Lakers sail past adrift Clippers, 135-118

LOS ANGELES –– The bombardment began not with a boom, but with the whistful whisper of net. Then another. And another. A furious barrage of five first-quarter threes from Luka Dončić, a 27-point opening blitz that declared a new epoch.

This 135-118 Emirates NBA Cup victory for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Los Angeles Clippers was an unveiling. A christening of a sleek new vessel against the groaning timbers of a rival ship floundering and taking on water.

Dončić was the whirlwind, the force of nature that filled the Lakers' sails from the very first possession. He was both the navigator and the storm, reading the Clippers' defenses like outdated charts and rendering them useless.

His 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds were a cartography course in mapping towards victory. But a ship, no matter how mighty, cannot sail alone.

As the game deepened into the critical fourth quarter, with the Clippers desperately bailing water, the Lakers' armada revealed itself. This was the vision made manifest.

LeBron James, the seasoned admiral, provided the ballast. His 25 points were a lesson in lethal efficiency, a steady hand on the wheel guiding the offense through turbulent moments.

Then came Austin Reaves, the first mate turned co-captain, slicing through weary defenders for 31 points of his own. Together, these big three swashbucklers did more than play. They looted. They led a 37-25 fourth quarter built on trust, timing, and terrifying offensive precision.

The contrast was a study in collapse. Juxtaposed against this raiding of the treasure chest, the Clippers looked… lost. Disjointed.

They are a fleet of individual dinghies rowing in frantic, conflicting directions. Their aging stars, once formidable, now seem a step slow, a thought behind.

There was no coordinated attack, only a panicked search for a lifeline that never came. The Clippers appear to be a vessel capsizing without a rudder. Their movements appear desperate, their spirit––fractured, their season––sunk. The future for them looks not just challenging, but bleak, an open ocean with no land in sight.

For the Lakers, the horizon holds a world of adventure. With Dončić as their mast, his passing vision and ability to create for others is a compass pointing towards open men, where Los Angeles' offense finds its flow.

Reaves is the relentless current, and James is the deep, knowing ocean that stabilizes it all. They are a crew in perfecting their sync, each knowing their role, each elevating the other.

The Clippers? They are a reminder that past glory is no match for present purpose. They are a ghost ship adrift, haunted by what they once were, and taunted by the vibrant, victorious flagship that just sailed effortlessly by.

And on the night, the Lakers sent the Clippers to Davy Jones' locker.