USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, your Los Angeles Lakers fell to Crypto.com Arena rival Los Angeles Clippers by a score of 127-116. It was a close game with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers couldn't muster up enough to get the victory.

Los Angeles played the game without star forward LeBron James, who missed due to injury. But the rest of the team competed the best that they could and gave the red-hot Clippers a run for their money.

Per Michael Corvo of ClutchPoints, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham found some positives in the loss and was proud of how his team fought. His biggest takeaway was them not making the same mistake twice, and learning from the moment.

The effort from the Lakers was one of the main parts of this game, even if they didn't come away with the win. The issue for L.A. all season has been their inconsistent effort on a nightly basis, so it was a welcome sight to see them fighting without their star player.

Against a tough Clippers team, the Lakers cut the lead down to two points late in the fourth quarter. But they abandoned giving the ball to Anthony Davis down the stretch, and it doomed them.

The Lakers have been on a series of ups and downs all season, and it has caused some major frustration throughout. This team should be better than where they stand right now, but they've kept themselves afloat at least. 

They are expected to be one of the more active teams at the trade deadline, and hopefully, it will help them regain their form. With James on the roster, the front office owes it to him to do whatever it takes to win.

If the game against the Clippers is any indication, the Lakers may just need to upgrade around the margins. But this team has had an issue finding consistent offense, and that is something they may address. 

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