Lakers Battle Back, Claim OT Win Over Clippers

In a game that both sides controlled for critical stretches and have a right to feel never should have gone to overtime, it was the Lakers who were the last team standing in their battle with the cross-town Clippers, fending them off in the extra frame to claim the 130-125 victory. The win snaps the Clippers 11 game regular season win streak in their matchups, and lifts the Lakers to 3-2 to push them over .500 for the first time in this young regular season.

Neither team came into this game at full strength, with the Clippers dealing with the aftereffects of their trade for James Harden (who was on the bench, but unavailable to play) and the Lakers suddenly down four rotation players as Rui Hachimura (concussion protocol) and Gabe Vincent (knee swelling) joined Jared Vanderbilt (bursitis) on the injury report, and then Taurean Prince a late scratch after feeling soreness in his knee during pregame warmups.

Down so much of their forward rotation, the Lakers leaned heavily on their superstar front court duo and to great results.

LeBron James offered up a brilliant all-around performance, notching a near triple-double with 35 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and a steal in his 42 and a half minutes of game action. LeBron connected on 13 of his 19 attempts from the field, and was especially potent with his jumper, canning half of his eight attempts from distance and making several other long two-pointers as the Clippers tried to pack the paint to protect against his drives.

And while LeBron was great throughout this one, he saved his best for the 4th quarter when the Lakers completed their comeback to take control of the game and put the Clippers back on their heels. Bron scored 12 points while playing nearly the entire period, torching the Clippers’ pick-and-roll defense with downhill drives into the paint when big man Ivica Zubac played in his drop coverage and then canning jumpers when he switched out onto him on the perimeter.

Before the 4th quarter could belong to James, though, the 3rd would belong to Antony Davis, whose own performance should not be overshadowed by James’ extraordinary night. AD would score 12 of his 25 points in the 3rd quarter, helping the Lakers claw back into the contest after entering the period down double digits.

Davis was a monster all night on both ends, defending all over the court and doing it masterfully. With the team’s forward depth compromised, Davis was deployed onto the perimeter more often in two (and sometimes three) big lineups, showing off the type of defensive versatility that few players his size possess. Expertly protecting the basket on one possession only to have to cover the wing on the next, Davis finished the night with four blocks and two steals, to go along with his 10 rebounds (six defensive, four offensive).

While Davis and James did damage from the front court, they were well supported from the backcourt as both D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves played critical roles as well. Russell had his second consecutive strong game with a 27 point and six assist outing on 10-19 shooting (3-7 from behind the arc). Russell joined AD in having his most impactful stretch in the 3rd quarter, matching AD’s 12 points in the period, with several makes coming in the paint on smart cuts and nifty finishes around the basket.

As for Reaves, after looking like his early season struggles might continue, he was able to push through his challenges and find his rhythm right as the team needed him most. It began with a flicker in the 3rd quarter where Austin was able to get into the flow of the offense by running some pick-and-rolls and finding some space against the Clippers defense in order to create shots for himself and teammates.

And then in the OT, Reaves would really make his mark, scoring seven of his 15 points in those extra five minutes, knocking down two of his three attempts from the field and all three of his free throws, while also forcing a critical steal and then setting up LeBron for what looked to be a dagger lob in transition to put them up by five with just over a couple of minutes left in the game.

Of course, as it had been all night, this game was not quite as over as it would have seemed.

Led by Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers continued to battle back as their All-Star forward hit big shots of his own that kept the game close. A deep three and a later and-1 finish inside were part of a 38-point night from Leonard that were key in giving the Clips a chance to recapture a game that they held such tight control of early. This level of play in the OT, when combined with Paul George’s 4th quarter exploits — PG scored 20 of his 35 in the period — gave this game the type of special feel that you rarely get in a random regular season game, particularly one this early in the season.

But while the Clippers showed their mettle to come back after the Lakers seized the game back from them, it was the home team’s late game exploits and their own resolve that won the day. The combination of their collective size with LeBron, AD, and another big game from Christian Wood defensively and on the backboards, and their skill guards finding their collective shot making at just the right time proved to be too much and secured them a wonderful win.

After three games in four nights and back-to-back wins, the Lakers will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Orlando for a rematch with the Magic where they will look to keep their momentum going.