Clippers Vs Lakers: clippers vs lakers — Luka Doncic scores 38 as Lakers hold off Clippers 125-122
LOS ANGELES — In a tight finish Friday night, the Lakers beat the Clippers 125-122 in the latest clippers vs lakers meeting. Luka Doncic scored 38 points and had 11 assists while Austin Reaves added 29 as Los Angeles held off a furious late charge.
First quarter and early control
The game opened with Brook Lopez going on a personal 5-0 run for the Clippers while Austin Reaves scored the first five points for the Lakers. The Lakers’ offense heated up, at one point 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 drained two 3-pointers for six points, and Lopez led the Clippers with nine. After a Laker timeout, Luke Kennard hit a 3-pointer and Luka drained two more threes. The Lakers took complete control and led by 12 at the end of the first, with Doncic scoring 17 points and making four 3-pointers in a dynamic first quarter while the Lakers made 16 of 17 shots in one stretch.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves
Doncic finished with 38 points and 11 assists. It was his return from a four-game absence followed by a five-minute All-Star Game appearance due to a mildly strained hamstring; he scored 17 in the first quarter and later added 12 points in the fourth. Reaves finished with 29 points and hit multiple 3-pointers, including his third 3-pointer late in the game to push his total to 22 during the night. Doncic, James and Reaves were able to play together for only the 11th time in the Lakers’ 55 games this season, a rare moment of full health coming out of the All-Star break. The Lakers’ performance featured prolific offense even while James managed just two points in the second half; James finished with 13 points and 11 assists for the night in the Lakers’ return from the All-Star break.
Kawhi Leonard and Bennedict Mathurin
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points for the Clippers before missing the final 5: 10 with an apparent ankle injury. Leonard had just one bucket in the first before answering with a 19-point second and finishing with 31; he reached 13 points for the half at one point and then 21 by halftime after scoring another eight. Bennedict Mathurin had 26 points and seven rebounds in his second straight strong game for his new team before fouling out with 1: 49 to play. The athletic guard was acquired from Indiana for center Ivica Zubac and had dropped a career-high-tying 38 against Denver on Thursday. The Clippers were winning the second-chance points battle 14-2 in the first half, a major reason they remained in the game despite the Lakers’ hot shooting.
Clippers Vs Lakers: Fourth quarter finish
The third quarter saw momentum swing multiple times. After Leonard turned the ball over to open the period, Reaves hit a 3 and the Lakers went on a 10-2 run to open a 15-point lead. The Clippers answered with a four-point spurt, then a 17-1 run capped by four points from Derrick Jones Jr. put the Clippers ahead by two before Luka’s 3 and Kennard’s layup put the Lakers back in front. Going into the fourth the Lakers were up by four. Jarred Vanderbilt opened the final frame with a dunk for the Lakers. The Clippers tied the game at the 9: 50 mark of the fourth and later trimmed the lead when Derrick Jones Jr. scored on consecutive possessions to make it 123-120 with 46 seconds left. Nicolas Batum then stole James’ pass in the final seconds but missed a tying 3-point attempt with 4 seconds left. Doncic’s late scoring and Reaves’ 3s proved decisive in the 125-122 final.
Injuries and late sequence
Clippers forward John Collins was helped off the court with 18 seconds left in the first half after he bloodied his face on a hard landing while trying to catch a long pass at the rim. Kawhi Leonard left with an apparent ankle injury in the fourth after scoring 31. The Clippers, who entered the game at 27-29, fell just short of getting back to. 500 after an incredible turnaround from a 6-21 start to the season. Bennedict Mathurin fouled out with 1: 49 to play, and Nicolas Batum missed the tying 3 with 4 seconds remaining. The result split the four-game season series between the crosstown rivals.
Friday night’s game combined sharp shooting, multiple momentum swings and late drama in Los Angeles, with the Lakers holding on for the 125-122 victory.
