LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Knecht Impress NBA Fans as Lakers Beat Kawhi, Clippers

The Los Angeles Lakers grabbed a 108-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, thanks to a dominant 29-point performance by Luka Doncic. 

With the win, the Lakers improved to 38-21 as the Clippers fell to 32-28, with LeBron James adding 17 points.

In addition to Doncic’s 29 points, he added six rebounds and nine assists while shooting 5-of-12 from behind the three-point line in the victory. James added five rebounds and nine assists on 6-of-17 shooting. Dalton Knecht had a standout night off the bench, contributing 19 points and two assists on 7-of-10 shooting 

On the other side of the court, Kawhi Leonard posted 33 points and 10 rebounds and James Harden added 13 points and eight assists.

Fans were impressed by Doncic, James and Knecht as they stepped up to help the Lakers grab a win over the Clippers. Their combined efforts were crucial in securing the victory and extending the Lakers' strong run.

The Lakers kicked off scoring behind a Dorian Finney-Smith three-pointer off a James assist. Doncic quickly found his groove, scoring eight points in just over two minutes in the first quarter as the Lakers took a 34-28 lead into the second quarter.

Late in the first quarter, Doncic went to the locker room after appearing to injure his right hip, having scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting. He returned to the bench just 10 minutes later.

Knecht jump-started the Lakers in the second quarter, knocking down a long step-back three-pointer that was quickly followed by another to collect six quick points. After holding the Clippers to just 15 points in the second quarter, the Lakers took a 56-43 lead into halftime. 

Out of halftime, Leonard scored back-to-back buckets for the Clippers as they started the half with a 4-0 run. James and Doncic took turns exchanging buckets, scoring six straight points for the Lakers as they entered the fourth quarter with a 12-point lead.

Despite being outscored 25-19 in the fourth, the Lakers avoided a costly defensive goaltending call that was ruled a clean block after review and the Lakers pulled off the victory against their in-town rivals.

The Lakers will look to grab their seventh straight win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at home.