Paul George scored 27 points and Kawhi Leonard added 25 points and nine rebounds as the visiting Los Angeles Clippers continued their dominance over the rival Los Angeles Lakers with a 133-115 victory on Tuesday.
The Clippers won despite Lakers star LeBron James putting up 46 points, two off his season high, as well as eight rebounds and seven assists. James became the first player in history to have a 40-point game against every NBA franchise.
Norman Powell scored 22 points as the Clippers earned their 10th consecutive victory over the Lakers going back to the opening game of the 2020-21 season.
The Clippers made 15 3-pointers in the first half and 19 in the game while shooting 50 percent from long distance.
Russell Westbrook had 17 points for the Lakers, who played one day after they acquired forward Rui Hachimura in a trade with the Washington Wizards. Hachimura was in attendance but not activated on Tuesday. He is expected to make his Lakers debut Wednesday against the visiting San Antonio Spurs.
Thomas Bryant scored 15 points for the Lakers, who might also have star forward Anthony Davis back Wednesday after he missed 20 games with a foot injury.
James now has 38,210 career points, leaving him 177 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time NBA-leading point total.
The Lakers showed just how much they could use reinforcements when they trailed 77-54 at halftime. It was the most first-half points the Clippers have scored against the Lakers in franchise history.
The only bright spot for the Lakers in the first half came when Westbrook reached 24,000 career points with a first-quarter basket.
The Lakers cut into the deficit to trail 98-82 heading into the fourth quarter. The Clippers led 111-93 with 8:23 remaining before the Lakers went on a 10-2 run to pull within 113-103 with 6:46 left.
However, an 8-0 run, with five points from Leonard, had the Clippers back up 121-103 with 5:07 remaining, and the Lakers then went to their reserves on the first night of a back-to-back.
The Clippers’ Marcus Morris Sr. came away with a rib contusion in the first quarter and did not return after scoring five points in 10 minutes. Reggie Jackson had 19 for the Clippers and Terance Mann had 17.
–Field Level Media