LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Los Angeles Clippers came into Crypto.com Arena on Friday night fresh off a thrilling 115-114 win over the Denver Nuggets less than 24 hours earlier, but on the second night of a back-to-back they ran into a Los Angeles Lakers team that had its full star trio together for just the 11th time this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Clippers came up just short, falling 125-122 in a game that came down to the final seconds.<\/p>\n
Luka Doncic, returning from a four-game absence due to a mildly strained hamstring, looked like he never missed a beat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He scored 17 first-quarter points with four three-pointers and finished with 38 points and 11 assists while Austin Reaves added 29 and LeBron James chipped in 13 points and 11 assists for the Lakers (34-21).<\/p>\n
Leonard, Collins Go Down With Injuries<\/p>\n
Despite the firepower on the other side, the Clippers (27-29) more than held their own thanks to Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists this season.<\/p>\n
Leonard answered a quiet first quarter with a 19-point second and finished with 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting before leaving with 5:10 remaining due to left ankle soreness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bennedict Mathurin was just as good in his second straight big game, scoring 26 points with seven rebounds after dropping a career-high-tying 38 against Denver the night before, though he fouled out with 1:49 left.<\/p>\n
The Clippers also lost John Collins in the first half after he bloodied his face on a hard landing while going up for a long pass at the rim. Collins had 12 points in 16 minutes, and Lue said postgame that Collins was still being evaluated.<\/p>\n
Foul Baiting Frustrates Both Sides<\/p>\n
Lue was not shy about sharing his frustrations with the officiating, pointing directly at the Lakers for what he felt was constant foul baiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“When you’re foul baiting the whole game, we run into it every night, it’s tough,” Lue told reporters after the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“These guys are already great players, and so it’s just tough to stop them at that point.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bennedict Mathurin seemed to echo everyone else’s frustration on the loss against the Lakers:<\/p>\n
“It’s hard. Trying to play hard and the game kinda stops on one side of the court, one side more than the other.” pic.twitter.com\/n8vTVED9zI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) February 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Doncic went 8-of-11 from the line and Reaves was a perfect 7-for-7, with the Lakers shooting 20-of-25 as a team.<\/p>\n The Clippers were no strangers to the stripe either, going 24-of-29 from the charity line.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mathurin, who was attacking the basket all night, shot 11-of-14 from the line before his sixth foul ended his evening.<\/p>\n Clippers Nearly Force Overtime<\/p>\n The Lakers blew a 15-point second-half lead, and the Clippers fought all the way back.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the Lakers holding a three-point lead in the closing seconds, Nicolas Batum stole LeBron’s inbounds pass and got an open look from three to tie it, but the shot rimmed out as time expired.<\/p>\n Lue walked away from the loss pointing to the fight his group showed on a back-to-back against a fully loaded opponent.\u00a0<\/p>\n “You saw it. That’s who we are,” Lue told me.<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t even get my full question out.<\/p>\n But here is Ty Lue\u2019s full postgame presser. \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n He was VERY frustrated.<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t look like a fu***ing team that\u2019s trying to lose to me.\u201d \ud83d\udc40 pic.twitter.com\/fWfBHnaPEl<\/a><\/p>\n