The Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to six games with a 108-102 win over the Clippers, and head coach JJ Redick had high praise for Luka Doncic.
Doncic led the Lakers with 29 points and nine assists, making crucial plays down the stretch. Redick highlighted his star guard’s impact, emphasizing his ability to elevate the team in key moments.
“I think the way he started the game got us going,” Redick said postgame. “It just seemed like throughout the game, when we needed a bucket, when we needed him to draw a second, third defender at times, he was able to make the right play minus the six turnovers. But he played fantastic tonight.”
Redick also pointed out the competitive fire Doncic brings to the team, saying, “It was that verve and the spirit of competition, but also just something that is maybe it’s an inner demon, I don’t know, but it comes out and it’s fantastic for us when it does.”
LeBron James contributed 17 points and nine assists, while rookie Dalton Knecht added 19 points off the bench. The Lakers improved to 38-21, moving into second place in the Western Conference despite missing Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura due to injuries.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with a season-high 33 points and 10 rebounds. The Clippers, now 33-28, struggled early and fell behind by 21 points before staging a late comeback.
Norman Powell returned from injury but exited in the first quarter with right hamstring soreness after scoring four points in eight minutes.
The Lakers controlled most of the game and built an 86-66 lead when Doncic checked out late in the third quarter. The Clippers responded with a 22-7 run, cutting the deficit to single digits.
Leonard’s three-pointer made it 107-102 with 1:40 remaining, but the Clippers missed their final six shots. The Lakers secured the win with strong rebounding and late-game execution.
Redick credited his team’s effort, pointing to a sequence where multiple offensive rebounds led to a clutch three-pointer by James.
“We play hard, we compete,” Redick said. “Tonight wasn’t perfect with some of the execution, but we more than made up for it with our effort at times. Frankly, I really like what we did in the half court when our defense was set.”
He acknowledged the Lakers’ turnover struggles but praised their resilience. “The turnovers once again hurt us. They scored 20 points off our turnovers,” Redick said. “But these opponents that we’re playing, they’re really good teams, they’re fighting like we’re fighting. These are playoff-like games just in terms of physicality, the effort from both teams.”
Doncic shot 9-of-17 from the field and 5-of-12 from three-point range. Knecht went 5-of-8 from deep, while the Lakers as a team hit 18 three-pointers on 42.9% shooting.
Defensively, Los Angeles held the Clippers to 43.2% shooting and forced 12 turnovers. James Harden finished with 13 points and eight assists but shot 4-of-14 from the field.
Jaxson Hayes, starting at center, added six points and seven rebounds. Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 11 points, including two first-half three-pointers.
James is now just one point shy of becoming the first player in NBA history to reach 50,000 combined regular-season and playoff points. He will have a chance to achieve the milestone in the Lakers’ next game against the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers have won 16 of their last 19 games and remain one of the league’s hottest teams heading into the final stretch of the season.
