Luka Doncic and the Lakers hold off the Clippers, while Kawhi Leonard leaves late

Luka Doncic and the Lakers hold off the Clippers, while Kawhi Leonard leaves late

Doncic scores 38 points for the Lakers, who beat the Clippers 125-122 on Friday thanks to a rare partnership of James and Reaves.

Due to injuries, the trio has only played 11 games together this season, so their first game since the All-Star break is a pleasant comeback.

Despite losing Kawhi Leonard to ankle pain, the Clippers nearly completed a comeback in an exciting Crypto.com Arena game.

For the 11th time in 55 games this season, the Lakers’ Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves shared the court.

They are the Lakers’ core, the engines that propel the club forward, but health difficulties have kept them from playing together for far too long.

Doncic, Reaves, and James led the Lakers to a 125-122 victory over the Clippers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, their first game back from the All-Star break.

Doncic finished with 38 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds despite missing the previous four games due to a hamstring injury.

Reaves finished with 29 points and six rebounds and made a key defensive play late in the game. James also had 13 points and 11 assists, marking his fifth consecutive game with 10 or more assists.

With 1:49 remaining, Reaves drew a charge on Bennedict Mathurin, his sixth foul, sending him to the bench with 26 points.

Doncic converted two free throws with 21.2 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a five-point advantage.

With a 125-122 lead and the ball in the final seconds, James attempted a risky cross-court pass intended for Doncic, but Nicolas Batum intercepted it.

But Batum missed a potential tying three-pointer, and James grabbed the rebound to seal the victory.

The Lakers (34-21) started with two defenders on Kawhi Leonard, creating a mob of defenders surrounding the Clippers’ finest offensive weapon, particularly while playing zone defense.

Leonard was throwing it to the Lakers, but he departed late in the fourth quarter due to left ankle pain, finishing with 31 points on 11-for-19 shooting.

Before the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick stated that Leonard is back to his dominant form on both sides of the court.

That’s why the Lakers’ game plan focused heavily on slowing Leonard, who entered the season ranked ninth in the NBA in scoring (27.8) and tied for first in steals (2.0).

“He’s more consistently taking the tougher assignments right now, and he’s back to being just an elite two-way player on both ends of the floor,” Redick told reporters.

Leonard is a major reason why the Clippers (27-29) are still pressing forward. 500, despite trading two of its top three scorers, guard James Harden and center Ivica Zubac.

The Clippers began the season 6-21 and looked nothing like a playoff squad. But then they beat the Lakers on December 20 and were on a 21-7 run heading into Friday night’s game, bringing them within one game of. 500 during a two-month span.

Coach Tyronn Lue stated before the game that none of the Clippers had given up on the season and that they were always “playing to win” regardless of whether they had “young, old, or toddlers” on the court.

“I just feel confident,” Lue explained. “I am confident in our players, in our coaching staff, and in the environment and culture that we have established.

Why wouldn’t we want to play for the win? That is our mindset.

That’s how I feel every night. You’re playing to win, no matter how difficult the situation is or whether you start 6-21.

So we made it to the playoffs, and anything can happen. So our goal is to get to the playoffs. I don’t understand why someone would dismiss that.”