Luka Doncic, LeBron James lead Lakers past Clippers for 5th straight win
LOS ANGELES — Even though they’ve only played seven games together as teammates, it’s already become customary for LeBron James and Luka Doncic to lead the Lakers to victories.
The Lakers’ 106-102 victory over the Clippers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Clippers’ first game at their old home arena since moving into the Intuit Dome, was not only their fifth straight win and 17th victory in their last 21 games, but also their fifth win in the Doncic-James era.
But even with birthday boy Doncic (31 points, five assists, two rebounds) and James (28 points, 13 rebounds, three assists) combining for 59 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, the Lakers (37-21) needed more than just their stars to be improve to a season-best 16 games above .500 – especially playing most of the game without two of their normal starters on the second night of a back-to-back set after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
“Our bench, we didn’t start well defensively,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And then our bench came in and just gave us a massive lift on the second night of a back-to-back with their energy and activity.”
They needed Jarred Vanderbilt to be a pest defensively – including stopping James Harden in isolation late in the third quarter before drawing a foul on Harden while fighting for a loose ball.
“They gave us life in this game,” Doncic said. “And when the second group with Bron came out, they pushed the ball, they defended. They showed us how we [needed] to play. Without them, we don’t win this game.”
The Lakers needed two-way contract players Jordan Goodwin (six points, five rebounds, two assists) and Trey Jemison (five points, six rebounds) to step up in their increased opportunities, both standing out with hustle plays.
“They’re already a tough group; they bring more toughness,” James said. “Just those dog factors. They make plays – hustle plays, 50/50 balls, they get after it. They have definitely given us some great minutes in the minutes they’ve been out there for us.”
They needed Dorian Finney-Smith’s steal with 2:19 remaining that led to Doncic assisting James on a layup in transition, putting the Lakers ahead 104-98. After Harden missed two clean 3-point attempts, Doncic found Jaxson Hayes for a dunk and a 106-98 lead.
The Clippers won a pair of challenges late to gain possession while down by four points, but Bogdan Bogdanović’s 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left rimmed out, sealing the victory for the Lakers against their former co-tenants.
The Lakers have beaten the Clippers in five of the last seven matchups between the teams after the Clippers beat the Lakers in the previous 11 straight games.
“We got out to a good lead in the first quarter, then they came back,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said. “That’s been the tale since I’ve been here the past five years.”
Ivica Zubac had a season-high 27 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost four of five since the All-Star break. Kawhi Leonard had 21 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Harden had 18 in a 5-for-22 shooting performance (1 for 10 from 3-point range).
Kris Dunn added 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
After once struggling with his outside shot for most of Friday, Doncic knocked down a pair of stepback 3s midway through the fourth, putting the Lakers up by 10 (98-88) with just over six minutes left.
“[I’ve] got a long way to go,” he said, “But slowly, I’m starting to feel like myself.”
The Lakers went into the game without starting forward Rui Hachimura, who sat out because of a strained left knee. Lakers coach JJ Redick said Hachimura had imaging done on the knee, with Hachimura being diagnosed with left [patellar] tendinopathy.
Redick said Hachimura would be reassessed in a week.
Starting guard Austin Reaves exited the game early in the first quarter, going back to the locker room after being subbed out as part of his normal rotation pattern.
The team said during the second quarter that Reaves would not return because of right calf soreness. ESPN reported during Friday’s game that Reaves was scheduled to get an MRI on Saturday.
“Don’t have anything other than he was experiencing some tightness in the calf, some soreness,” Redick said postgame. “Was held out as a precaution.”
The Lakers host the Clippers again on Sunday night.