The Los Angeles Lakers began the day by introducing their new superstar Luka Doncic in a press conference, but then it was back to business as the team wrapped up its Grammy road trip at Intuit Dome against the L.A. Clippers.
The Clippers beat the Lakers easily a couple of weeks ago and Doncic still is not able to suit up due to a calf injury. That didn’t matter though as the Lakers came out motivated an cruised to a 122-97 record to improve their record to 29-19. They went 5-1 on their road trip.
With Anthony Davis no longer on the team, Jaxson Hayes got the start at center and kicked off the scoring at Intuit Dome. The Lakers jumped out to a quick 13-8 lead after making six of their first seven shots.
After a timeout by Ty Lue, the Clippers responded with five straight points to tie the game. The Lakers quickly regained control from there though with Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura leading the way. LeBron James then led a spurt to close the first quarter and the Lakers built a comfortable 45-29 lead going into the second.
Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht had a pair of dunks in the first quarter and then a triple to open the second as the L.A continued pouring it on and built the lead to 24.
James was doing everything for his team on both ends of the floor. He was finding teammates for opening looks and they were making them, resulting in a 73-50 halftime lead.
The Lakers cooled off offensively to start the third quarter and all of a sudden the Clippers had cut their deficit to 13. Reaves helped regain the momentum, however, with five quick points and then a layup by Hachimura forced a Clippers timeout.
Things got a little chippy with Jarred Vanderbilt and Ivica Zubac pushing each other while battling for a rebound. They were issued double technicals and nothing else came of it though. Meanwhile, the Lakers had fully regained control at that point as Shake Milton beat the third quarter buzzer to extend the lead to 98-75.
The game was basically over from there as the Lakers continued to build on their lead to start the fourth, getting it up to 27. Bronny James got some solid run to close out the game and made his first 3-pointer in the NBA, causing the arena to erupt with cheers in what was a night Laker fans had plenty to cheer about.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will now return home and host the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, which will come just a few hours after the NBA’s annual trade deadline.
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