Luka Doncic notched 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds, and LeBron James added 25 points as the Los Angeles Lakers rolled past the Los Angeles Clippers 135–118 on Tuesday night, securing their fifth straight win and clinching the top spot in their NBA Cup group.
Doncic set the tone early, matching his season high with 32 first-half points and finishing just shy of his 10th career 40-point triple-double. The performance marked his 51st career 40-point game and powered the Lakers to their third straight win in Cup play, improving their overall run to 11 wins in 13 games.
Austin Reaves continued his strong stretch with 31 points and nine rebounds, while the 40-year-old James looked vintage in his 23rd NBA season, dropping 16 second-half points as the Lakers methodically pulled away.
The Clippers, meanwhile, got 29 points and nine assists from James Harden, who has been on a scoring surge despite the team’s struggles. Kawhi Leonard added 19 points in his second game back from a 10-game absence, but the Clippers fell for the 11th time in 13 games.
The rivalry matchup turned heated late: with 3:33 remaining, Clippers guard Kris Dunn was ejected after knocking Doncic to the floor with a shot to the back. Doncic confronted him, prompting Dunn to shove the ball into Dončić’s chest before Lakers center Jaxson Hayes pushed Dunn from behind. Dunn swatted back at Hayes, earning the technical that sealed his ejection.
Doncic opened the night with his highest-scoring quarter of the season, hitting his first five 3-pointers and putting up 20 points in the first eight minutes, all while firing off playful trash talk toward the Clippers’ bench—continuing a long-running, semi-friendly feud that predates his arrival in purple and gold.
Up Next:
Clippers: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday
Lakers: Host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday
