LA Clippers @ Los Angeles Lakers
Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 9:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA | Game ID: 22400874
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 34 22 33 19 108LAC 28 15 34 25 102
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Luka scores 29 points and LeBron adds 17 in the Lakers' 2nd straight win over the Clippers, 108-102
LOS ANGELES -- — Luka Doncic had 29 points and nine assists, LeBron James added 17 points and the Los Angeles Lakers hung on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in three days, 108-102 on Sunday night.
Rookie Dalton Knecht scored 19 points for the Lakers, who won their sixth straight game despite playing without injured starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura . The Lakers have won 16 of 19 overall.
Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 33 points for the Clippers, who erased most of a late 21-point deficit before falling short in their fifth loss in six games.
Norman Powell scored four points in the first quarter before leaving with right hamstring soreness. The Clippers’ leading scorer was making his return from a five-game absence with a left knee injury.
Two days after the Lakers held off the Clippers 106-102 , their second meeting also came down to the wire.
Leonard's 3-pointer trimmed the Lakers' lead to 107-102 with 1:40 to play, but the Clippers missed their final six shots.
Takeaways Clippers: They looked downright terrible while failing to score in the final 7:35 of the first half, missing 10 straight shots with three turnovers. Their late rally was encouraging, but Powell's absence hurts.
Lakers: Something special might be brewing. Doncic looks more comfortable by the day, and they continue to get impressive results despite major injuries and a brutal schedule. They've jumped into second place in the Western Conference at 38-21.
Key moment The Lakers led 86-66 when Doncic checked out with 2:20 left in the third quarter. The Clippers promptly began a 22-7 run.
Key stat James is now a point shy of becoming the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 combined points in the regular season and the playoffs.
Up next Both teams return Tuesday night. The Clippers visit the Suns, and the Lakers host the Pelicans.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALDF D. Finney-Smith
DK D. Knecht
GV G. Vincent
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
LD L. Dončić
LJ L. James
SM S. Milton
TJ T. Jemison III
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Bogdanović
DE D. Eubanks
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
JM J. Miller
KB K. Brown
KD K. Dunn
KL K. Leonard
NB N. Batum
NP N. Powell
LAL/LAC 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
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