Los Angeles Lakers (34-21) beat LA the Clippers (27-29) 125-122 at home on Friday, February 20 in a game that stayed within 11 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers had the better start, winning the first 41-30 to lead by 11 after one. The Clippers cut into the deficit with a 35-31 second quarter, though the Lakers still led by 7 at halftime.
The Clippers won the third 30-27 to stay in front, taking a 4-point lead into the fourth. The Clippers took the fourth 27-26; the Lakers held on for a 125-122 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Lakers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.7% of possessions compared with 15.9% for the Clippers. The Lakers got more from their shots, finishing at 61.8% effective field-goal shooting compared with 59.8% for the Clippers. In a 3-point game, those extra possessions were crucial.
The Clippers did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 27% against 13.5%. The Lakers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 122.7 points per 100 possessions to 119.7 for the Clippers.
Who made the difference
Luka Doncic was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 38 pts, 6 reb, 11 ast, 3 stl on 11-25 shooting. His Game Score of 34.1 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 31 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast on 11-19 shooting, good for a 21.8 Game Score.
LeBron James (13 pts, 3 reb, 11 ast), Luka Doncic (38 pts, 6 reb, 11 ast), and Brook Lopez (16 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 58% for the Lakers.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Los Angeles Lakers lead 4-3.
The Lakers are now 34-21, and the Clippers are 27-29. The Lakers last five before this game: W-W-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.