NBA: LeBron James, Lakers hold off Clippers to snap 4-game skid
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, front right, drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James had 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Taurean Prince hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:17 to play and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 106-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night.
Anthony Davis had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who beat the Clippers for the second straight time after losing 11 straight to their hallway rivals.
Norman Powell’s 3-point attempt rattled in and out at the buzzer as the Lakers hung on to beat one of the NBA’s hottest teams. The Lakers also won for only the fourth time in 14 games since winning the NBA’s Inaugural In-Season Tournament.
LEBRON JAMES EXPLODES TO THE RIM FOR THE POSTER 😱
Lakers-Clippers | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/QsuL5TGo2x pic.twitter.com/k2q3AevouQ— NBA (@NBA) January 8, 2024
Paul George scored 22 points and Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 19 rebounds for the Clippers, whose five-game winning streak ended. Kawhi Leonard scored 15 points, and James Harden had 15 points and nine assists in the childhood Lakers fan’s first game against them since getting traded home to the Clippers, who have still won 14 of their last 17.
Neither team took a double-digit lead until Russell’s third 3-pointer put the Lakers up 92-82 early in the fourth. The Clippers rallied with nine consecutive points down the stretch, and they tied it on Powell’s three free throws with 2:19 to play while the Lakers went into a 2-for-7 slump with six turnovers.
But D’Angelo Russell found Prince for his big 3-pointer from the perimeter in one of his biggest shots since joining the Lakers. After Harden missed a jumper and James hit a clutch fadeaway, Harden kept it close with a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left.
Prince hit two free throws, but Zubac scored a quick basket before Austin Reaves missed one of two free throws with 4.2 seconds left. Powell had a decent look, but couldn’t tie it.
Russell scored 13 points with three 3-pointers in his return from a three-game absence with a bruised tailbone for the Lakers, who had been on a three-season skid against the Clippers until they broke through with an overtime victory early this season.
The game was a franchise milestone for the Clippers, who played their final game as the “visiting” team in their own arena, barring a playoff series between these clubs. The two Los Angeles teams’ final two meetings of this regular season will be “home” games for the Clippers, whose fans are usually outnumbered by Lakers supporters no matter which team is nominally at home.
The Clippers and Lakers have shared the building long known at Staples Center since it opened in 1999, with the Clippers finally becoming worthy rivals over the past decade after years of struggle.
Billionaire Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s Intuit Dome will open in Inglewood next season, finally creating an exclusive home for the franchise that has labored in the shadow of the Lakers’ championship banners for a quarter-century of cohabitation.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host Phoenix on Monday night.
Lakers: Host Toronto on Tuesday night.
