The Lakers beat the Clippers 130-125 on Wednesday to snap an 11-game losing run. LeBron James scored 35 points and 11 rebounds, and Austin Reaves scored seven of his 15 points in overtime.
The undermanned Lakers overcame their local rivals in the Florida bubble for the first time since July 2020, thanks to D’Angelo Russell (27 points) and Anthony Davis (27 points and 10 rebounds). Since Christmas 2016, the 17-time NBA champion Lakers have lost 11 straight games at their shared arena to the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard scored 38 points in the Clippers’ second early-season setback, while James Harden watched from the bench in street clothes. Paul George scored eight points in the final minute and twenty of his thirty-five points in the fourth quarter before fouling out 30 seconds into overtime.
The Lakers rallied from a 19-point deficit in the first quarter and an eight-point advantage in the final 90 seconds, despite missing five important players due to injury. The game was won.
With 17 seconds left, George, who had six 3-pointers, knotted the game with three free throws. Russell fell short of the buzzer.
Reaves stole the ball from Leonard, drove the floor, and hit James for an alley-oop pass and one-handed dunk with 2:12 left in overtime to give the Lakers a five-point lead.
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Reaves converted two free throws with 48 seconds left, Christian Wood scored a game-winning putback slam with nine seconds left, and Russell Westbrook missed the Lakers’ game-winning 3-pointer. Leonard made his fifth 3-pointer and three-point play.
Westbrook beat his old squad by 24. Tucker made his Clippers debut without scoring 21 minutes after Harden and P.J. Tucker were acquired in a multi-player trade with Philadelphia earlier in the day. Harden will slowly rediscover his form in the four days leading up to the Clippers’ next game, but the organization already trusts the Los Angeles native and 2018 MVP to get along with its three Southern California superstars.
Coach Tyronn Lue said “a lot of sacrifice, whether it’s shots or minutes, will be required.” “They’re willing to do that.”
Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, and Jalen Hood-Schifino’s injuries significantly reduced the Lakers’ bench. Taurean Prince, the starting forward, developed knee pain during warmups. Hachimura, who missed Monday’s game due to an eye ailment, joined the NBA’s concussion protocol.
In the first quarter, Leonard scored a career-high 18 points on 7/8 shots, including 4 3-pointers. In the last minutes of the third quarter, the Lakers recovered the lead after two quarters.
George scored an unbelievable comeback despite his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter.
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