Lakers Take Down Clippers Twice in Three Days, Move into Two-Seed

Aided by back-to-back quality performances from recently acquired superstar Luka Dončic, the Lakers are able to complete a weekend sweep of crosstown rival Clippers and settle into the two seed in the competitive Western Conference.

By Austin Gage | Contributing Sports Writer

Just one month removed from the blockbuster deal landing star guard Luka Dončić in the purple and gold, the Los Angeles Lakers are seeing early results to make them feel confident in their decision.

Staring at two straight matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers knew that the best way to make a statement with their new addition would be to take down their rival twice in three days.

And that is exactly what they did. Starting with a 106-102 victory on Friday and culminating with a 108-102 win on Sunday, the Lakers showcased their ability as a true threat in the Western Conference.

Dončić, who has had incredible performances against the Clippers in the past as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, such as a 51-point outburst in 2022, killed the familiar foe for another two games. With 31 and 29-point performances, the Serbian All-NBA talent paced the Lakers en route to two key victories.

In the first matchup, it was all Dončić and fellow star forward Lebron James for the Lakers. The duo, which is one of, if not the best, in the league on the offensive side of the ball, combined for 59 of the team’s 106 total points. Not a single other Laker scored above single digits, yet the team was able to prevail against a much more balanced Clipper offensive attack.

The usual trio of offensive dominance consisting of Dončić, James and fourth-year guard Austin Reaves had its time cut short Friday night as the latter of the bunch was forced out of the contest due to right calf soreness. Although Reaves, who averages 19.1 points and 6.0 assists per game this season, was forced to miss the remainder of the game after playing nine minutes in the first quarter, an MRI Saturday revealed no serious injury on his calf. He would go on to miss Sunday’s rematch against the Clippers as well.

The Lakers did a great job of weathering the storm without Reaves as they erased a ten-point deficit to one as the first quarter expired. Paired with a 35-point second quarter, they entered halftime with a five-point lead of their own.

For the Clippers, two players in particular made sure that they would not succumb to their rival’s recent quality play.

Center Ivica Zubac, who played for the Lakers before being traded to the other Los Angeles club in 2019, carried a heavy offensive load. Shooting an outstanding 13 for 15 from the floor, he would go on to finish his night with 27 points and 16 rebounds. 

Guard Kris Dunn also shared a stellar night as he finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists. His effort and eventual steal with just under six minutes left in the third quarter set up an and-one layup for star forward Kawhi Leonard and allowed the Clippers to tie the game. Dunn pinched in four steals to stuff his stat-sheet.

Leonard had a solid night offensively, adding 21 points with three 3-pointers to follow Zubac’s team lead in scoring. However, All-Star guard and veteran James Harden had an off-night, and that proved to doom the Clips. He shot 5 for 22 from the field and 1 for 10 from beyond the arc to finish with 18 points, but he contributed all-around stats with nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals to try and make up for his poor shooting night.

A James outlet pass to rookie guard Dalton Knecht for a slam saw the Lakers enter the fourth quarter with a five-point lead once again, one that the Lakers would protect and not give up the remainder of the game.

In just another night for the spectacular 40-year-old James, he scored 28 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and found scorers for three assists on the night.

His running mate Dončić, not to be outdone, provided key moments in the final quarter to push the Lakers to victory. A stepback three with just over six minutes remaining felt like a dagger, and the man who celebrated his 26th birthday on the night found James on a fast break for an easy assist that proved all that was needed for the win.

“These opponents that we’re playing, they’re really good teams. They’re fighting like we’re fighting; these are playoff-like games just in terms of the physicality and effort from both teams,” Lakers’ head coach JJ Redick said.

The Sunday rematch followed a bit of a different script, but the outcome remained very similar.

A Dončić hot start in the first quarter gave the Lakers the necessary juice they needed to prevail over their rivals for the second time in three days.

12 points, three rebounds, and three assists would be a good game for most players, but that was Dončić’s statline after the first 12 minutes. A first quarter that saw him hit a three-pointer, signal to the Clippers bench to play closer up on him and a locker room visit to check out a thigh issue made for an eventful beginning to the contest. The Lakers took a 34-28 lead at the end of the first.

Key plays from role players such as Knecht, forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt, guard Gabe Vincent and center Jaxson Hayes allowed the Purple and Gold to take a healthy 13-point lead into halftime. Without Reaves, the offense relied on a much more balanced approach and despite an off-night shooting from James, others pitched in to fill the holes. James tallied 17 points on 6 for 17 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

The Clippers were held scoreless by the Lakers’ defense for the final 7:35 of the second quarter.

Another poor shooting night from Harden proved costly once again. His 4 for 14 shooting, paired with guard Bogdan Bogdanović’s 4 for 16 shooting off the bench hurt the Clippers’ chances of truly taking control of the contest.

On the plus side for the Clips, Leonard had a standout night, scoring 33 points while grabbing ten rebounds. Dunn and Zubac also had stellar games to match their efforts from Friday, but the lead, which ballooned to 21 in the Lakers’ favor late in the third quarter, proved too tough to come back from.

A James corner three, set up by a Dončić pass, cut the bleeding from an admirable comeback attempt by the Clippers midway through the fourth quarter. Just a few possessions later, Knecht connected on a wing three to aid the lead. The rookie guard had a fantastic game off the bench, adding 19 points off of five 3-pointers and grabbing four boards.

With the Lakers up by five with 32 seconds remaining, James turned back the clock with a backboard stuff of a Dunn layup attempt, one that looked eerily similar to James’ iconic block against Andre Iguodala in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

The home team at Crypto.com Arena held on for the 108-102 victory to defeat their rivals once again and hopped all the way into the second seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.

“It’s been great. The atmosphere is unbelievable and you want to give the people what they want, and that is winning the games. That is what we are doing right now,” said Dončić.

The losses proved critical for the Clippers as they continue to try to hang on to the sixth seed.

“It’s a long season, it’s a hard season. Every night is going to be a tough game, and we understand that. You’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some but the biggest thing is about getting through adversity, staying together and making sure we’re going in the right direction,” Clippers’ head coach Tyronn Lue said.

A busy next few months are ensured for both Los Angeles organizations, as one trends up and one down.