your run-of-the-mill loss. And if you didn’t at least raise an eyebrow watching it unfold, I’ve got some beachfront property in Oklahoma to sell you.
Bigger Picture: What’s Really Going On?
This game raises some real questions about the Clippers. Is this just a February funk, or a sign of something more troubling? They finished January with a 9-6 record, but now they’re starting February 0-2. Trends like that don’t happen by accident.
Kawhi Leonard kept it real postgame:
“We have to, like T Lue [Tyronn Lue] said, look ourselves in the mirror first and be able to come out here and do our job. That’s where it starts. You can’t look over your shoulder for help with those things. Playing hard comes from within.”
Translation? There might be more going on behind the scenes. Could trade rumors be creeping into the locker room? Is there some strategic pacing at play? Or did LeBron James just decide to remind Luka Dončić he’s still got it?
For the Lakers, this was a much-needed boost, proving they can hang with top-tier teams even without AD. But the real question?
Will this version of the Clippers show up again—or was this a one-night-only illusion?
Up Next: Must-Win vs. Pacers?
The Clippers don’t have time to mope. Up next, the Indiana Pacers at the Intuit Dome. And with February already off to a rocky 0-2 start, they cannot afford to let this spiral into 0-3.
The Pacers aren’t a team to sleep on. Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner play fast. If the Clippers don’t shake off whatever the Lakers game was, things could get even uglier.
Because if this slides into 0-3?
Then we might have to start asking real questions.
