Clippers say they can end losing streak against Lakers

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The Clippers said today they’re confident they can beat the Lakers for the first time in more than 2 1/2 years when they meet Wednesday night at Staples Center -- if the Clippers are on top of their game.

‘We can beat anybody, we can beat the Lakers,’ Clippers center Chris Kaman said after the team practiced today at its Playa Vista training facility. ‘The thing is, we have to play our best, we have to play our game the way we’re capable of playing it.’

As the reigning NBA champions, the Lakers are again the league’s best team so far this season at 27-6. The Clippers, having climbed to third place in the Pacific Division with a 105-95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, are 15-18.

The Lakers swept all four games from the Clippers in each of the last two seasons, and beat them for the ninth consecutive time on opening day this season, 99-92.

Clippers guard Baron Davis said the key to defeating the Lakers is ‘heart.’

“We have to believe we can win,’ he said. ‘We’ve got to go out there and be the aggressor, that’s how you beat them. It’s not about Xs and Os. It’s about the effort and heart you put in.”

The Lakers are ‘a great, disciplined team, they execute well, they have the best player in the NBA [Kobe Bryant] and they’re big,’ Davis said. ‘So in order for us to win we’ve got to play hard. That means we’ve got to rebound, get loose balls and be aggressive on the defensive end.”

--Jim Peltz