The Lakers put up 129 points on Tuesday and still walked away with their first loss of the season. Luka Dončić scored 41. Austin Reaves chipped in 26. And somehow, Portland still found enough answers to make all that offense feel a lot less reassuring.

Now the Lakers have to turn around and face the Clippers again, with barely any time to catch their breath.

Wednesday’s game at Intuit Dome comes just five days after the Lakers beat the Clippers 125-117. So this isn’t just another chapter in the never-ending argument over who runs Los Angeles. It’s a quick rematch, with both teams carrying a fresh set of lessons — and problems they haven’t had much time to fix.

A Rivalry Still Looking for Its Next Chapter

The rivalry’s always had a little awkwardness to it. The Lakers have the championships, and the Clippers have spent decades trying to carve out their own identity. Somehow, these teams still haven’t met in the playoffs. They don’t even share a building anymore, with the Clippers moving into Intuit Dome in 2024. The geography’s changed. The chance to annoy the other fan base hasn’t.

The names have changed quite a bit, too. LeBron James is in Philadelphia, and Kawhi Leonard's back in Toronto. The Lakers have built around Dončić and Reaves, and Darius Garland has really stepped up to carry a Clippers offense that’s still waiting to see their full roster on the floor together.

The Lakers Have More Than One Way to Win

For the Lakers, the appeal is pretty obvious. Luka can create a good shot for just about anybody, and Reaves gives them another creator who doesn’t need every detail drawn up for him. Walker Kessler gives them a big target around the basket, too. His 26-point debut on perfect shooting against Golden State was a pretty convincing first look at how this could work.

But they keep falling behind early and having to do some work to get back into games. They fell behind Utah by 18 before Dončić’s 52-point performance helped pull them out of it. Utah also outrebounded them 51-30. The comeback was impressive, sure, but you can still wonder why they needed that much rescuing in the first place.

Friday was a better example of how the Lakers can win without asking Luka to do absolutely everything.

Reaves finished with 28 points and nine assists. Kessler added 22 points and six blocks. When Garland brought the Clippers within six late, Kessler knocked down two free throws and Reaves came through with a jumper. Those were useful, ordinary winning possessions — the kind you want when the spectacular stuff isn't falling.

And it got messy, too. Luka committed a career-high 11 turnovers.

That’s where the Clippers can make things uncomfortable. Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. give them defenders who can bother the start of the Lakers’ offense. The Lakers have to move the ball before that pressure turns into a trap, then actually do something with the advantage. Getting it out of Luka’s hands shouldn’t mean everyone else suddenly looks surprised to have the ball.

Turnovers Could Decide the Rematch

Of course, the Clippers have their own pretty serious problem with keeping the ball.

They turned it over 26 times Friday, and the Lakers turned those mistakes into 33 points. Tyronn Lue’s assessment was pretty direct:

We fought, we played hard, but we didn’t play smart.

That’s a rough combination. The effort is there, but you’re still giving the other team extra chances.

The problem followed them to Oklahoma City, where they committed another 26 turnovers in a seven-point loss. There’s enough here to take them seriously. There’s also a pretty clear reason they haven’t turned those competitive games into more wins.

Garland has to find the right balance. He scored 26 against the Lakers, but nine turnovers took a lot of the shine off that performance. At the same time, he can’t get so careful that the offense loses their edge. With this roster, he’s being asked to create opportunities and make sure those opportunities actually turn into shots.

That job just got tougher. Rui Hachimura's out with left quad soreness, and Lue says Kobe Sanders will start. Hachimura scored 16 in the first meeting, so losing another scoring option puts even more on Garland. It also makes the supporting cast’s contributions that much more important.

Brook Lopez is one player who can help there. He scored 22 off the bench Friday while making eight of nine shots. His outside shooting also creates an interesting question for Kessler: how far can he follow Lopez without leaving the basket exposed? The Clippers should make the Lakers deal with that instead of trying to attack a defense that’s already set.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com.