LOS ANGELES — Score one for the L.A. team derisively known as the junior varsity.
The Clippers snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Lakers with a 102-91 victory Wednesday night, riding inspired play by Baron Davis (25 points, 10 assists). It remains conceivable that the teams, separated by 11½ games in the standings, could meet in a first-round playoff matchup in a few months.
For the Lakers, the loss was a reminder that they didn’t exactly look dominant early in the season when missing Pau Gasol, who is injured again with a different hamstring pull.
Without Gasol, the Lakers did just finish off Dallas and handle Houston — two of the Western Conference’s better teams — but the Lakers mustered little enthusiasm for this crosstown matchup.
Kobe Bryant had one hot spell but otherwise was missing the touch with his fractured right index finger, going 10 for 30 from the field to get his 32 points. Ron Artest (eight points, four rebounds, one assist) was mostly a non-factor in his second game back from his concussion.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said before the game he was "very curious" to see how Andrew Bynum, who has more opportunities when Gasol is out, would perform in a head-to-head situation with Clippers center Chris Kaman, who has had a resurgent season and might garner more of the necessary coach votes than Bynum to be named a Western Conference All-Star reserve.
"His stats are great," Jackson said of Kaman, who entered averaging 20.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks — better numbers in the first two cases than Bynum’s 15.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.
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