In their first game back from the All-Star break, the Lakers beat the Clippers 125-122.
The game began with Brook Lopez going on a personal 5-0 run for the Clippers. Austin Reaves scored the first five points for the Lakers. The offense started to pick up for the Lakers, who were now shooting 80% from the field. LeBron James added a quick seven points.
At the 6:18 mark, the purple and gold were up by three.
Luka Dončić started to heat up, draining two 3-pointers for six points. Lopez led the Clippers with nine points. After a Laker timeout, Luke Kennard knocked down a 3-pointer. The triples continued to fly as Luka drained two more. The Lakers had taken complete control of the game.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by 12.
Benedict Mathurin started the second period with a jump shot for the Clippers. Reaves kept his strong play going, converting on a jumper off the glass. Rui Hachimura joined the behind-the-arc party, knocking down a 3-pointer. Kawhi Leonard started heating up for the Clippers, scoring eight points.
At the 7:35 mark, the purple and gold were up by 13.
The Clippers cut the deficit to single digits on the shoulders of Leonard, who was now at 13 points for the half. Deandre Ayton dunked the ball off an impressive assist from Luka to stop some of the Clippers’ surge. John Collins responded with a triple on the other end.
Luka knocked down another 3-pointer; he was shooting 71% from behind the arc.
Leonard was cooking with hot grease for the Clippers, scoring another eight points, bringing his total to 21 for the half. The Clippers were winning the second-chance points battle 14-2, a major reason why they were still in it.
At halftime, the Lakers were up by seven.
The third period began with Leonard turning the ball over, leading to Reaves draining a 3-pointer on the other end. The Lakers went on a 10-2 scoring run to take a 15-point lead. The Clippers responded with a quick four straight points. Reaves was now at 22 points after he drained his third 3-pointer of the game.
Another double-digit lead evaporated quickly for the Lakers, as they allowed six straight points, four of which came from Derrick Jones Jr.
It was a 17-1 scoring run for the Clippers that put them ahead by two. The purple and gold responded well, with Luka draining a 3-pointer and Kennard converting on a layup, putting them back in the lead.
Going into the fourth, the purple and gold were up by four. The Clippers had managed to outscore the Lakers by three in that quarter.
Jarred Vanderbilt opened the final frame with a dunk for the Lakers. Three foul calls early for the purple and gold led to a few stoppages in play. The Clippers tied the game at the 9:50 mark.
Reaves drained a 3-pointer to put his team back in the lead.
An extended 11-3 run helped the Clippers retake the lead by two. The Lakers were shooting 16% in the quarter, converting only 2 of 12 shots. Marcus Smart drained a much-needed triple to stop some of the bleeding. Leonard responded with one on the other end.
The Lakers had turned on their jets, led by Smart, to take back the lead. Smart now had an important five points. Luka added to the spurt with his seventh 3-pointer of the night. The purple and gold were relying heavily on defense.
Leonard left the game at the 5:10 mark with ankle soreness.
It was a three-point Laker lead with 2:15 left, and the Clippers challenged a foul call on Mathurin and lost. Luka then scored on the other end, converting a three-point play. Jones Jr. responded with a triple on the other end, making it a one-possession game.
Smart was fouled, converting on the shot but not the three-point play. Jones Jr. then scored on the other end. Luka knocked down two clutch free throws to give the purple and gold a five-point lead with 21 seconds left.
Jordan Miller converted on two free throws to make it a three-point game with 9 seconds left. The Lakers turned the inbounds pass over, leading to an open 3-pointer for Nicolas Batum, but he didn’t make it, which sealed their fate.
Luka scored 17 of his 38 points in the first quarter. He also finished with six rebounds and 11 assists. Reaves pitched in with 29 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. LeBron scored 13 points with 11 assists.
Ayton ended with 13 points and seven rebounds. Kennard had nine points off the bench. Jaxson Hayes notched eight points with three rebounds. Smart finished with seven points and two rebounds.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Boston Celtics on Sunday at 3:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
