Clippers hold off Lakers with flurry of late 3-pointers

LOS ANGELES — When it counted, the Lakers had twos, but the Clippers had threes.

In the archetypal gathering betwixt the Staples Center co-tenants this season, the Clippers (12-11) managed to bent connected for a 119-115 triumph implicit the Lakers, acknowledgment to a trio of 3-pointers by Luke Kennard and Marcus Morris Sr. successful the last 1:12. It helped them outlast the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook arsenic the Lakers fell to 12-12.

After the past bucket by Morris, a tough, contested slice with 7.6 seconds left, Davis threw up his hands arsenic if to inquire what other helium could bash to halt the 3-point onslaught successful the last minute.

It finished an evening erstwhile the Clippers’ 3-point shooting (16 for 35) helped interval them. Paul George was held to 19 points connected 20 shots, defended for overmuch of the nighttime by his erstwhile teammate Westbrook.

Kennard (19 points) deed the decisive shots, nailing his 5th and last 3-pointer with 38.4 seconds remaining. Morris’ 21 points paced the team.

The last minutes of the crippled saw the Lakers furiously attempting to extremity a night-long pursuit of the front-running Clippers. It seemed they had a infinitesimal aft Carmelo Anthony deed a 3-pointer and the Lakers’ defence earned a stop. But Westbrook was called for an violative foul connected the ensuing possession for hitting Reggie Jackson (16 points) connected a rotation move. The Lakers forced different stop, but a 3-point effort by Malik Monk (20 points) took a pugnacious bounce up and implicit the backboard.

The Lakers were capable to propulsion immoderate “Showtime” unneurotic successful the past infinitesimal with a lob to Davis and a abbreviated hook changeable by James. But Monk’s last jumper with 0.3 seconds near – initially ruled a 3-pointer but changed to a 2 – was excessively little, excessively late. The Lakers ne'er led during the game.

The Lakers’ starting lineup lacked shooting juice. James had 23 points but was conscionable 9 for 23 successful his instrumentality from a little enactment successful the COVID-19 protocols. Davis paced them with 27 points, but helium was 0 for 2 from 3-point range. Westbrook had a quiescent nighttime with 10 points connected 8 shots, but helium contributed arsenic a facilitator with 9 assists.

At the moment, the hoops world’s eyes are elsewhere. ESPN flexed the crippled disconnected its docket successful favour of the Golden State Warriors-Phoenix Suns tilt, arsenic the Western Conference’s apical contenders squared disconnected successful San Francisco. It’s acold from a definite happening that either L.A. franchise volition scope that level again this season: The Lakers’ caller halfway has struggled amid injuries and different bouts of chaos, portion the Clippers person been underpowered portion All-Star Kawhi Leonard recovers from his summertime genu surgery.

The archetypal 4th wasn’t astir to alteration hearts and minds astir either team’s trajectory truthful far: They combined to spell 8 for 43 for 55 points. The lone crushed it was a one-point crippled astatine the archetypal 4th people was a pugnacious baseline changeable by Anthony with 3.8 seconds remaining, injecting immoderate beingness into a sleepy start.

But successful the 2nd quarter, the Clippers made their determination at, of each places, the free-throw line. The Lakers got-hack happy, sending the Clippers to the enactment 20 times successful the archetypal fractional alone. The Clippers responded by making their archetypal 19 attempts, starring by arsenic overmuch arsenic 11 points successful the play earlier the Lakers tightened the people with a 10-2 tally successful the last 1:30.

But the Clippers person thing successful their starting lineup that the Lakers don’t: accordant 3-point shooters. While George’s 0-for-7 people was unsightly, Marcus Morris, Serge Ibaka and Kennard combined to spell 7 for 9 connected 3-pointers successful the 3rd 4th alone. The Clippers coiled up with 34 points successful the 3rd to instrumentality the vantage going into the last period.

Clippers manager Ty Lue was bold successful countering the Lakers: When they went tiny with James astatine halfway – a precocious favored lineup – Lue zagged by throwing successful Isaiah Hartenstein (11 points) for a fewer astir unguarded pick-and-roll drives to the rim.

More to travel connected this story.