The Lebron James and the Lakers rally from behind to beat the Clippers 116-112
Los Angeles Clippers #2 Kawhi Leonard right-handed hook shot over the Los Angeles Lakers #28 Rui Hachimura at the Crypto.com Arena. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Los Angeles Clippers (37-20) got sloppy in the fourth quarter and allowed the Los Angeles Lakers (32-28), down by 21 points, 98-77, to come from behind to beat them 116-112 in their last game against each other in the Crypto.com Arena.
Lebron James had 34 points, 19 in the fourth quarter, Anthony Davis with 20 points and 12 rebs, Dangelo Russell with 18 points, Rui Hachimura with 17 points, and Austin Reaves with 13 points, contributing to their amazing comeback.
"Yeah. I take responsibility, though," Lue said. "You're a leader of the team and you're up 21 points and you can't lose a game like that. And so we got to be better. But we did some good things. But just to lose a 21-point leading the fourth quarter, that's not like us. And so we got to be better in that regard.
The Clippers were without Paul George (sore right knee) and Ivica Zubac (illness) saw Kawhi Leonard score 26 points, James Harden 23 points, Terance Mann 16 points, and Norman Powell 14 points, let their lead slip away in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles Lakers #23 Lebron James is shooting a three-pointer over the Los Angeles Lakers #2 Kawhi Leonard at the Crypto.com Arena. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.
The Clippers gave 18 points to the Lakers by committing seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and were outscored 39-16.
"I mean, tonight it pretty much was on us," said Leonard. "We had control of the game pretty much throughout the three quarters and then we got pretty stagnant, turned over the ball in that second half a little bit and they capitalized on it."
"It's on all of us," said Harden. "We are in this together, you know what I mean? It's frustrating. You can't be up by 21 points at home and give away a win, especially this time of the year. It's that simple."
The game was close in the first quarter, with the Clippers leading the Lakers 30-29 at the end of the first quarter after a tip-in shot by Kawhi Leonard and led 66-52 at halftime.
The Clippers ended the third quarter leading 96-77 with a three-pointer by Norman Powell.
In the fourth quarter, James went to work, dropping jump shot after jump shot, while the Clippers' Daniel Theis was doing his best, trying to guard him, and that didn't work out. James talks about their effort in the fourth quarter in the video above.
"I was in the zone, can't really describe it. That was just the feeling - when you feel like everything you put up is going in," said James.
The Lakers played some great defense in that quarter that gave them a chance to win the game and some timely big shots by Russell, Hachimura, and Cam Reddish to spark their come-from-behind victory.