LeBron James scored 26 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and made nine assists, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a dominant 122-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in Inglewood, Calif.
With Luka Dončić out due to a calf injury after being traded to the Lakers from the Dallas Mavericks, the team got solid performances from Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, who each scored 20 points. Reaves also added nine assists. The Lakers pushed the tempo, building a lead as large as 24 points in the first half.
The Lakers shot 55.6% from the field and 48.6% from beyond the arc, making up for defensive gaps left by the absence of Anthony Davis and Max Christie, who were both traded to the Mavericks.
For the Clippers, Norman Powell led with 20 points, while Derrick Jones Jr. added 17. Kawhi Leonard scored just 11 points in 22 minutes of play in his 12th game this season after recovering from a knee injury. Newcomers Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills made their Clippers debuts in the fourth quarter, combining for two points on four shots.
The Lakers quickly gained a 10-point lead about 9 1/2 minutes into the game and finished the first quarter up 45-29. By halftime, they had stretched their lead to 73-50.
The Clippers managed to cut the Lakers’ lead to 13 points early in the third quarter, but the Lakers responded with a 7-0 run, pushing the lead back to 20. With 8:56 left in the game, back-to-back 3-pointers from rookie Dalton Knecht and Hachimura made it 105-78, and the Lakers cruised to their ninth win in the last 11 games.
Lakers rookie Bronny James played the final six minutes, scoring three points and hitting his first NBA 3-pointer with 4:37 left in the game.
After losing 11 straight games to the Clippers through the end of the 2022-23 season, the Lakers have now won four of the past six matchups against their crosstown rivals.
