DESPITE being significantly outmanned, the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a 19-point hole to halt an 11-game losing run against their rival Los Angeles Clippers in a “Battle of LA” overtime victory, 130-125, at the Crypto.com Arena yesterday.
LeBron James, in his 21st year, appeared dominant as ever, scoring 35 points on 13-19 shooting. D’Angelo Russell scored 27 points for the second time in a row, while Anthony Davis contributed 27 points and 10 rebounds, though his defensive effect was as impressive.
For the first time this season, fan favorite Austin Reaves came alive in the second half, scoring 15 points, collecting eight rebounds, and handing out seven assists. Christian Wood put up a tremendous offensive and defensive effort, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
With all four players scoring at least 27 points, it was easily the best Lakers-Clippers game during the LeBron-AD/Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era. Furthermore, all four were at the heart of nearly all the evening’s most important moments.
The Lakers were missing four rotational players in Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt, as well as the last-minute withdrawal of Taurean Prince, who suffered knee soreness during warm-ups, leaving the Lakers extremely short-handed.
The Lakers trailed at the start of the game after Leonard scored 18 points on 7-8 shooting in the first quarter alone. As a result, the Clippers pulled away with a comfortable 19-point advantage.
The Lakers extended their run into the second quarter, but missed shots and mistakes sustained the gap above 10 for the first six minutes.
After LeBron lost and put back his shoe then made a quick dunk just over the midway mark of the quarter, the Lakers finally went over the hump and brought down the advantage to a single digit.
The Clippers had a run in the fourth quarter, as missed free throws by Cam Reddish, LeBron and Davis opened the door for a George layup and foul. After missing the free throw, George was able to come back with a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game the next possession.
Just when the Lakers thought the game was over, Reddish was penalized for a late foul on George’s 3-point shot, which was upheld after a challenge.
George made all three of his baskets to tie the game at 117-117. The Lakers, who did not call a timeout, had an open look on the wing from Russell, but the shot failed, and the game proceeded to overtime.
On the Lakers’ opening possession, George was fouled out of the game. The Clippers struggled offensively without his incredible shot-making that got them to OT.
After forcing a turnover on Kawhi, LeBron ended with a loud exclamation point to his incredible night with a massive alley-oop slam.
Despite the loss, the LA Clippers had an outstanding performance from two of its players. Leonard had 38 points, six rebounds and five assists, while George had 35 points and six rebounds on a strong shooting night.
Russell Westbrook nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
This is the first victory for the Los Angeles Lakers versus their rival Clippers since their meeting at the Bubble in 2020. Indeed, it was a “Battle of LA” to remember, as both teams’ players did not disappoint spectators.
