Felicia Enriquez, aka Mynt J, is the host of the podcast BlackLove and Basketball – Compton Edition. She is a Clippers fan, an NBA credentialed creator representing thePeachBasket. In this article she breaks downthe Clippers puzzling loss to the LA Lakers. Was it just a curious collapse or a masterclass in misdirection?

Lakers fans love to live in the past—banners, parades, and endless nostalgia for Showtime. But in the present?

And yet, here they are, acting like they just won a title after a February win. We know it’s been a tough season, but one game doesn’t erase the fact that

Need receipts? Just rewind to their last matchup, a where Ivica Zubac turned the paint into his personal VIP lounge with . James Harden dealt out like a high-stakes poker player, and Kawhi Leonard was, well, —ruthlessly efficient and unbothered by the noise. Even Amir Coffey got in on the action, dunking on stars and making the hustle plays that never go viral but always swing games.

So, with all that dominance, how did the Clippers turn around and get on February 4?

Look, I don’t do conspiracy theories.

The Clippers, , suddenly couldn’t stop a Lakers team missing its best defender (Anthony Davis), who was recently traded for Luka Dončić, a non-defensive player? The same squad that owned the boards, controlled the tempo, and dictated the paint just…

And Kawhi Leonard—normally the closest thing to a metronome in human form—drops and calls it a day?

This wasn’t just a loss. It was a

The Lakers, a team that has , magically shot ?

Meanwhile, the Clippers—one of the most well-balanced offensive teams in the NBA—somehow stumbled into a and an even uglier ?

Even

I’m not saying, I’m just saying…

It wouldn’t be the first time an NBA team strategically relaxed at the right moment. Maybe the Clippers, already confident in their position, saw an opportunity. Maybe they figured a Lakers win keeps things interesting, prevents their crosstown rival from totally imploding, and even adds some spice to their upcoming meetings on .

Or maybe they just had an off night. A

All I know is, for a team as disciplined as the Clippers, And if you didn’t at least raise an eyebrow watching it unfold,

This game raises some real questions about the Clippers. They finished January with a , but now they’re starting February . Trends like that don’t happen by accident.

Kawhi Leonard kept it real postgame:

“We have to, like T Lue [Tyronn Lue] said, look ourselves in the mirror first and be able to come out here and do our job. That’s where it starts. You can’t look over your shoulder for help with those things. Playing hard comes from within.”

Translation? There might be Could be creeping into the locker room? Is there some at play? Or did LeBron James just decide to

For the Lakers, this was a much-needed boost, proving they can But the real question?

The Clippers don’t have time to mope. Up next, . And with February already off to a , they to let this spiral into .

The Pacers aren’t a team to sleep on. Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner play fast. If the Clippers don’t shake off whatever the Lakers game was, things could get even uglier.

Because if this slides into 0-3?

Then we might have to start asking real questions.