Montrezl Harrell on Lakers loss: "Somebody had to win, somebody had to lose"

L.A. Clippers big Montrezl Harrell downplayed his team's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon.

L.A. Clippers reserve Montrezl Harrell isn't one to hide his emotions. So when he says something, chances are he truly feels that way.

Following the Clippers' 103-112 loss to the rival Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon, Harrell didn't hype up the contest as everybody else had been in the days and weeks leading up to it.

"It's a basketball game man," Harrell said. "Somebody had to win, somebody had to lose. They won the game. There's nothing we can do about it."

It was a close contest all the way through. Each team led by at least nine points, but it was ultimately decided when the Lakers refused to give up their lead in the final minutes of the game. 

Harrell played an important role, finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in roughly 34 minutes of action. He struggled most at the free-throw line, where he sunk just five of his 11 attempts.

When asked if he feels the same way about the loss to the Lakers as he does his team's recent wins over the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, Harrell doubled down on his comments.

"Every one of them," Harrell said. "Somebody has to win, somebody has to lose. Whoever carries out their gameplan and what they wanna do, what they want to take away from other teams, the majority of the time is going to win the game. That's what happened today."

With the loss, the Clippers had their six-game win streak snapped and suffered their first loss of the season when fully healthy. L.A. still has a lead over Denver for the Western Conference's second seed, and with a relatively light schedule during the rest of the month, the Clippers should only be able to increase the gap.