Clippers vs. Lakers: Score and Twitter Reaction from Christmas Day 2016

The standings tell a different story, but the Los Angeles Lakers were kings of the city Sunday with a 111-102 victory over the Clippers.

The Lakers used a 34-16 advantage in the third quarter to spearhead the effort and staved off a charge in the fourth. The Lakers moved to 12-22 and snapped a four-game losing streak and stretch of 12 losses in 13 tries, while the Clippers dropped to 22-10.

The win also ended an 11-game losing streak for the Lakers in the intercity battle.

While the Lakers will take the win given their recent struggles, the Clippers were significantly undermanned. Chris Paul was ruled out before the game, and Blake Griffin is still out with a knee injury. Further, J.J. Redick was ruled out for the remainder of the contest in the second half with a sore hamstring.

Still, Redick tied for the game high with 22 points behind 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Jamal Crawford poured in 22 points off the bench, and Marreese Speights chipped in 15.

All five starters and seven Lakers in total scored in double figures, led by 19 each from Nick Young and Timofey Mozgov. D'Angelo Russell added 14, while Julius Randle and Luol Deng each scored 13.

The Clippers controlled the early going and extended a 12-8 lead to 29-18 with a Redick layup. However, the Lakers ended the first quarter on a 9-2 run to pull within 31-27 despite 12 first-quarter points from Redick.

Eight different Lakers scored in the opening 12 minutes.

The teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle for most of the second quarter, with neither side seizing momentum. Redick made it 54-46 with a three-pointer, but the Purple and Gold again closed a quarter in impressive fashion and trimmed the halftime deficit to 58-55.

Young had 11 points at the half, while Redick had 19.

NBA analyst Nate Duncan took note of the Clippers sharpshooter:

Despite never leading in the first half, the Lakers came out flying with a 13-0 run to start the third quarter. Russell drilled a three-pointer to give his team a 66-58 lead, and Mozgov capped the spurt with two free throws.

Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reacted to the Clippers' struggles:

The Lakers limited the Clippers to one shot on many offensive possessions and blew things open with a Young three-pointer and steal-and-dunk from Randle:

The spurt made it 83-67 and extended the Lakers' third-quarter advantage to 28-9. It ended at 34-16, giving the home team an 89-74 lead.

Lucas Hann of SB Nation looked at things from the Clippers' perspective:

"

That was a 9-minute nightmare, and the players felt just as stuck in it as we did.

— Lucas Hann (@LucasJHann) December 26, 2016"

The Clippers would not go quietly.

Austin Rivers and Speights drilled three-pointers early in the fourth and cut the deficit to single digits at 89-80. Five combined free throws from Crawford and Speights extended the Clippers' run to 11-0 before Lou Williams stopped it with a free throw.

Despite the Clippers' momentum, Russell hit a three, and Brandon Ingram scored to push a 94-90 lead back to nine. Two straight baskets from Williams gave the Lakers a double-digit advantage again.

Woike added:

The Lakers put things on cruise control from there and clinched the Christmas Day victory.

Postgame Reaction

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters he "doubts Chris Paul plays tomorrow."

Redick described his hamstring as "mild, day-to-day."

Lakers head coach Luke Walton discussed the third quarter, telling reporters: "We came out ready, locked in. We did a much better job of taking away easy baskets."

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News noted that "Brandon Ingram loved [that] the Clippers tried [to] be physical with him. He made it a point to stand up to it." He scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds.

What's Next?

The Lakers' next four games are at home against the Jazz, Mavericks, Raptors and Grizzlies. While they aren't realistic playoff contenders, the Lakers will look to build off Sunday's result.

The Clippers face the Nuggets and Pelicans, who are a combined 23-39, in their next two games.