The LA Clippers returned home from their road trip to pull off a dramatic 111-110 victory over the LA Lakers.
Game Summary
In the grand scheme of things, the first half between the Lakers and the Clippers was a mere formality. The game was close and the Clippers went into the break with a 60-54 lead.
For most of the season the third quarter has been a strong period for the Clippers and this game was no different. Sparked by Reggie Jackson who had 12 points in the third quarter, the Clippers built their lead to as many as 17 points before going into the final period with a 94-82 lead.
The fourth quarter was when the Lakers started to come alive and the Clippers went away from what was working. They allowed the Lakers to dictate the tempo and saw their lead get whittled down little by little. The all-bench lineup that played well in the first half was unable to halt the Lakers momentum which was sparked by Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and Malik Monk.
The offensive droughts that have plagued the Clippers before showed up once again at the beginning of the fourth quarter. They went scoreless for the first six minutes of the quarter until Serge Ibaka was fouled and was able to sink both his free throws after the Lakers had pulled to within 94-90.
Each time the Clippers looked like they might regain some control, the Lakers would hit some timely three-point shots to keep them in the game setting the scene for a dramatic finish.
A Russell Westbrook jumper put the Lakers up 105-104 until Jackson answered right back with a drive to put the Clippers back up 106-105.
With 28.1 seconds left in the game, Monk would knock down a three-point shot from the top of the arc. The Clippers would have an answer yet again. All game long, Jackson had been able to get downhill and attack the Lakers guards. On the ensuing play, he did just that, kicked the ball out to Luke Kennard who dumped it off to Marcus Morris Sr in the corner who, after some slight hesitation, drained the three to give the Clippers a 109-108 lead with 18 seconds left in the game.
The dramatics didn’t end there, however. The Lakers executed perfectly out of the timeout to get Davis a quick lob with about 12 seconds left. That was when Jackson would come to the rescue as he’s done many times before for this team.
He coolly and calmly dribbled up court with a skip in his step, got past his defender as he’d done all game, saw the opening in the lane, and flipped in a layup with 4.1 seconds left giving the Clippers a 111-110 lead.
The Lakers would have one final chance to win the game but Davis’ floater rimmed in and out.
Notes
- The Clippers got some updates today on their injured stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. George is scheduled to have an MRI on Feb. 24 for his elbow and Tyronn Lue mentioned postgame that it’s unlikely that Leonard returns at all. When asked to clarify his comments, he said he’s hopeful that Leonard would be able to play at some point but that he’s not a doctor and that you never know. In any case, we shouldn’t expect to see either of them anytime soon.