The Los Angeles Lakers survived a late push from the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, riding 38 points and 11 assists from Luka Doncic to a 125-122 victory in the crosstown showdown.
Austin Reaves added 29 points, while LeBron James chipped in 13 points and 11 assists as the Lakers returned from the All-Star break. Los Angeles squandered a 15-point second-half lead, but Dončić scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to secure a split of the four-game season series.
Dončić, back after a four-game absence with a mildly strained hamstring, came out firing with 17 first-quarter points and four 3-pointers during a blistering offensive stretch in which the Lakers made 16 of 17 shots. It marked just the 11th time this season that Dončić, James and Reaves have shared the floor together.
The Clippers were led by Kawhi Leonard, who scored 31 points before exiting with 5:10 remaining due to an apparent ankle injury. Bennedict Mathurin continued his strong run with 26 points and seven rebounds before fouling out late, one night after tying his career high with 38 against Denver.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored on back-to-back possessions to cut the Lakers’ lead to 123-120 with 46 seconds left. In the final seconds, Nicolas Batum stole a pass from James but missed a potential tying 3-pointer with four seconds remaining.
The Clippers also saw John Collins helped off the floor late in the first half after a hard fall while attempting to catch a pass at the rim.
Up next:
The Clippers host Orlando on Sunday, while the Lakers welcome Boston.
