Los Angeles Lakers at LA Clippers
· National Basketball AssociationKawhi Leonard has season-high 32 points as Clippers beat Lakers 103-88 to snap 5-game skid
Luka Doncic, the NBA's scoring leader, didn't return for the Lakers after halftime because of a lower leg contusion. He had 12 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes after missing his first six shots. Doncic was coming off a triple-double of 45 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists at Utah on Thursday.
James, who turns 41 on Dec. 30, led the Lakers with a season-high 36 points.
James Harden had 21 points and 10 assists for the Clippers. John Collins added 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The Clippers were 16 of 43 from 3-point range, with Leonard tying his season high with four, Harden making four and Brook Lopez hitting three off the bench. The Lakers missed 32 3-pointers, with James going 3 of 7, Doncic 1 of 6 and Marcus Smart missing all of his nine attempts.
The Clippers had lost 12 of their last 15 to fall to the bottom of the Western Conference. But they led the entire game and held off a Lakers spurt that cut their lead to seven to open the fourth.
The Lakers got that close with the help of a six-point possession. Kobe Sanders received a flagrant-1 foul on Smart's 3-point attempt. Smart made all three free throws and the Lakers got possession. James scored, got fouled and made the free throw, leaving them trailing 80-73.
The Clippers answered with back-to-back 3-pointers by Collins and Harden to go with Leonard's dunk off James' turnover. The Lakers then ran off six in a row to close to 88-79.
From there, the Clippers closed out just their seventh win of the season.
The Clippers lost Ivica Zubac to a left ankle injury after he scored five points while playing most of the first quarter.
Rui Hachimura missed his first start of the season for the Lakers with a sore groin. He’s expected to be out 3-5 days. The team hopes to get Deandre Ayton (left elbow) and Austin Reaves (left calf) back soon.
Clippers: Host former MVP Kevin Durant and Houston on Tuesday.
Regular Season Series
Series tied 1-1
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 88 - 103 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 88 - 103 |
| 4th 20.5 |  |
Kobe Sanders makes driving layup | 88 - 103 |
| 4th 36.6 | |
Kawhi Leonard defensive rebound | 88 - 101 |
| 4th 39.7 |  |
Nick Smith Jr. misses 29-foot three point step back jumpshot | 88 - 101 |
Statistics
 LAL |
 LAC |
|
|---|---|---|
| 34-88 | FG | 34-80 |
| 39 | Field Goal % | 43 |
| 6-38 | 3PT | 16-43 |
| 16 | Three Point % | 37 |
| 14-23 | FT | 19-20 |
| 61 | Free Throw % | 95 |
| 43 | Rebounds | 48 |
| 14 | Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
| 29 | Defensive Rebounds | 35 |
| 16 | Assists | 22 |
| 7 | Steals | 8 |
| 3 | Blocks | 6 |
| 11 | Turnovers | 16 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 3 |
| 11 | Total Turnovers | 19 |
| 3 | Technical Fouls | 2 |
| 3 | Total Technical Fouls | 2 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 1 |
| 14 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 20 |
| 6 | Fast Break Points | 15 |
| 48 | Points in Paint | 34 |
| 19 | Fouls | 23 |
| 0 | Largest Lead | 22 |
| 0 | Lead Changes | 0 |
| 0 | Percent Led | 99 |
LA Clippers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Bradley Beal, G | Day-To-Day | Sep 28 |
| Yanic Konan Niederhauser, C | Out | Sep 28 |
| Brandon Ingram, F | Out | Sep 28 |
| Jordan Miller, G | Out | Aug 26 |
Los Angeles Lakers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|
Game Information
Location: Inglewood, CA
Attendance: 17,927 · Capacity:
2026-27 Pacific Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Golden State |
0 | 0 | .000 | - | - |
 LA Clippers |
0 | 0 | .000 | - | - |
 LA Lakers |
0 | 0 | .000 | - | - |
 Phoenix |
0 | 0 | .000 | - | - |
 Sacramento |
0 | 0 | .000 | - | - |
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