Lakers beat Clippers in OT after second-half surge
The Los Angeles Lakers climbed and clawed their way back to a 130–125 overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
“They received the message, they embraced it, they came out and executed,” head coach Darvin said of their second-half efforts.
With their win over the Clippers, the Lakers snapped an 11-game losing streak to their hometown rival since 2020.
In the first half, the Lakers looked out-of-sync and outmatched to the Clippers’ high energy, trailing 37–24 at the end of the first quarter.
The first half 61-48 score looked like it was heading toward a high margin loss for the Lakers. Their only hope in coming back was to dial in to start the second half and they did just that.
Their biggest boost came at the end of the third quarter after regaining their lead to cap off a 39–24 third-quarter run and climb to a two-point lead.
Ham used a unique lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, LeBron James, Christian Wood, and Anthony Davis to solidify a lengthy unit that could crash the boards. The unit showed promise and dialed in on the defensive end, giving the Lakers’ crowd a new sense of excitement, with each roar building their momentum.
Davis anchored the defensive efforts, tallying four blocks and a steal. He recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds in 47 minutes, shooting 55.5% from the field (10-for-18).
Despite the Lakers picking up a solid lead after huge sequences late in the fourth, the Clippers still found a way to keep the game within one score.
LeBron finished with a team-high 35 points on 4-of-8 (50%) shooting from distance and 13-of-19 (68.4%) from the field. He added 12 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal in 42 minutes.
After a crucial three-pointer from the Clippers’ Paul George that brought them within one, Russell knocked down clutch free throws to give the Lakers a three-point lead with 18.5 seconds left. George then responded with three consecutive free throws of his own after Reddish was called for a foul during his three-point attempt.
The Lakers had an opportunity to win it in the final seconds of regulation but fell short. Russell had a good look after a pump fake to shake the defender but missed off the front of the iron, sending the game to overtime tied at 117.
D’Angelo Russell finished with 27 points and six assists while shooting 10-of-19 (52.6%) overall from the floor in 36 minutes.
The Lakers capitalized on an exhausted Clippers team without George, who fouled out after picking up his sixth foul in overtime.
Austin Reaves started the big momentum for the Lakers in overtime after an and-1 midrange bucket, followed by a steal that set up a ferocious crowd-roaring tomahawk lob from Reaves to LeBron.
“I’m just happy I’m still able to go get them,” LeBron said. “I understand what kind of momentum plays those are.”
Reaves finished with 10 of the Lakers' 13 overtime points, finishing the game with 15 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals in 37 minutes.
The finishing dagger came in the final seconds when Reddish missed the open three but was cleaned up for the put-back slam from Wood, putting an exclamation on an exciting win for the purple and gold.
Wood finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds, one steal and one block in 29 minutes off the bench.
The Lakers will go on a two-day break and travel on the road this Saturday to face the Orlando Magic at 4 p.m. for the second time in two games.
