Game ID: 22400859
LA Clippers @ Los Angeles Lakers
Friday, February 28, 2025 at 10:00 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 24 35 24 23 106LAC 25 29 23 25 102
LAC @ LAL ScoutingLAC @ LAL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 2/20 · back-to-backOUT Reddish missed 8 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Jemison III missed 2 since 2/12, returns tonight: 14 min (138% of 10)
BACK Knecht back 2/12 after 3, 15 min since (80% of 19)
BACK Morris back 2/08 after 2, 7 min since (43% of 16)
LAL availability going into 2/22 · 1 day's restOUT Reddish missed 9 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 2 since 2/19, out tonight
BACK Knecht back 2/12 after 3, 14 min since (77% of 19)
BACK Jemison III back 2/20 after 2, 14 min since (138% of 10)
LAL availability going into 2/25 · 2 days' restOUT Reddish missed 10 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 3 since 2/19, out tonight
BACK Knecht back 2/12 after 3, 13 min since (70% of 19)
BACK Jemison III back 2/20 after 2, 9 min since (85% of 10)
LAL availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Reddish missed 11 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 4 since 2/19, out tonight
BACK Knecht back 2/12 after 3, 12 min since (67% of 19)
BACK Jemison III back 2/20 after 2, 9 min since (85% of 10)
LAL availability going into 2/28 · back-to-backOUT Reddish missed 12 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 5 since 2/19, out tonight
OUT Milton missed 2 since 2/25, out tonight
OUT Len missed 2 since 2/25, out tonight
OUT Jemison III missed 2 since 2/25, returns tonight: 22 min (214% of 10)
LAL availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restOUT Reddish missed 13 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 6 since 2/19, out tonight
OUT Milton missed 3 since 2/25, returns tonight: 8 min (78% of 11)
OUT Len missed 3 since 2/25, out tonight
BACK Jemison III back 2/20 after 2, 13 min since (128% of 10)
LAL availability going into 3/04 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 2 since 2/28, out tonight
OUT Reddish missed 14 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 7 since 2/19, out tonight
OUT Len missed 4 since 2/25, returns tonight: 4 min (43% of 10)
BACK Milton back 3/02 after 3, 8 min since (78% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 2/28 after 2, 20 min since (196% of 10)
LAL availability going into 3/06 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 2 since 3/02, returns tonight: 32 min (91% of 35)
OUT Hachimura missed 3 since 2/28, out tonight
OUT Reddish missed 15 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Goodwin missed 2 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 8 since 2/19, out tonight
BACK Milton back 3/02 after 3, 14 min since (125% of 11)
BACK Len back 3/04 after 4, 4 min since (43% of 10)
BACK Jemison III back 2/28 after 2, 19 min since (185% of 10)
LAL availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 4 since 2/28, out tonight
OUT Reddish missed 16 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Goodwin missed 3 since 3/02, returns tonight: 16 min (91% of 17)
OUT Morris missed 9 since 2/19, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 3/06 after 2, 32 min since (91% of 35)
BACK Milton back 3/02 after 3, 14 min since (125% of 11)
BACK Len back 3/04 after 4, 4 min since (43% of 10)
BACK Jemison III back 2/28 after 2, 18 min since (172% of 10)
NEW Hayes 19 to 26 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/20 · 6 days' restOUT Miller missed 2 since 2/12, out tonight
BACK Dunn back 2/04 after 7, 24 min since (101% of 24)
BACK Hyland back 2/04 after 6, 7 min since (63% of 11)
LAC availability going into 2/23 · 2 days' restOUT Miller missed 3 since 2/12, out tonight
NEW Powell 33 to 38 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 2/24 · back-to-backOUT Powell missed 2 since 2/20, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 4 since 2/12, out tonight
NEW Simmons 15 to 24 min over the last 3
LAC availability going into 2/26 · 1 day's restOUT Leonard missed 2 since 2/23, returns tonight: 33 min (100% of 33)
OUT Powell missed 3 since 2/20, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 5 since 2/12, out tonight
NEW Dunn 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 15 to 24 min over the last 3
LAC availability going into 2/28 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 4 since 2/20, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 6 since 2/12, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 33 min since (100% of 33)
NEW Dunn 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 15 to 22 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 5 since 2/20, returns tonight: 9 min (27% of 33)
OUT Miller missed 7 since 2/12, returns tonight: 5 min (48% of 11)
BACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 35 min since (108% of 33)
NEW Dunn 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 15 to 20 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 3/04 · 1 day's restBACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 37 min since (112% of 33)
BACK Powell back 3/02 after 5, 9 min since (27% of 33)
BACK Miller back 3/02 after 7, 5 min since (48% of 11)
NEW Dunn 24 to 29 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/05 · back-to-backOUT Jones Jr. missed 2 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Simmons missed 2 since 3/02, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 37 min since (112% of 33)
BACK Powell back 3/02 after 5, 9 min since (27% of 33)
BACK Miller back 3/02 after 7, 8 min since (70% of 11)
NEW Dunn 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 23 to 29 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 2 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Jones Jr. missed 3 since 3/02, returns tonight: 18 min (74% of 24)
OUT Simmons missed 3 since 3/02, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 37 min since (112% of 33)
BACK Miller back 3/02 after 7, 11 min since (98% of 11)
NEW Dunn 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 23 to 30 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 101, shooting 45 percent and 30 from three, 26 free throws a game; James at 30 and Dončić at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. They have won the glass by 7 a night. Without Reddish (12 straight), Morris (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Harden at 27 and Zubac at 15 a game. Without Powell (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 101 a night to the Clippers' 117 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-7 a night and the Clippers minus-2. Call it the Lakers 112, the Clippers 109, the Clippers keeping it close.
2/20 @ POR 110-102 — LAL notes
LAL won 110-102. LAL shot 48% (39 of 82) to POR's 44%, 9 of 32 from three. LAL turned it over 22 times to POR's 17, and POR turned those into 16 steals. The glass went 48-33 for them. James led with 40 (14 of 24, 4 of 8 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Reaves added 32, Finney-Smith 10. The hinge was Q1, 28-15: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Finney-Smith was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
2/22 @ DEN 123-100 — LAL notes
LAL won 123-100. LAL shot 50% (43 of 86) to DEN's 40%, 16 of 41 from three. LAL turned it over 8 times to DEN's 20. Dončić led with 32 (10 of 22, 4 of 9 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); James added 25, Reaves 23. The hinge was Q4, 27-13: a lead of 9 became 23, and the lead reached 26. Finney-Smith was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
2/25 vs DAL 107-99 — LAL notes
LAL won 107-99. LAL shot 45% (39 of 87) to DAL's 36%, 11 of 40 from three, and went to the line 24 times to DAL's 13 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. The glass went 57-45 for them. James led with 27 (11 of 17, 2 of 4 from three); Reaves added 20, Dončić 19. The hinge was Q1, 28-20: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
2/27 vs MIN 111-102 — LAL notes
LAL won 111-102. LAL shot 41% (34 of 82) to MIN's 42%, 11 of 41 from three, and went to the line 46 times to MIN's 26 — 32 points from the stripe to their 20. The glass went 52-41 for them. James led with 33 (11 of 21, 4 of 9 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Reaves added 23, Dončić 21. The hinge was Q1, 33-17: from level to 16 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
2/28 vs LAC 106-102 — LAL notes
LAL won 106-102. LAL shot 49% (39 of 80) to LAC's 45%, 11 of 33 from three. Dončić led with 31 (9 of 22, 3 of 9 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); James added 28. The hinge was Q2, 35-29: LAL came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 5. Vanderbilt was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
3/02 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 101, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 28 free throws a game; James at 31 and Dončić at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Reddish (13 straight), Morris (6 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Harden at 24 and Leonard at 21 a game. Without Powell (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 101 a night to the Clippers' 115 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-5 a night and the Clippers minus-0. Call it the Lakers 113, the Clippers 107.
3/04 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 101, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Dončić at 26 and James at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Hachimura (2 straight), Reddish (14 straight), Morris (7 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 18 free throws a game; Williamson at 23 and Murphy III at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Brooks Jr. (8 straight), Boston (9 straight), Payton (39 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 101 a night to New Orleans's 112 and the line, where the Lakers take 27 free throws a game to New Orleans's 18. Call it the Lakers 115, New Orleans 109.
3/06 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 104, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; James at 28 and Dončić at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 7 a night. Without Reaves (2 straight), Hachimura (3 straight), Reddish (15 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 17 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and Anunoby at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-7 a night and New York minus-3 and the line, where the Lakers take 28 free throws a game to New York's 17. Call it the Lakers 114, New York 110, New York keeping it close.
3/08 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 42 from three, 18 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 26 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Holiday (4 straight), Porziņģis (4 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Dončić at 29 and James at 29 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Hachimura (4 straight), Reddish (16 straight), Goodwin (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 29 free throws a game to Boston's 18 and the arc, Boston at 42 percent from three to the Lakers' 35. Call it Boston 113, the Lakers 112, the Lakers keeping it close.
2/20 @ MIL 110-116 — LAC notes
LAC lost 110-116. LAC took 8 more shots (88 to 80), fed by 11 offensive rebounds, but shot 47% to MIL's 48%, 12 of 30 from three, and got to the line 19 times to MIL's 27. LAC turned it over 11 times to MIL's 17. Leonard led with 25 (9 of 22, 4 of 8 from three); Harden added 24, Zubac 20. Q3 was theirs, 39-23, turning a 7-point deficit into a 9-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 93-71 against them. They led by as many as 13. Bogdanović's -11 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/23 @ IND 111-129 — LAC notes
LAC lost 111-129. LAC shot 45% (38 of 85) to IND's 55%, 10 of 40 from three, and went to the line 33 times to IND's 27 — 25 points from the stripe to their 25. The glass went 32-46 against them. Harden led with 31 (9 of 17, 6 of 13 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Zubac added 22, Coffey 14. Q4 was theirs, 28-28, but the other 3 periods went 101-83 against them. Dunn's -21 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/24 @ DET 97-106 — LAC notes
LAC lost 97-106. LAC took 13 more shots (92 to 79), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to DET's 46%, 11 of 41 from three, and got to the line 19 times to DET's 36. Harden led with 18 (5 of 22, 3 of 11 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Jones Jr. added 15, Zubac 13. Q2 was theirs, 32-28, the deficit cut from 6 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 78-65 against them. Harden's -22 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/26 @ CHI 122-117 — LAC notes
LAC won 122-117. LAC shot 52% (44 of 85) to CHI's 49%, 19 of 37 from three, and went to the line 17 times to CHI's 11 — 15 points from the stripe to their 6. Harden led with 30 (9 of 20, 7 of 14 from three); Coffey added 20, Leonard 17. The hinge was Q3, 39-33: LAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 5. LAC trailed 59-60 at the half and won the second half 63-57. Simmons was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
2/28 @ LAL 102-106 — LAC notes
LAC lost 102-106. LAC shot 45% (39 of 87) to LAL's 49%, 9 of 37 from three. Zubac led with 27 (13 of 15); Leonard added 21, Harden 18. Q4 was theirs, 25-23, the deficit cut from 6 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 83-77 against them. They led by as many as 10. Bogdanović's -20 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/02 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 101, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 28 free throws a game; James at 31 and Dončić at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Reddish (13 straight), Morris (6 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Harden at 24 and Leonard at 21 a game. Without Powell (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 101 a night to the Clippers' 115 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-5 a night and the Clippers minus-0. Call it the Lakers 113, the Clippers 107.
3/04 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 125, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Beal at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to the Clippers' 31 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 113 a night to Phoenix's 125. Call it Phoenix 115, the Clippers 113, the Clippers keeping it close.
3/05 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Leonard at 23 and Harden at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Jones Jr. (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Detroit comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 106, shooting 51 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Cunningham at 22 and Beasley at 17 a game. Without Harper Jr. (12 straight). One day's rest.
So: Detroit wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Detroit takes 27 free throws a game to the Clippers' 20. Call it Detroit 113, the Clippers 110, the Clippers keeping it close.
3/07 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Harden at 26 and Leonard at 23 a game. Without Powell (2 straight), Jones Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 29 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brunson at 30 and Anunoby at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 37 percent from three to New York's 29. Call it the Clippers 114, New York 110, New York keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Bogdanović
BS B. Simmons
DJ D. Jones Jr.
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KD K. Dunn
KL K. Leonard
NB N. Batum
LALAR A. Reaves
DF D. Finney-Smith
DK D. Knecht
GV G. Vincent
JG J. Goodwin
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
LD L. Dončić
LJ L. James
TJ T. Jemison III
LAC/LAL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Luka Doncic scores 31 on his birthday, and the Lakers beat the Clippers 106-102 for 5 straight wins
LOS ANGELES -- — Luka Doncic scored 31 points on his 26th birthday and LeBron James had 28 points and 13 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers ' fifth straight victory, 106-102 over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Doncic scored 10 points in the fourth quarter of a gritty performance by the Lakers, who were missing two injured starters on the second night of a back-to-back home set. They still won their city rivalry game with strong defense and Doncic's playmaking, finally holding on for their 11th win in 13 games.
Ivica Zubac had a season-high 27 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost four of five since the All-Star break. Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points, and James Harden had 18 in a 5-for-22 shooting performance, including 1-for-10 on 3-pointers.
After struggling with his shot again for three quarters, Doncic hit consecutive 3-pointers midway through the fourth to stretch the lead to 10 points.
Takeaways Clippers: Undone by 18 turnovers in their first game back in LA since Feb. 12, Zubac's standout effort against the Lakers' undersized frontcourt wasn't enough.
Lakers: An impressive performance with minimal rest and a depleted lineup. Austin Reaves left in the first quarter with calf soreness, while Rui Hachimura sat out after straining his left knee Thursday. Coach JJ Redick said he's “optimistic” Hachimura's injury isn't serious.
Key moment The Lakers' lead was only four when Doncic hit James for a layup with 2:14 left. After Harden missed two clean 3-point attempts, Doncic found Jaxson Hayes for a dunk and a 106-98 lead.
Key stat Doncic is sixth in NBA history in points scored before his 26th birthday (12,205). James is first (16,081), while Doncic finished just 10 points behind fifth-place Kobe Bryant (12,215).