LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers
· National Basketball AssociationJames' layup late lifts Lakers past Clippers, 103-101
They knocked it off with time to spare.
Anthony Davis scored 34 points, James had the go-ahead basket with 12.8 seconds left and the Lakers moved closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs by topping the Los Angeles Clippers 103-101 on Thursday night in the second game of the NBA's re-opening doubleheader.
James had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to help the Lakers move 6 1/2 games ahead of the Clippers in the West with seven games remaining. Kyle Kuzma added 16 points.
"It felt like a real game to me, two teams battling. ... Can't complain for the first game," Davis said.
Paul George had 30 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 28 for the Clippers, who had an 11-point lead midway through the third in a game with deep ebbs and flows. The Clippers got that lead after a 26-5 run; the Lakers immediately rebutted with a 36-14 run to reclaim control.
And it still came down to the final moments.
George's 3-pointer with 1:50 left cut the Lakers' lead to 99-98. James muscled his way to a layup on the next possession, and then George hit another 3 to tie the game at 101 with 29 seconds remaining.
Thursday marked the NBA's first game action in 141 days, the league getting back to work after the coronavirus pandemic forced a shutdown.
But for a stretch that basically spanned a full quarter, spanning the second and third periods, the Lakers couldn't make a shot. They went 1 for 10 to end the half, then 0 for 9 to start the third and the Clippers took advantage.
They turned a 50-40 deficit into a 66-55 edge in the third. And then it was the Lakers' turn to rally, slicing the Clippers' lead to 77-76 going into the fourth.
"It was a good game," Leonard said. "Still had fun out there. It was great to be back on the floor."
TIP-INS
Lakers: The Lakers got to the 50-win mark for the 33rd time in franchise history, and this is the 12th time that James has helped a team get to that many wins in his 17 seasons. ... James' 3-pointer with 8:30 left extended his NBA record of consecutive regular-season games with at least 10 points to 989.
CELEB ROW
UP NEXT
Clippers: New Orleans on Saturday.
Lakers: Toronto on Saturday.
---
Regular Season Series
Series tied 2-2
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 101 - 103 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 101 - 103 |
| 4th 0.3 |  |
Clippers offensive team rebound | 101 - 103 |
| 4th 1.6 | |
Paul George misses 27-foot three point pullup jump shot | 101 - 103 |
| 4th 12.8 |  |
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope enters the game for Danny Green | 101 - 103 |
Statistics
 LAC |
 LAL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 32-74 | FG | 32-82 |
| 43 | Field Goal % | 39 |
| 16-36 | 3PT | 11-36 |
| 44 | Three Point % | 31 |
| 21-28 | FT | 28-37 |
| 75 | Free Throw % | 76 |
| 55 | Rebounds | 53 |
| 4 | Offensive Rebounds | 11 |
| 32 | Defensive Rebounds | 34 |
| 17 | Assists | 21 |
| 6 | Steals | 6 |
| 5 | Blocks | 3 |
| 20 | Turnovers | 16 |
| 2 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 22 | Total Turnovers | 16 |
| 2 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 2 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 14 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 29 |
| 8 | Fast Break Points | 9 |
| 24 | Points in Paint | 40 |
| 30 | Fouls | 27 |
| 11 | Largest Lead | 13 |
Los Angeles Lakers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Reaves, G | Out | Apr 25 |
| Luka Doncic, G | Out | Apr 21 |
LA Clippers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Yanic Konan Niederhauser, C | Out | Mar 5 |
| Bradley Beal, G | Out | Nov 12 |
Game Information
Location: Lake Buena Vista, FL
Capacity:
2025-26 Pacific Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 LA Lakers |
53 | 29 | .646 | - | W3 |
 Phoenix |
45 | 37 | .549 | 8 | W1 |
 LA Clippers |
42 | 40 | .512 | 11 | W1 |
 Golden State |
37 | 45 | .451 | 16 | L3 |
 Sacramento |
22 | 60 | .268 | 31 | L1 |
NBA News
Wolves lose Edwards, DiVincenzo to first-half injuries in Game 4
Wolves star Anthony Edwards left Saturday's Game 4 with an apparent hyperextension of his left knee, and Donte DiVincenzo also left after suffering a noncontact injury to his leg.
Karl-Anthony Towns' triple-double helps Knicks even series
Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his first playoff triple-double to help the Knicks even the series with the Hawks with a 114-98 win in Game 4.
Towns has a triple-double and the Knicks beat the Hawks 114-98 to tie the series at 2-2
— Karl-Anthony Towns had his first postseason triple-double, OG Anunoby scored 22 points and the New York Knicks recovered after back-to-back losses to beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-98 on Saturday night, tying the Eastern Conference playoff series at 2-2.