The Clippers moved up to the fifth place in the Western Conference after beating the Lakers (125-118). It was the 11th straight win for them against their city rivals.
While the win puts the Clippers in a better position to clinch a playoff spot, the team could still fall down into the play-in zone. That is what head coach Ty Lue wants to avoid.
“I’m not a fan of the play-in. Me personally, because we didn’t make it last year,” Lue said postgame. “But we fought so hard to get the top 8 seed. Like you said, you don’t make it, it’s tough.
“We knew today was a big game and tried to stay away from that. We still not out of the clear yet, but today was a big game for us going into these last two.
“So, I’m proud of our guys for the way they approached the game, playing a good team who’s been playing really good as of late. Like I said, we got two more games to stay out that play-in, so that’s what we’re focused on.”
