Shorthanded Lakers grind out victory vs. Clippers for fifth straight win

Shorthanded Lakers grind out victory vs. Clippers for fifth straight win

With both Rui Hachimura out and Austin Reaves leaving the game early, the Lakers were forced to gut out a win on the second night of a back-to-back against the Clippers.

Down multiple starters, the Lakers gritted out a win for their fifth straight victory on Friday, knocking off the Clippers, 106-102.

LeBron James ended with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Luka Dončić scored 31 points on 9-22 shooting as he continued to struggle.

Austin Reaves ended with six points after leaving the game with right calf soreness and just nine minutes of play. He joined Rui Hachimura on the injury report as he was ruled out before the game.

Trey Jemison III ended with five points and six rebounds. Jordan Goodwin had six points to go with his five rebounds, two assists and three steals. Dalton Knecht went 2-3 from behind the arc, pitching in with eight points. Gabe Vincent had seven points, three assists and four steals.

The Lakers started the game off playing like a team on the second night of a back-to-back. They missed their shots, couldn’t defend well and let the Clippers jump to a 10-point lead, forcing a timeout for the Lakers.

LeBron had not taken a shot until he put up a 3-pointer and missed. He rectified that by making his second attempt. Luka still couldn’t find his stroke from behind the arc. The Lakers struggled to grab rebounds, allowing the Clippers more scoring opportunities.

Luka knocked down his first 3-pointer on his fourth attempt. After cooking so early, the Clippers’ offense started failing them and the Lakers took full advantage of the opportunity to battle back into the game.

At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by only one.

The second quarter began with LeBron creating contact with the opportunity for a three-point play. Gabe’s first points came with him taking the ball down the lane for a layup. Trey and Jordan put in quality minutes with their defense and scoring.

Both teams were cooking offensively with the Lakers keeping a small lead. LeBron took charge in this quarter, scoring all over the floor. Dalton saw his first minutes and drained a pair of 3-pointers, forcing the Clippers to call a timeout.

Out of the break, Kris Dunn stole the ball from Luka for a dunk, then drained a 3-pointer as well. The Clippers collapsed on defense for an easy wide-open dunk for Trey. After it became a single-digit lead, the Lakers answered the Clippers’ mini-run and made it a double-digit lead again.

Jordan then stole the ball from former Laker Ivicia Zubac and scored on a layup.

James Harden knocked down one of his stepback 3-pointers. The Clippers cut the Lakers’ 10-point lead in half with two minutes left in the quarter.

Luka stole the ball from the Clippers and threw it to Dorian Finney-Smith for a two-handed dunk. After struggling in the first quarter, LeBron and Luka were now in double digits.

At halftime, a big-time block by Jaxson helped keep the Lakers in front by five.