Luka Doncic owns the Clippers again as the Lakers win the NBA Cup matchup
Luka Doncic drilled a 3-pointer right in front of the Clippers’ bench late in the first quarter and then stared at them, shaking his head as he ran up the court to play defense for the Lakers, just one of many piercing looks he gave them after launching one of his three-point bombs.
It seems like Doncic has his own personal rivalry against the Clippers and it has simply turned into the intercity rivalry.
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And once again, Doncic overwhelmed the Clippers to lead the Lakers to a 135-118 victory Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
He got one rebound short of a triple-double, dropping 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. He was 14 of 28 from the field, seven of 12 from three-point range and eight of 11 from the free throw line.
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In leading the Lakers to their fifth straight win, Doncic has now recorded 39 double-double games of at least 40 points, moving him past Anthony Davis for fourth among active players and tying Magic Johnson for the sixth-most 40-point double-double as a Laker.
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Doncic also tied Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal for the most 40-point double-doubles as a Laker before the 27 years since the NBA/ABA merger (five).
“I thought we played a great game,” Doncic said. “I think they were shooting a lot, especially in the first half.”
Towards the end of the fourth quarter the game becomes physical and Doncic finds himself at the center of the game.
Kris Dunn shoved Doncic in the back and Doncic tackled Dunn, who then put the basketball into Doncic’s chest. Jaxson Hayes then stepped in and shoved Dunn.
Ultimately, Dunn was assessed two technical fouls and ejected from the game, while Hayes was assessed a technical foul. Doncic shot a free throw for a technical foul with 3:33 left in the game.
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“Of course I appreciate it,” Doncic said of Hayes stepping in to help him. “I told him right away, ‘Thank you for protecting me.’ And that says a lot about him. That says a lot about this team. Everybody supports each other.”
The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard was called for a foul after bringing down Austin Reaves on this play. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Doncic scored 24 points against the Clippers in the first quarter alone, making his first five 3-pointers before finishing the quarter five of eight from three, nine of 14 from the field, many baskets punctuated by a stare-down at the Clippers’ bench.
At halftime, Doncic had scored 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting and six-of-10 three-pointers and six assists.
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Over the course of his career with the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, Doncic, who averages 12.5 free throw attempts per game, has torn the Clippers apart.
Entering Tuesday night’s game, he was averaging 32.2 points per game in 20 games, his highest against any Western Conference opponent. He had produced 7.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists and shot 48% from the field, 36% from the three-point line.
When asked why he performed so well against the Clippers, Doncic shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I think we’ve met a bunch of times in the playoffs. They beat me the first two times, so I don’t know what it is. I guess I like it.”
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With Deandre Ayton (right knee contusion) out and Hayes starting in his place, Austin Reaves (31 points) and LeBron James (25), did their part to help the Lakers conquer Group B of the NBA Cup with a 3-0 record.
The Lakers finish their group game here against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, while the Clippers complete their group game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at the Intuit Dome.
Etc.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said Ayton had an MRI on his knee that “was clean other than just a little bit of swelling and a little bruising.” Ayton was injured in the first half against Jazz Sunday. “I don’t think it’s going to be a long-term thing,” Redick said. “Hopefully it’s a game-to-game thing and he comes back at some point by the end of the week.”… The Lakers announced they signed forward Drew Timme to a two-way contract and waived two-way center Christian Koloko. Timme played for the Lakers’ G League team, the South Bay Lakers, and averaged 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 25.5 minutes over six games. Timme, 6-foot-10, played basketball at Gonzaga.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.