After the All-Star break on Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena, a team that has won 21 of their past 28 games. They’re fully healthy, which is a rarity this season, and this game gives them a chance to start showing how good they can be when each of them is available.
They started off hot and led 41-30 at the end of the first quarter. But the Clippers kept chipping away at the lead and made the game more competitive down the stretch. The Clippers took the lead with 6 minutes and 54 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Although the Lakers then went on a 10-3 run, the Clippers were still catching up.
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This is a game won by star power. As the night wore on, the Clippers lost John Collins and Kawhi Leonard to injuries, but the loss was especially severe for Leonard, who scored 31 points in 31 minutes. Still, they had a chance to send the game into overtime when a poor inbounds pass from LeBron James was blocked and caught by Nicolas Batum with seconds left.
With 6.2 seconds left in the game, Batum attempted a three-pointer to tie the score. But it was just a brick, James grabbed the rebound, and the Lakers escaped with a 125-122 win.
Although they allowed the Clippers to shoot 54.9% from the field and outrebound the Clippers by 10 rebounds, they themselves shot 51.8% overall and 54.8% from three-point range. The Lakers continue to rank fifth in the Western Conference with a record of 34 wins and 21 losses, one game behind the third-place Denver Nuggets.
Marcus Smart: C
Smart didn’t take a shot until midway through the fourth quarter, but after that, he helped the Lakers win. He made his first shot with 6:32 left in the game, a three-pointer that gave the team a 107-106 lead. After Leonard hit a three-pointer, Smart responded with a 20-footer. He then hit another two-pointer with about a minute left to help seal the win.
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He finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, plus two rebounds, a steal and a block in 29 minutes.
Deandre Ayton: B-
Ayton was calm in this game, but he made 1 of 10 shots in 28 minutes and scored 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. He was a highlight of the game early in the third quarter when he sprinted down the court after Austin Reeves grabbed a defensive rebound and completed an alley-oop dunk on a fast break pass from James.
Austin Reeves: A
Reeves returned to the starting lineup for this game and was no longer on a minutes restriction after missing several weeks with a gastrocnemius strain. He scored the Lakers’ first seven points of the night and made all of his first seven shots, showing a very high overall efficiency.
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He made 9 of 15 shots from the field, 4 of 5 three-pointers, and 7 of 7 free throws, scoring 29 points. He also contributed 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 33 minutes. With 1:49 left in the fourth quarter, Reeves caused a charging foul on Benedict Maturin on defense. This was Maturin’s sixth and final foul.
Luka Doncic: A-
Doncic performed well early, making four of five three-pointers in the first quarter and scoring 17 points. He performed poorly in the second and third quarters, but he recovered in the final quarter and scored 12 points efficiently.
He made 11 of 25 shots from the field, 8 of 14 from the field, and 8 of 11 free throws, scoring 38 points. He also dished out 11 assists, grabbed 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. Doncic, who is usually soft-spoken off the court, became a different person during the game, spending a lot of time trash-talking Kris Dunn, who was guarding him for long periods of time.
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LeBron James: C-
James shot well at the beginning, but made 1 of 6 shots in the second quarter. He never found his shooting touch again in this game. He finished with 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting, but he did dish out 11 assists and often found open teammates in the post or baseline. James also had 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 33 minutes.
Jackson Hayes: B/B+
Hayes only played 11 minutes, which is a bit low for him, but he was very efficient when he was on the court. He made four of five shots and scored eight points, plus three rebounds and a block.
Rui Hachimura 😀
Hachimura barely came into his own in this game, and when he did, his offensive efficiency wasn’t very high. He took only four shots in 26 minutes and made only one, scoring three points. He contributed 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in his spare time.
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Jake LaRavia: D-Minus
LaRavia is virtually invisible in this game. He attempted a shot and ended up with 3 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 14 minutes.
Luke Kennard: B
Kennard played 18 minutes and scored nine points while hitting four of six field goals and one three-pointer. He continues to show his ability as a connection player by attacking the defense and taking care of the ball when needed. Although he turned the ball over twice, he still contributed an assist and two rebounds.
Jared Vanderbilt: D–
Vanderbilt played 10 minutes, made one of two field goals, and had two points and two assists. However, he didn’t rebound, which is rare for him.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player results: Lakers beat Clippers on Luka Doncic