Lakers vs Clippers: A 16-0 Run Reshapes the Night
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-87 on Wednesday at Inglewood, Calif. The game stayed close for one quarter. Then the Lakers found a seam and ran through it.
A 16-0 second-quarter burst turned a two-point deficit into a 45-31 lead. The Lakers led 56-38 at halftime after holding the Clippers to 17.6% shooting in that quarter. The Clippers pulled to within 58-51 four minutes into the third before the Lakers took control again and led 85-66 through three.
That is the shape of the night: one long run, one short answer, then a gap the Clippers could not close.
Luka Doncic injury thins the Lakers rotation
Luka Doncic did not play because of back tightness, held out on the second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers were also without Ziaire Williams, who has a foot injury. Rui Hachimura, a former Laker, sat out for the Clippers with quad soreness.
The absences did not flatten the offense. Quentin Grimes scored 23 points, Collin Sexton added 21, Austin Reaves had 16 and Matisse Thybulle logged 15. Grimes, Sexton and Thybulle each posted a season high, and each is in his first season with the team.
Sexton shot 6 of 11 from the floor and 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Thybulle was 5 of 6 and 4 of 5. Those are clean, low-waste lines from two players the Lakers are still fitting into place.
Clippers turnovers and a season-low shooting night
The Clippers committed 24 turnovers, the third consecutive game at 24 or more. They lead the NBA at 23.0 turnovers per game. Against the Lakers they shot a season-low 35.1% from the floor.
The Lakers shot 44.3% and held a 48-41 rebounding advantage. The Clippers lost for the third time in four games this season, including two defeats at the hands of the Lakers. The margin was structural, not incidental.
Keaton Wagler gives the Clippers a rookie floor
Keaton Wagler scored a career-high 21 points. The No. 5 overall selection in the June draft has reached double digits in all four games. Derrick Jones Jr. added 15 points, and Darius Garland scored 14 on 4-of-12 shooting.
Wagler's production is the one steady line in an offense that keeps losing possessions before a shot ever goes up. That is the Clippers' problem to solve, and it is not a shooting-touch problem.
Lakers frontcourt minutes without Doncic
Walker Kessler had 11 points and nine rebounds in his fifth game for the Lakers, matching his total games played last season for the Utah Jazz. Jake LaRavia grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Lakers were coming off their first loss of the season, Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. They answered on the second night of a back-to-back, and the lead was built before halftime rather than chased late.
No return timeline for Doncic was included in the report. His availability for the Lakers' next game is the number to watch, because a back issue on a back-to-back is the kind of absence that can repeat.
The original report is from Field Level Media/Reuters, published by gmanetwork.com.
