The Los Angeles Lakers looked to keep things rolling on Sunday night, hosting the L.A. Clippers for the second straight game and going for their sixth straight win overall.
The Lakers were once again shorthanded in this one without Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jordan Goodwin, but it again didn’t matter as they hung of for a 108-102 victory.
Unlike Friday night, the Lakers got off to a hot start in this one. Dorian Finney-Smith started things off with a triple and then Luka Doncic hit two from deep and also found LeBron James for a dunk and then a layup of his own to take a 15-4 lead.
After the Clippers responded with a quick 7-0 run, Finney-Smith hit a jumper and then Dalton Knecht had a tip dunk to get the Lakers back on track.
That got Knecht going as he made back-to-back triples, which was good to see for the rookie, and the Lakers led 34-28 at the end of the first quarter. It would have been a bigger lead for the Lakers had they not committed nine turnovers.
Knecht made another triple to begin the second, continuing his hot start. The Clippers also got hot from deep though, including a four-point play by Kawhi Leonard to tie the game.
The Lakers responded with another run from there as their defense allowed James to get out in transition, creating easy buckets for his teammates. They closed the half on a 12-0 run to take a 56-43 lead into the locker room. The Clippers did not score for the final 7:35 of the second quarter.
Leonard had a putback to begin the third quarter, ending the Clippers’ drought. The Lakers didn’t take their foot off the gas though as Doncic found James in transition for a pair of buckets. Doncic then had a layup, a stepback 3 and found Gabe Vincent for a triple of his own to stretch the lead to a game-high 21.
The game easily could’ve gotten out of reach from there, although the Clippers responded with an 11-2 run to cut the Lakers’ lead to 89-77 at the end of the third quarter.
The Clippers’ run continued into the fourth quarter with Leonard leading the way offensively. With the Lakers’ lead down to five, they needed a timeout and it was suddenly a game again.
James helped the Lakers regain their composure with a corner triple after his teammates got three straight offensive rebounds. Knecht then hit one as well and Doncic worked his way to the free throw line to get the lead back to double digits.
To their credit though, the Clippers kept fighting and got it down to five in the final minute. They couldn’t get over the hump though as the Lakers were able to secure the win.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will now host the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday and New York Knicks on Thursday before going out on an East Coast road trip.
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