On the second night of a back-to-back, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted a familiar foe in the Crypto.com arena on Friday night. Against a fully loaded Clippers squad, including Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ben Simmons, the Lakers had their hands full defending home court and they did it very successfully.
At 32-26, the Clippers have been a tier below the Lakers all season, but they put up a fight tonight. After a 25-point first quarter, Kawhi and his team set the tone early on, but they were unable to keep up with the combined efforts of LeBron James and Luka Doncic, who carried the Lakers to the 106-102 win.
Luka Doncic had a signature offensive game with 31 points, two rebounds, and five assists on 9-22 shooting. LeBron James finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists on 12-21 shooting, while Dalton Knecht added eight points, one rebound, and one assist in 17:54 minutes off the bench.
The Clippers were led by Ivica Zubac, the guy who dropped 27 points and 16 rebounds on 86.7% shooting. Kawhi Leonard had 21 points, four rebounds, and one assist, while James Harden tallied 18 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
It was a clash of Western forces on Friday and a chance for the Lakers to see how they stack up against a fierce opponent. Once again, the Lakers answered the call thanks to several key factors that have also contributed to their recent success.
Top Duo In The NBA
Luka Doncic and LeBron James may not have the same pedigree or experience as the Jokic-Murray combo, but they have enough talent to make the Lakers a threat to beat any team in the league. We saw that tonight with both players at the top of their game for the first time since the trade.
Against the Clippers tonight, Doncic and James accounted for half of the Lakers’ points and nearly half of the team’s assists. LeBron, who finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds, shot 57.1% from the field and kept the Lakers going in the first half.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic had one of his best games yet as a Laker, scoring 31 points, two rebounds, and five assists on 40.9% shooting. While Luka is still not shooting the ball well right now, he’s impacting the game in plenty of other ways, like with his expert playmaking and ball handling.
Rotation Players Stepping Up
As Luka was struggling with his shot, and the Lakers were without Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, the team knew they had to look deep to make up for their suddenly shorthanded roster. Fortunately, a number of role-players made the difference with their toughness and playmaking the stretch.
Trey Jemison III was a pest defensively, going +19 in 22 minutes along with five points, six rebounds, and one block. Gabe Vincent also played a massive role in the win by scoring seven points and three assists off the bench. Most importantly, he tallied four steals.
Even Dalton Knecht stepped up tonight to lead the bench with eight points on 2-3 shooting from three. So, while LeBron and Luka handled the bulk of the scoring load, the supporting cast was there to provide a balanced and useful line of support.
Defense Is Not A Fluke
One of the biggest talking points after the game was the transformation of the Lakers’ defense. In less than a full season, head coach JJ Redick has transformed the Lakers into an elite defensive club, and we saw it on full display tonight.
In their latest win, the Lakers held the Clippers to 44.8% shooting and an abysmal 24.3% shooting from three. The Clippers also had 18 turnovers in the game, which turned into 25 Lakers points.
The secret to the Lakers’ success involves their abundance of wings and a well-executed game plan. They switch everything but also have a wing waiting to help by leaving certain players open from three. It’s a somewhat risky strategy, but it’s paid off for the Lakers all season long.
At this point, it’s hard to deny that the Lakers are title contenders this year. At 37-21, fourth in the West, they have been solid on both ends of the floor and have beaten plenty of good teams. With the playoffs approaching, the Lakers will soon get an opportunity to test their strength when it matters the most, but there is already major confidence among the fans that this team is ready to win it all.
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