Austin Reaves scored 13 of his 28 points in the third quarter to power the Lakers to a 125-117 win over the Clippers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, pushing Los Angeles to 2-0 to start the season.
For much of the game, former Lakers Rui Hachimura and Brook Lopez, now playing for the Clippers, threatened to spoil the night, especially as Lakers star Luka Doncic struggled to find his offensive footing. The score was tied at 64 at halftime, and the Lakers held only a narrow 73-72 edge early in the third quarter before Reaves took over.
Reaves sparked a 16-4 run that proved decisive. It began with a physical layup over Isaiah Jackson, followed by an assist to Walker Kessler for an alley-oop dunk and a pass to Matisse Thybulle for a corner 3-pointer. Reaves then scored the Lakers’ next nine points himself, capping the surge with a pull-up 3-pointer that gave Los Angeles its largest lead of the game, 89-76.
The Clippers clawed back late, cutting the deficit to 120-113 in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers held on for the win.
Reaves finished the night shooting 10 of 13 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range and 5 of 6 at the free-throw line, while also handing out 9 assists.
Kessler turned in a strong all-around performance with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocked shots and 3 steals. Doncic added 23 points on 8-of-21 shooting, along with 7 assists and 6 rebounds.
For the Clippers, Lopez scored 22 points and grabbed 4 rebounds off the bench, while Hachimura had 16 points and 6 rebounds in his return against his former team. Darius Garland led Los Angeles’ crosstown rivals with 26 points and 6 assists.
