The Lakers’ “Big Three” take turns shining against the Clippers

After a “journey” of six away matches, v Clippers are back in Los Angeles, but not yet in their Intuit Dome as they defied Lakers in the Cripto.com Arena. The meeting that was played within the NBA Cup where the two teams could still win the first place in Group B in the West.

More Luka Dončić (43 points, 9 rebounds, 13 assists) wastes no time and gets right into action hitting his first five 3-point shots (29-23). However, the Clippers do not let themselves be left behind and one of the actions of this honor was signed Kobe Brown and his big dunk on Jake LaRavia etc Maki glue. Poster reflecting a solid first quarter Tyronn Lue’s men lead 38-37 after twelve minutes thanks to a game-winning shot James Harden (29 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists) in the closing moments of this first act.

If after that Luka Doncic and James Harden go to sit on their benches, the pace does not drop and the two teams continue to return blows. As soon as he returned to the game, the Slovenian scored 2+1 further on Kawhi Leonard (19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) then hit his sixth shot from distance one minute into the half. After him, the Lakers lead when entering the locker room (69-66).

LeBron James then Austin Reeves to take control of the match

After the break the team LeBron James (25 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) accelerates and leads by ten points, the largest deficit of the game at that point, but the Clippers are still not far behind. They respond immediately 9-0 forcing JJ Reddick to take a timeout. This stoppage in the game did not stop the good momentum of the guests who came back in front after Kawhi Leonard’s mid-range shot (83-82). As in the first period, the two teams trade shots, and as in the second quarter, it is the Lakers who are ahead before entering the final act, this time thanks to a 2+1 by LeBron James. Nicholas Batum (93-88).

To start this fourth quarter, the Lakers continue to increase the deficit by a Austin Reaves (31 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals) who takes control. For starters, he finds LeBron James for 3-pointers, then makes sure to dunk his opponents with 18 of his 31 points scored in this final act. The Clippers manage to maintain a ten-point deficit until Luka Doncic’s fight. Chris Dunn etc Jackson Hayes reports.

An argument that led to the exclusion of the leader of the Clippers, who had a good game with 19 points so far. After this event, the Lakers bounced back and eventually won 135-118 to secure their fifth straight victory and ensure they play in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– The “big three” of the Lakers responded. In turn, the star trio of the Lakers shined. To begin with, Luka Doncic had a very good first half where he scored 32 points with six awarded shots. After the break, the Slovenian showed less and let LeBron James take control in the third quarter, while Austin Reeves was responsible for closing the shop in the final act. In total, the trio of Doncic-James-Reaves scored 99 of the Lakers’ 135 points.

– Heat stroke and blood stroke for Kris Dunn. With Kawhi Leonard still limited in terms of minutes and James Harden not necessarily skilled (9/21 shooting and 3/12 from distance), Kris Dunn had what might have been his best game of the season. The leader of the Clippers finished the game with 19 points on 8/13 shooting and 3/6 on 3-pointers, but his night was cut short. After an argument with Luka Doncic and Jackson Hayes, he received two technical fouls, synonymous with expulsion.

– The Lakers continue their adventure in the NBA Cup. This victory allows the Lakers to secure first place in Group B in the West. JJ Redick’s men will compete in the knockout stage for the second time in three years after winning the first edition in 2023. As for the Clippers, a win against Memphis will be imperative to hope for qualification as the inhabitants of the Intuit Dome now depend on results in other groups in the West.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.