In the final minutes of the Lakers’ 135-118 win against the Clippers, Kris Dunn and Luka Doncic got into a heated verbal confrontation that eventually resulted in Dunn pushing Doncic away. Jaxson Hayes, Doncic’s teammate, also involved himself in the situation and pushed Dunn in return, who shoved him as well before officials intervened.
The play was assessed as two separate technical fouls on Kris Dunn, for pushing Doncic and Hayes, resulting in his ejection from the game. Hayes was also assessed a technical foul for getting involved in this incident, but Doncic did not face any action, as he did not use his hands.
THE BATTLE OF LA IS GETTING CHIPPY 🍿 pic.twitter.com/g4vcLMyOWe
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) November 26, 2025
Kris Dunn finished the game with 19 points, three steals, and one assist while shooting 61.5% from the field. The Lakers looked like they were cruising to a victory against the Clippers in their NBA Cup fixture tonight after a strong third quarter. But the Clippers made a run and cut the lead to single digits on multiple occasions in the fourth quarter before this incident.
However, the Lakers’ consistency in scoring did not allow them to complete the comeback. The big three of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves played exceptionally well in this game, as all of them scored above 25 points in this game.
Doncic finished the game with 43 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists while shooting 58.3% from the three-point line. He scored 32 of his 43 points in the first half itself, tying Allen Iverson for the sixth-most 30-point halves in the NBA since 1996-97. Austin Reaves had 31 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals in this game while shooting 68.8% from the field.
LeBron James ended the game with 25 points, six rebounds, six assists, one block, and one steal to stuff the box score. He shot an incredibly efficient 60% from the field (9-of-15) and 40% from the three-point line (2-of-5).
But the star players for the Clippers had relatively slower nights. While the Lakers’ defense was only focused on James Harden, Kawhi Leonard failed to capitalize.
Leonard finished the game with 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists while shooting only 20% from the three-point line. Meanwhile, Harden had 29 points, nine assists, and five rebounds, but he struggled to shoot from the three-point line (3-of-12 for the game) and shot 42.9% from the field.
To be fair, this game lacked defense on both ends, as even the Clippers got going well in the first half, which ended 66-69 in the Lakers’ favor. Clippers’ role players: John Collins, Kris Dunn, Kobe Brown, and Nicolas Batum combined for 13-of-15 from the floor in the first half alone, while shooting 7-of-7 from the three-point line
But clearly, this fight shows that this rivalry means something significant to the players even today. The Lakers have qualified for the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup with this win (3-0 record) and have their eyes set on going to Las Vegas eventually to win the Cup as well.
