Norman Powell scored 22 points, James Harden recorded a double-double with 21 points and 12 assists, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Lakers 116-102 on Sunday night in the Lakers’ first visit to the new Intuit Dome. The Clippers secured their third consecutive victory, dominating much of the game against their crosstown rivals.
Kawhi Leonard added 19 points, including a personal eight-point run in the third quarter that helped him surpass 14,000 career points. Ivica Zubac anchored the interior with 21 points and a dominant 19 rebounds. Leonard, still on a minutes restriction, played 24 minutes but did not appear in the fourth quarter.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 25 points and 11 assists, while Rui Hachimura added 19 points off the bench. Anthony Davis returned to the lineup after missing the previous game due to plantar fasciitis and contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds. However, the Lakers’ two-game winning streak came to an end as they failed to recover from a slow start.
The Clippers established control early, outscoring the Lakers 32-23 in the second quarter to take a 64-49 halftime lead, shooting 58% from the field in the process. Despite a spirited 13-2 run to close the third quarter, highlighted by 11 straight points for the Lakers and energized by their fans, the deficit proved too large to overcome.Â
The Clippers maintained their advantage and held off any comeback attempts in the final period. The Lakers could simply not compete with the Clippers’ balanced attack, and we have a grade for every one of the Purple and Gold players who made the court tonight.Â
LeBron James: B+
Stats: 25 PTS, 5 REB (2 OREB, 3 DREB), 11 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 5 TO, 3 PF, 9-20 FG, 2-6 3PT, 5-6 FT, -3, 35 MIN
LeBron James led the Lakers with 25 points and 11 assists, showcasing his playmaking skills. However, his five turnovers and 9-of-20 shooting efficiency detracted slightly from his overall impact. Despite the loss, LeBron’s effort and leadership kept the Lakers competitive but it wasn’t enough to get him more than a B+.Â
Rui Hachimura: B+
Stats: 19 PTS, 7 REB (1 OREB, 6 DREB), 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 PF, 9-14 FG, 1-3 3PT, 0-1 FT, -13, 33 MIN
Rui Hachimura scored 19 points on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds. While his offensive output was strong, his defensive impact was limited, and he finished with a -13 rating in a tough matchup. We still cannot deny that Hachimura was effective offensively on a night when most struggled.Â
Anthony Davis: B
Stats: 16 PTS, 10 REB (1 OREB, 9 DREB), 3 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK, 3 TO, 1 PF, 5-14 FG, 0-1 3PT, 6-6 FT, -18, 37 MIN
Anthony Davis returned to the lineup with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) and added 3 blocks. However, his 5-of-14 shooting and -18 plus/minus highlighted struggles with efficiency and maintaining a defensive presence against the Clippers’ big men. The big man looked slightly off the pace and was not up to his usual MVP level of play.Â
Austin Reaves: C+
Stats: 14 PTS, 2 REB (0 OREB, 2 DREB), 3 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 5 TO, 1 PF, 4-6 FG, 2-4 3PT, 4-4 FT, -16, 34 MIN
Austin Reaves contributed 14 points on efficient shooting (4-of-6 FG, 2-of-4 3PT) but struggled with turnovers (5) and defense, resulting in a -16 rating in 34 minutes. The Lakers desperately needed Reaves to be more aggressive against the Clippers but the shooting guard was not up to it in the matchup.Â
Max Christie: C+
Stats: 10 PTS, 1 REB (0 OREB, 1 DREB), 1 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 1 PF, 4-7 FG, 2-4 3PT, 0-0 FT, -23, 23 MIN
Max Christie provided 10 points and a block in his 23 minutes but had minimal contributions in other areas, finishing with a -23 rating, indicative of the Lakers’ defensive struggles while he was on the floor. Not the best night from Christie but not his worst this season.Â
Dalton Knecht: C+
Stats: 10 PTS, 4 REB (0 OREB, 4 DREB), 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 3 PF, 3-4 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT, +3, 16 MIN
Dalton Knecht scored 10 points in just 16 minutes, shooting an efficient 3-of-4 FG and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. While he made the most of his limited time, his impact on defense was minimal and he gets a C+ as a result.Â
Jaxson Hayes: C
Stats: 4 PTS, 2 REB (0 OREB, 2 DREB), 2 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 PF, 2-2 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, +4, 13 MIN
Jaxson Hayes had 4 points and 2 rebounds in 13 minutes. Although he was perfect from the field (2-of-2), his limited playing time and lack of defensive presence capped his impact.
Gabe Vincent: C
Stats: 4 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 2 PF, 2-5 FG, 0-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, 0, 23 MIN
Gabe Vincent scored 4 points but went 0-for-3 from three-point range in 23 minutes. His limited playmaking and defensive contributions left room for improvement.
Dorian Finney-Smith: C-
Stats: 0 PTS, 1 REB (0 OREB, 1 DREB), 3 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 2 PF, 0-3 FG, 0-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, -6, 22 MIN
Dorian Finney-Smith once again struggled offensively, going scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting. While he added 3 assists and a steal, his -6 rating reflected a lack of influence on the game.
Christian Koloko: N/A
Stats: 0 PTS, 1 REB (1 OREB, 0 DREB), 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 PF, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, +1, 2 MIN
Christian Koloko played only 2 minutes, grabbing an offensive rebound but missing his lone shot attempt. He does not get a grade for his performance as a result.Â
Bronny James: N/A
Stats: 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 PF, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, +1, 2 MIN
Bronny saw 2 minutes of action but did not record any stats so he does not get a score for his performance.Â
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
