Lakers Prevail LA Rivalry Despite Kawhi Leonard Bringing Career Best to Suffocate LeBron James Early

After a disappointing season last year, the Clippers entered the 2023–24 season with high hopes. With Paul George and Kawhi Leonard coming stronger and healthier than ever before, fans were looking forward to an exciting season. And they have been receiving just that, until last night. With just one loss in the four games they have played, the Clippers were looking to continue their winning streak. But it was put to an abrupt stop by their city rivals Lakers.

Despite a spectacular performance from George and Leonard, the Clippers lost the battle with a five-point difference. Although this is too soon to predict any outcome, this loss will definitely put a damper on the overall happy mood amongst the Clippers fans.

Kawhi Leonard shines with excellent play

Despite being the 7-time NBA champions the Lakers hadn’t beaten the Clippers on the Lakers’ home court in the last 7 years. The forward registered his career-best scores within the first half of the game. He scored 18 points in the first quarter, hitting seven of his eight shots with four 3-pointers. In just the second quarter, Leonard put up 20 points with 4 assists and 2 rebounds. As the game progressed, he was able to score better but it was still not enough to help the Clippers to score a win.

In the end, Leonard had 38 points with six rebounds, five assists, and two steals on the scoreboard. The Lakers chipped away for the second quarter but finally reclaimed the lead late in the third. Besides him, Paul George also played well scoring 35 points with six rebounds, one assist, and two steals. The Clippers as a whole showed up for the game but it did nothing to match the powerful play from LeBron and Co.

Due to five significant injury absences, the Lakers only employed eight players, yet they rallied from an early 19-point hole before losing an eight-point lead in the final ninety seconds of regulation. In overtime, Reaves stole the ball from Leonard, drove the court, and threw an alley-oop pass to James for a one-handed dunk, giving the Lakers a five-point lead.

Kawhi Leonard responded with his fifth and final 3-pointer of the game, but with 48 seconds remaining, Reaves made two free throws, Russell Westbrook missed the game-winning 3-pointer, and with nine seconds remaining, Christian Wood scorched a putback slam to give the Lakers the lead.

Lakers vs. Clippers breakdown

Right from the first quarter, the Clippers dominated, with an almost 19-point lead at one point. As much as the Lakers tried to get close to the lead, they were still not able to until the end of the third quarter. Keeping up closely with the Los Angeles Lakers as much as possible, the LA Clippers were unsuccessful and had to settle for the loss.

While the Lakers did have a slow start, their stars were able to put some big numbers on the board. LeBron James led with 35 points and 12 rebounds, along with seven assists, two blocks, and one steal. Anthony Davis contributed 27 points with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks. The other player with a great performance was D’Angelo Russell, who put up 27 points with two rebounds and six assists and beat the local rivals.

Read more: LeBron James Gets Lakers 1st Win vs Clippers in Ty Lue Era — Key Takeaways as Purple and Gold Survive OT Thriller

Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers put up a good fight and can take home a lot of lessons from this game. Despite this stumble, fans are still hoping that this season will end with the Clippers bringing the championship home for the first time. The final comeback for the Clippers tied the game at 125-125 with a Kawhi Leonard three-pointer, but the Lakers secured the win with free throws and a put-back dunk by Christian Wood, making it 130-125.

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