Lakers beat Clippers 103-87 without Luka Doncic as second quarter decides game
Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton led the Lakers after Doncic sat out with back tightness. A 31-6 second quarter gave Los Angeles control at Intuit Dome.
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-87 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Wednesday, October 28, despite playing without Luka Doncic. A 31-6 second quarter gave the Lakers an 18-point halftime lead, and the Clippers committed 24 turnovers as they lost to their city rivals for the second time in less than a week.
Doncic sat out with back tightness on the second night of the Lakers’ first back-to-back of the season. Coach JJ Redick described the decision as precautionary, according to the Associated Press. Starting forward Ziaire Williams also missed the game with left-foot soreness; Redick said his absence was precautionary too.
How the Lakers built their lead
Quentin Grimes scored 23 points for the Lakers, while Collin Sexton added a season-high 21 off the bench. Six Lakers finished in double figures, including Austin Reaves with 16 points and Matisse Thybulle with 15. Sexton and Thybulle each made four three-pointers, according to the AP account carried by LA NACION.
The Lakers scored 16 consecutive points during the second quarter and outscored the Clippers 31-6 in the period. Six Lakers contributed points in that quarter, and they went into halftime ahead 56-38. The burst put the game beyond a brief Clippers rally after the break.
The Clippers opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run and cut the deficit to seven. The Lakers responded with a 27-15 run to close the quarter and led 85-65 entering the fourth. Sexton scored 11 straight Lakers points during that stretch, including two consecutive three-pointers, the AP reported.
Clippers turnovers and the next games
The Clippers gave the ball away 24 times, after committing 26 turnovers in each of their previous two games, according to the AP. Rookie Keaton Wagler led them with a career-high 21 points off the bench. Forward Rui Hachimura missed the game with left quadriceps tightness.
The result moved the Lakers to 4-1 and dropped the Clippers to 1-3. The Lakers had also beaten the Clippers 125-117 the previous Friday. Before Wednesday’s game, Doncic had scored 41 points in a 136-129 loss to Portland on Tuesday; ESPN reported that he was leading the NBA with an early-season average of 36.0 points per game.
Both teams are scheduled to open NBA Cup group play on Friday, October 30. The Lakers are due to visit Golden State, while the Clippers are due to play at Minnesota, according to the AP.
Read in depth: Sports
Rays face payroll and rotation questions after World Series loss to Brewers
Tampa Bay’s 98-win season ended in five World Series games. Its new ownership group faces questions about spending and retaining a rotation that helped carry the club to the...
Lamar Jackson practices fully as Ravens assess his return for Bills game
The quarterback’s full participation on Wednesday gave Baltimore reason for optimism, but coach Jesse Minter said the team would assess how he responds before Sunday’s game in...
Sources and context
- Lakers rule out Luka Doncic, Ziaire Williams vs. ClippersESPN (Dave McMenamin)
- No Luka Doncic, no problem: The Lakers rout the Clippers 103-97LA NACION, carrying Associated Press report
- Lakers win without Luka Doncic as Clippers suffer another embarrassing offensive collapseThe Sporting News (Rodney Knuppel)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.