The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 112-103.
The energy in Staples Center was raucous to begin the game as both teams came out focused on the defensive end, but the Clippers were able to strike first after Paul George nailed a couple of jumpers. The Lakers responded by earning two steals and scoring in the open court.
The two Los Angeles teams began to trade baskets midway through the quarter, hitting from the midrange area and not giving up an inch to the other. The Lakers bench was able to come up with some key defensive plays and they went into the second quarter up 27-25.
The Clippers were able to take back control as their guards off the bench did a good job of generating offense and finding space against the Lakers defense. LeBron James took charge of the Lakers offense as he made it a point to barrel into the lane and attack the paint, but the Clippers regained momentum.
With James off the floor, the Lakers struggled to find any decent looks against the Clippers while Kawhi Leonard found success going one-on-one on the other end. The purple and gold mounted a bit of a comeback to close the half but still found themselves down 53-49.
The Lakers reclaimed the lead to begin the third quarter as Avery Bradley knocked down a pair of threes off good ball movement. The defensive effort was also much better as they contained the Clippers in the pick-and-roll and forced them into tough shots.
Despite the slow start, the Clippers got back to executing on offense as George was able to knock down consecutive triples and earn trips to the free-throw line to give his team the lead. However, Davis carried the scoring load for the Lakers to end the period and they went into the fourth quarter up 85-81.
James asserted himself to start the final frame as he nailed a three at the top of the key and made a couple of plays on the defensive end to keep the purple and gold in front. The Lakers eventually found their rhythm on offense with a Davis jumper pushing the lead to 12.
The Clippers battled back as they took advantage of their size on the perimeter and converted on tough shots to get them back within striking distance. Davis and James led the team in the closing minutes on both sides of the floor and they came away with the win.