The Los Angeles Lakers returned home on Tuesday night to host the L.A. Clippers as part of Emirates NBA Cup group play.
The Lakers had a chance to secure their group and advance to the knockout stage—and they delivered, defeating the Clippers 135-118 to improve to 13-4 on the season, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Despite the star-studded rosters, role players kicked off the scoring, with Rui Hachimura and Kris Dunn contributing five early points each. The stars then took over as Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard each hit three-pointers.
Doncic, guarded by James Harden, went on the attack, scoring eight straight points to force a Clippers timeout. He finished the first quarter with 24 points. However, the Lakers struggled defensively as Harden beat the buzzer to give the Clippers a 38-37 lead.
With Doncic on the bench at the start of the second quarter, Harden and Austin Reaves pushed the Lakers back into the lead.
When Doncic returned he earned a three-point play as Leonard picked up his third foul and went to the bench. The Clippers continued their hot shooting without him though with Harden, Dunn and John Collins keeping them afloat. Despite 32 first-half points from Doncic, the Lakers took a slim 69-66 lead into the locker room.
The Lakers began the third quarter with a quick 9-4 spurt, forcing a Clippers timeout. Harden had a nice response with two quick buckets to lead an 11-0 run though as the Lakers still couldn’t gain any separation.
James got going offensively to close the third quarter, and the Lakers took a 98-93 lead into the fourth. LeBron wasn’t done there as he kept his foot on the gas pedal to stretch the lead to 11.
At that point, the Lakers’ stars continued to pour it on with James, Reaves and Doncic dominating offensively to continue growing the lead. The Clippers didn’t have a fourth quarter comeback in them, as the Lakers would go on to cruise to victory.
The Lakers will now get to enjoy their Thanksgiving before returning to the court on Friday when they host the Dallas Mavericks in their final Emirates NBA Cup group play game. This will be Luka Doncic’s first game against his former team this season and reports indicate that Anthony Davis has a chance to return to the lineup for Dallas.