LOS ANGELES – The Lakers’ first game of the season with a fully healthy roster on Friday night against the Clippers provided all the glimmers of optimism a stakeholder could hope for.
It also highlighted some of their biggest concerns.
The good for the Lakers in their 125-122 win over the Clippers: Luka Dončić’s hot start and the offense that looked dominant for a long time.
Furthermore, the starting lineup of Dončić, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, LeBron James and Deandre Ayton seemed like a natural fit.
But the concerns remained the same, with the Lakers defense struggling to get stops for long stretches.
But they got the most important one of the evening Crypto.com Arena when Nic Batum missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer while the Lakers maintained a 3-point lead, their margin of victory.
Dončić led the Lakers with 38 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. Reaves added a whopping 29 points and six rebounds in his first game since December, while LeBron James had a double-double of 13 points and 11 assists.
What it means
The Lakers improved to 34-21, including 16-10 at home.
The Clippers (27-29) missed an opportunity to improve to .500 for the first time since early November.
Turning point: Kawhi Leonard’s exit
Leonard was ruled out late in the fourth quarter due to left ankle soreness.
The Lakers took a 112–109 lead after Dončić made a moving 3, which led to Clippers coach Ty Lue calling a timeout with 5:11 to go.
But when the game resumed, Lue no longer had his best player on the floor, causing a significant portion of the Clippers’ offensive juice to evaporate.
The Lakers led the rest of the way.
Leonard led the Clippers with 31 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Benn Mathurin, who scored a career-high 38 points in Thursday’s home win over the Nuggets, scored 26 points off the bench but fouled out at the 1:49 mark.
MVP: Luka Dončić
An unconventional pick by Marcus Smart, who made a pair of clutch 3s and a midrange jumper, was close.
But the way Dončić started the game – 17 points and four assists in the first quarter – and finished with 12 points in the fourth sealed his case.
Dončić’s 22 points in the first half marked his league-leading 28th half of the season with 20 or more points.
Game stat: 54.8%
That was the Lakers’ three-point percentage against the Clippers, their second-highest percentage deep in a game this season.
Dončić led the Lakers with 8 of 14 shooting on 3s, while Reaves shot 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Their season-high 3-point percentage remains at 55.9%, as they made 19 of 34 3s in the Jan. 13 win over the Hawks.
Next
The Lakers will host the Celtics in the nationally televised game on NBC/Peacock on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
The team will unveil the Pat Riley statue prior to the game against the Lakers’ longtime rivals.
The Clippers also remain in Southern California, hosting the Magic on Sunday night at the Intuit Dome.
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