The last time the Lakers lost consecutive games to the Clippers in the same season, the White House was led by a Democrat, Hong Kong was still a British colony, and the Lakers were headed to the playoffs.

Eight years later, history repeated itself. Only this time, the Lakers not only lost a game, but their hold on the last playoff spot in the West. A disappointing 110-101 loss dropped the Lakers out of the Number 8 spot and into Number 9, half a game behind the Denver Nuggets, and tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

?We must all hang together, or we will all hang separately,? said an optimistic sounding Kobe Bryant, quoting Ben Franklin.

The last time the Lakers lost to their Staples Center neighbors ? 105-89 on January 26 ? Kobe Bryant didn?t play. This time, Bryant scored 41 points, but it wasn?t enough. Neither were Lamar Odom?s 12 fourth quarter points, or Jumaine Jones?s trio of three-point shots, which sparked a comeback that saw the Lakers whittle an 11-point Clippers lead to 1, with just under five minutes to play.