The Lakers lost their second exhibition game, falling to the Clippers by 107-80 in Fresno two nights after losing to the Utah Jazz, 99-90, in Anaheim. The Lakers were outworked in dramatic fashion by the Clippers, who won a battle of the backups in the second half.
Other random thoughts after two exhibitions:
First, Lamar Odom hasn’t been properly engaged in either game, but especially against the Clippers. He hasn’t had the expected impact while trying out a new position as point guard. He did not score against the Clippers and took only one shot. He also had three rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes.
Second, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum haven’t jelled. Of course, they have played something like nine minutes together and Gasol rightly suggested the pairing of the 7-footers is going to take a while.
Third, Trevor Ariza continues to make the case that he should remain a starter when the regular season begins Oct. 28. He didn’t shoot all that well against the Clippers, going 3-for-9 while scoring 10 points in 23 minutes. But his energetic play, particularly defensively, sparked the Lakers to a brief run in the third quarter.