The Lakers nearly pulled off an improbable comeback against the Clippers on Thursday before coming up just short, falling 112-104.
After trailing by as many as 26 in the second half, the Lakers cut the deficit to two points, setting up a frantic finish. Despite an improved defensive effort in the second half, LA ran out of steam down the stretch.
LA lost the rebounding battle 55-43, giving up 15 second-chance points. Ivica Zubac pulled down 19 boards himself.
It was an offensive showdown early. Jake LaRavia was red hot, draining two 3-pointers for the Lakers. Kawhi Leonard then began to heat up for the Clippers, scoring eight points. LaRavia and Luka Dončić combined for 12 of LA’s first 16 points.
At the first timeout, the Lakers were up by two.
Kobe Sanders provided instant offense for the Clippers off the bench with two triples. The purple and gold’s struggles mounted as Luka was the only one scoring. The Clippers jumped to a lead of seven, forcing a Laker timeout.
Out of the break, Luka scored on a shot off the glass.
Sanders continued shooting well from behind the arc, draining another triple. After missing his first two shots, Rui Hachimura knocked down a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer, making it a seven-point deficit.
The second period began with Brook Lopez scoring four points. LeBron James was being assertive and playing aggressively as he was at nine points in the half. The Lakers couldn’t defend Leonard, who was still scoring at ease. He was the second player in the game in double figures with 12.
At the 7:13 mark, the Lakers were down by nine.
Each time the Lakers tried to get closer, the Clips had an answer. Despite defending James Harden well, he did still manage to notch seven points. The lead kept growing for the Clippers as the Lakers completely fell apart on both ends.
At halftime, the purple and gold were down by 17.
The third period began with both teams missing shots until Harden converted on a three-point play. Deandre Ayton countered with a hook shot on the other end. Leonard then went on a personal 5-0 scoring run, forcing a timeout for the Lakers. The Lakers only made one of their first seven shot attempts.
Leonard was now at 24 points for the game.
The Lakers were struggling with poor energy and effort until they suddenly found some life. They scored five straight points, but they were still down by double figures. After a Clippers timeout, Luka converted on a midrange jumper.
The Lakers continued to build on the momentum they had conjured up by defending and scoring. They ended the third on a 19-7 scoring run for a deficit of 14 going into the fourth period.
Hachimura opened the final frame with a 3-pointer for the Lakers. Jordan Miller was cooking for the Clips with seven quick points. The Lakers were throwing all their bodies at Leonard, making him battle more for his shots.
It was down to a 10-point game at the 8:45 mark.
Jarred Vanderbilt was providing energy off the bench by doing the dirty work with two assists and three steals. The Lakers had completely taken all the momentum from the Clippers and had now made it a five-point game.
Luka and Harden exchanged a pair of 3-pointers, making it a fun shootout. It had become a two-point deficit until the Clippers answered back with a 10-0 scoring run.
All the great energy and effort the Lakers had built was an afterthought as they looked drained. As quickly as it looked to all be done, the Lakers came alive once more, scoring eight straight points to cut the deficit to single digits once more.
A three-point play from LeBron made it a three-point game with 1:28 left.
The Clippers then responded again with a 5-0 run, capped off with a John Collins three with 43 seconds left to put the hosts up 110-102 to effectively seal the result.
Key Player Stats
Dončić ended with 32 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. LeBron had 23 points with five rebounds and six assists. LaRavia pitched in with seven points, five rebounds, three steals and four blocks.
Hachimura scored 12 points off the bench. Jaxson Hayes notched six points and two rebounds. Vanderbilt put up seven points with two assists and four steals while finishing with a team-best plus-minus of +16. Marcus Smart had 10 points with four assists and two steals.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday at 5:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
