Clippers vs. Lakers score: Live updates, analysis as NBA season restarts from Disney bubble

The Lakers and Clippers came into Thursday having already fought three heavyweight bouts, but Round 4 was the closest one yet. The Lakers opened up a 13-point lead in the first quarter, but the Clippers fought back to build a lead of their own. Anthony Davis owned the third quarter, and finished with 34 points of his own, but the night belonged to LeBron James. 

Despite struggling his way to 6-of-19 shooting, James hit the game-winning runner after rebounding his own miss. He then proceeded to defend Kawhi Leonard on the final possession well enough to force a pass, and then switched on Paul George to contest his game-winning attempt. When the final buzzer sounded, it was 103-101 Lakers. 

The two best teams in the Western Conference have now played four times, and they’ve split the matchups 2-2. The Clippers have outscored the Lakers by only four in those matchups. These teams are as close as it comes, and now that their regular-season battles are in the books, they have a few months to prepare for what should be an inevitable Western Conference Finals matchup.