The Clippers had won 14 of 16 prior to this contest, while the Lakers had lost four in a row. However, those streaks came to an end as the Lakers defeated the Clippers 106-103 for their second close victory in as many games this season.
The Lakers’ Taurean Prince initiated the scoring with a triple, while the Clippers’ Paul George responded with two goals. The Lakers, much like their recent pattern, encountered initial difficulties in maintaining possession of the ball, which the Clippers exploited to gain a 16-7 advantage.
Following a timeout in which LeBron James restored the Lakers’ momentum with a triple, Prince completed an astute layup.
After a three-game absence, D’Angelo Russell returned for the Lakers and made an immediate impact with a block and an assist. Then, Max Christie entered the game from deep to force a tie. However, with five consecutive points in the fourth quarter, the Clippers took a 24-19 lead into the second.
In contrast to James, who maintained his momentum with two buckets in the early seconds, Russell labored and missed his first four attempts before converting a layup. Declined for a Flagrant 1 penalty on a reckless closeout against Norman Powell, Christian Wood conceded a point, thereby providing the Clippers with a lead.
The Clippers relied heavily on James Harden and Ivica Zubac offensively as the Lakers continued to commit turnovers. After drawing a and-one on George, Austin Reaves eventually entered the game and pulled his team within four points at the halftime locker room, 53-49.
Early in the third quarter, LeBron ignited the crowd with back-to-back three-point attempts that tied the game, one of which was a thunderous poster dunk onto George.
From that point forward, Cam Reddish scored two triples to give the Lakers the lead. Although the Clippers responded with a run, Russell’s consecutive three-pointers off the bench ultimately sparked life for the Lakers.
Wood then provided the Lakers with two monster dunks and a large block, increasing their lead to 81-77 at the conclusion of the third period.
The Lakers began the fourth quarter with renewed vigor, stringing together four consecutive points to force a timeout from the Clippers. Russell maintained his form thereafter, and the purple and gold closed the gap to double digits with their defensive efforts.
Powell made a few significant 3-pointers to get the Clippers back in the game and bring it within a razor-thin margin heading into the final stretches.
From that point on, Davis engaged the Lakers in a rock-and-roll battle by making a midrange shot that extended their lead to three points as the Clippers called their final timeout.
As a result of Zubac’s all-night dominance on the offensive glass against the Lakers, the Clippers obtained an additional possession and Prince fouled Powell on a three-point attempt. Prince redeemed his error immediately following the free throw line tier by burying an open three-pointer.
After that, James made a crucial sprinting layup, which was especially significant given Harden’s 3-pointer that tied the game at two points with 22 seconds remaining. As a result of the infraction, Prince was forced to make two enormous free throws. After a layup by Zubac, Reaves was presented with an opportunity to convert but was limited to one of two opportunities. Powell was then able to observe the buzzer, which ultimately failed, securing the Lakers’ victory and putting an end to their losing sequence.
