Darius Garland Says What Went Wrong in Nine-Turnover Outing vs. Lakers

In their second game of the regular season, the Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 125-117. It was a game that was tightly contested, but in the end, the Lakers' talent outmatched the Clippers. 

Because of the sudden injuries this team suffered, losing Max Strus and Brandon Ingram ahead of the regular season, this team has gone through some growing pains. There are many new faces on this Clippers roster this season, and they look much different compared to the beginning of last season. 

One player who has seen these growing pains firsthand is guard Darius Garland, who committed nine turnovers in this game. After the game, Garland talked about the struggles he and the team had in taking care of the basketball, and he knows they need to go back to the drawing board. 

"Just me getting in the paint, getting too deep, predicting my passes, not shooting the floaters instead of just passing," Garland said. He then mentioned how he and the team will look back on what went wrong amongst themselves. "See where I messed up, slow the game down, relax, be patient, play my part." 

For this Clippers team to be competitive, they will have to get solid play from Darius Garland moving forward. In terms of scoring, he is off to an impressive start, as he is averaging 28 points per game through the first two contests. 

Still, the rotation the Clippers are running is one that players like Garland and forward Rui Hachimura could not foresee, and it has caused them to each have their individual struggles. 

Against the Lakers, Hachimura shot 5-for-14 from the field, and after the game, he talked about how spacing is an issue for the Clippers, and it's causing him to take tough shots that he hasn't been used to taking in the past. 

When the Clippers get their pieces back from injury, they could be a team that turns things around, as they did in 2025-2026. They have a team with multiple veterans who could keep them in the mix this season, but because of injuries, they have young pieces who are not settled into the NBA's game speed yet. 

It will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments the Clippers make to take pressure off Darius Garland and Rui Hachimura, the two focal points of this team. Los Angeles has the capability to surprise teams, but they have work to do.