LOS ANGELES — The Lakers played their first game of the season with a fully healthy lineup against the Clippers on Friday night, and it brought some much-needed hope for fans and officials alike.
However, it also shone a light on some worrying issues.
The Lakers clinched a closely contested 125-122 win, bolstered by Luka Doncic’s impressive performance and a spell of dominant offensive play.
The starting lineup of Doncic, Austin Reeves, Marcus Smart, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton appeared to mesh well together.
Yet, defensive lapses persisted, raising concerns about their ability to consistently stop the opposition.
Most importantly, as the game wound down at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers maintained their slim lead when Nic Batum missed a potential equalizing three-pointer.
Doncic topped the scoring chart with 38 points, alongside 11 assists and six rebounds. Reeves contributed an efficient 29 points and six rebounds in his first game back in the starting five since December, while LeBron delivered a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.
what it means
With this victory, the Lakers improved to 34-21, marking a solid 16-10 record at home.
The Clippers, now at 27-29, missed the opportunity to reach a .500 record for the first time since early November.
Turning point: Kawhi Leonard’s departure
Kawhi Leonard had to leave the game late in the fourth quarter due to some pain in his left ankle.
After Doncic hit a three-pointer, the Lakers took a 112-109 lead, prompting Clippers coach Ty Lue to call a timeout with about 5 minutes left.
Unfortunately for the Clippers, they were unable to get their star players back on the court immediately, leading to a loss of some offensive momentum.
From there on, the Lakers held onto the lead.
Leonard finished the game with 31 points, five assists, and four rebounds for the Clippers.
Ben Maturin tied his career high with 38 points in the previous game against the Nuggets, scoring 26 off the bench, but fouled out late in that match.
MVP: Luka Doncic
Originally, there was some debate over the selection of Marcus Smart, who had crucial contributions during the game.
But Doncic’s performance — featuring 17 points and four assists in the first quarter, plus 12 points in the fourth quarter — solidified his claim to the MVP title.
He finished the game with a total of 38 points, scoring 22 in the first half and another 28 in the second half, leading the league with more than 20 points per game this season.
Game status: 54.8%
This game marked the Lakers’ second-best three-point shooting percentage against the Clippers this season.
Doncic shot 8-of-14 from beyond the arc, while Reeves was impressively 4-of-5.
Reeves’s season-high three-point percentage remains at 55.9%, which he achieved by making 19 of 34 in a win over the Hawks earlier this season.
to the next
The Lakers are set to host the Celtics on Sunday at 3:30 p.m., with the game being televised nationally on NBC/Peacock.
A statue of Pat Riley will also be unveiled before this matchup against their long-time rivals.
Meanwhile, the Clippers will stay in Southern California, where they’ll host the Magic at Intuit Dome on Sunday night.
