After leading by double digits for much of the second half, the Lakers had to hang on late for a win over the Clippers on Friday, 125-117.
The purple and gold took control of the game in the third period and looked set to cruise to a win before the other team in Los Angeles used its defense to make a run and get back into the contest.
Some timely points from Walker Kessler and Austin Reaves down the stretch helped fend off the visitors as the Lakers picked up their second win of the season.
Both teams got off to a slow start with turnovers and missed shots, until Reaves got the Lakers on the board first with a floater down the lane. Kessler had an impressive sequence in which he stole the ball and took it all the way for a dunk.
Kris Dunn had five of the Clippers’ first seven points.
Everyone in the starting lineup for the Lakers, except for Luka Dončić, scored in the opening minutes. Former Laker Rui Hachimura drained his first triple of the game. It was followed by Reaves knocking down one of his own.
Luka was on the receiving end of an alley-oop and laid it in for his first points of the quarter, forcing a Clippers timeout. Collin Sexton checked in for his first minutes as a Laker. The Clippers ended the first on an 11-3 scoring run, to give them a four-point lead.
Brook Lopez entered double figures with 15 points to start the second period. The Lakers had no answer for him as he scored eight easy points early in the quarter. Kessler was now also in double figures with 10 points.
At the 9:38 mark, the Clippers were up by eight.
Quentin Grimes drained two triples, helping the Lakers erupt for an 11-2 scoring run. Ziaire Williams was fouled from behind the arc and converted on all three free throws. After a midrange jumper from Luka, the Lakers were up by one.
Hachimura and Luka had a fun exchange of triples for their teams. The rest of the half was very evenly matched with their offense and turning the ball over.
It was a tied game at halftime.
Darius Garland converted on a jumper for the Clippers early in the third period. Matisse Thybulle responded with a layup on the other end for the Lakers. After Hachimura nailed another triple, the purple and gold exploded with seven straight points, putting them up five.
Reaves was up to 17 points and Kessler now had 14 points. Thybulle drained yet another 3-pointer, pushing his point total to 10 points. The entire Lakers starting lineup was in double figures.
Reaves then proceeded to score four in a row, leading to a Clippers timeout.
Out of the break, the Clippers turned the ball over. On the other end, Reaves scored on a midrange jumper. He also knocked down a triple, giving him 26 points to lead the team in scoring.
Lopez once again helped make the game a close affair, adding to his big night of 22 points. The Lakers, though, still had the upper hand and were leading by 13 at the end of the third.
The final frame began with Gradey Dick scoring on a layup for the Clippers. The Lakers were turning the ball over and struggling to find shots until Sexton scored on a triple. Keaton Wagler started heating up for the Clippers, scoring five points.
Sexton and Kessler then scored a combined four points to put the Lakers up by 15 with 8:12 left. Garland cut into the deficit with five points. After a layup by Derrick Jones Jr., it was an 11-point game.
Both teams struggled with turnovers, the Clippers having 24 and the Lakers 17. The Clippers nearly had an opportunity to cut the deficit to single digits, but they turned the ball over.
At the 4:21 mark, the purple and gold were up by 10.
The Lakers were suddenly in nervous time as the Clippers scored four in a row, inching ever so closer. With 2:36 left, it was a six-point game. The Lakers were on a two-minute scoring drought.
Kessler was fouled and converted on both free throws, putting the team up by eight. Both teams fumbled two possessions before Reaves scored off the backboard for two to snap a long drought.
The Clippers then scored four in a row, making it a six-point game with 53 seconds left. Grimes was fouled and converted on both free throws. The Lakers were able to get enough stops to hold on for the win.
Luka finished with 23 points and seven assists. Reaves ended with 28 points and nine assists. Kessler pitched in with 22 points, eight rebounds, three steals and six blocks.
Williams had 14 points with five rebounds. Grimes logged 13 points with eight rebounds and four assists. Sandro Mamukelashvili notched seven points with five rebounds and two assists.
In his Lakers debut, Sexton scored five points, grabbed three steals and dished two dimes. Thybulle ended with 13 points.
The Lakers’ next game will be against the Utah Jazz on Sunday at 2:00 PM PT.
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