Clippers Vs Lakers: Doncic's 38 and Reaves' 29 Lift Lakers to 125-122 Win

In Friday’s clippers vs lakers meeting, the Los Angeles Lakers held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 125-122, splitting the four-game season series. The result came in the Lakers’ first game back from the All-Star break and featured a late surge, key foul trouble for Los Angeles’ visitors and an apparent ankle issue for Kawhi Leonard.

Clippers Vs Lakers — Final sequence, turnovers and late shots

The closing minute was a flurry: Derrick Jones Jr. scored on consecutive possessions to cut the Lakers’ lead to 123-120 with 46 seconds remaining, and Nicolas Batum then stole LeBron James’ pass in the final seconds. Batum’s off-balance 3-pointer with 4 seconds left missed, leaving the Lakers to hang on for the three-point victory. Bennedict/Benedict Mathurin fouled out with 1: 49 to play, removing one of the Clippers’ late scorers from the floor in the decisive stretch.

Luka Doncic's return and first-quarter explosion

Luka Doncic returned from a four-game absence and, after a five-minute All-Star Game appearance because of a mildly strained hamstring, produced 38 points and 11 assists. He scored 17 points in the first quarter, drilling four 3-pointers as the Lakers made 16 of 17 shots in one stretch; he added 12 points in the fourth to help close the game. What makes this notable is that his scoring outburst arrived immediately after a period of limited availability and an abbreviated All-Star appearance.

Austin Reaves, LeBron James and the Lakers' rare full lineup

Austin Reaves scored 29 points and LeBron James finished with 13 points and 11 assists. The trio of Doncic, James and Reaves shared the floor together for only the 11th time in the Lakers’ 55 games this season, a rare stretch of full health coming out of the break. Despite James managing just two points in the second half, the three combined for the offensive push that ultimately preserved the victory.

Kawhi Leonard's ankle issue and John Collins' injury

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points for the Clippers before exiting with an apparent ankle injury with 5: 10 left in the game. Earlier, John Collins was helped off the court with 18 seconds remaining in the first half after blooding his face on a hard landing while trying to catch a long pass at the rim. Leonard’s absence in the closing minutes and Collins’ earlier injury were notable developments as the Clippers, who sit at 27-29, tried to climb back toward. 500 after an earlier 6-21 start to the season.

Clippers' comeback, Mathurin's production and second-chance edge

Mathurin continued a strong stretch for his new team, finishing with 26 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 1: 49 left; he had also dropped a career-high-tying 38 against Denver on Thursday. The Clippers mounted several runs — including a 17-1 spurt that briefly put them ahead in the third — aided by a 14-2 advantage in second-chance points at one stage. Deandre Ayton converted a dunk off an assist from Doncic, and John Collins answered with a 3-pointer during the second, keeping the Clippers in the game despite foul trouble and late departures.

Early runs and quarter-by-quarter swings

The game opened with Brook Lopez producing a 5-0 run for the Clippers while Reaves countered with the Lakers’ first five points. At one point the Lakers were shooting 80 percent from the field and led by 12 at the end of the first. By halftime the Lakers’ lead had shrunk to seven after Leonard poured in 21 by intermission and the Clippers won the second-chance battle. In the third the Lakers extended the margin to 15 before a Clippers rally erased the cushion, leaving Los Angeles up by four entering the fourth. Jarred Vanderbilt opened the final quarter with a dunk, three early fouls on the Lakers produced stoppages, and the Clippers tied the game at the 9: 50 mark before Reaves’ late 3 pushed the Lakers back ahead.

The Lakers’ 125-122 victory split the season series with Los Angeles’ crosstown rival and underscored how swings in health, fouls and late-game execution decided a close contest. The timing matters because both teams return to a condensed schedule where maintaining availability and limiting late fouls could determine outcomes in upcoming matchups.