Doncic pours in 43 as Lakers top Clippers 135-118 for fifth straight win
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LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic erupted for 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds on Tuesday night, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 135-118 victory over the LA Clippers and securing the club’s fifth consecutive win.
The star guard matched his season high with 32 first-half points, logging his 51st career 40-point outing and narrowly missing a 10th 40-point triple-double. The result also clinched the Lakers’ group in NBA Cup play, their third straight triumph in the in-season tournament.
LeBron James, 40, finished with 25 points — 16 after intermission — in the third game of his unprecedented 23rd NBA season. Austin Reaves added 31 points and nine rebounds as Los Angeles improved to 11 wins in its last 13 games.
James Harden paced the Clippers with 29 points and nine assists, while Kawhi Leonard scored 19 in his second appearance after a 10-game injury absence. The Clippers have dropped 11 of their past 13.
Tempers flared with 3:33 remaining when Clippers guard Kris Dunn was ejected for knocking Doncic to the floor with a shot to the back. Doncic confronted Dunn, who shoved the ball into Doncic’s chest before Lakers center Jaxson Hayes pushed Dunn from behind. Dunn swung at Hayes and received the ejection; Hayes was hit with a technical foul.
Doncic set the tone early, drilling his first five three-point attempts and scoring 20 points in the opening eight minutes after missing 17 of 22 shots from deep over his previous two contests. Throughout the night he traded words and staredowns with the Clippers’ bench, continuing a light-hearted rivalry that began before his offseason move across town.
Source: ESPN
