Friday night had all of the makings of a schedule loss for the Los Angeles Lakers. They were hosting the L.A. Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back after a hard-fought win over the Minnesota Timberwolves the night before.
The Lakers were also shorthanded as Rui Hachimura missed the game with a knee injury and then Austin Reaves only played nine minutes due to a calf issue.
The Clippers were the healthier and more rested team, but that didn’t matter in this one as the Lakers kept scrapping and came away with a 106-102 victory for their fifth straight win.
Even though it was the second night of a back-to-back, both LeBron James and Luka Doncic were able to suit up and the Lakers needed big nights from their stars, which is exactly what they got.
Doncic led the way with 31 points to go along with three rebounds and five assists on his 26th birthday. He only shot 9-of-22 as he still tries to work his way out of a shooting slump, but he had a number of big buckets down the stretch to help secure the win for his team.
James have been proving that 40 is the new 30 lately as he played with a ton of energy and was right behind Doncic with 28 points. LeBron shot an efficient 12-of-21 from the field and also contributed 13 huge rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Outside of their two stars, the Lakers didn’t have any other players in double figures on the night. Everyone still did their part though, especially defensively, with Jarred Vanderbilt, Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, Jordan Goodwin and Trey Jemison all making hustle plays.
In a game where they were missing two starters, the Lakers needed a group effort behind their stars and that’s exactly what they got. A bunch of those guys were a big reason Clippers star James Harden struggled all night, scoring just 18 points on 5-of-22 shooting six turnovers. As a team, the Lakers had 14 steals and five blocks and held their opponent to 102 points or fewer for the sixth straight game.
With the win, the Lakers improved their record to 37-21 and are now tied for second place in the Western Conference in the loss column.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers lead the season series 2-1 on the Clippers and they will wrap things up on Sunday night when they face off for the fourth and final time this regular season at Crypto.com Arena.
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