The Los Angeles Clippers upset LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 116-102 on Sunday night in the Lakers’ first visit to the new Intuit Dome. Norman Powell scored 22 points, while James Harden contributed 21 points and 12 assists.
In the Clippers’ season opener at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, old hallway rivals Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points and Ivica Zubac scored 21 points and pulled down 19 rebounds.
Rui Hachimura contributed 19 points, and James finished with 25 points and 11 assists. After missing a game due to plantar fasciitis, Anthony Davis returned with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Lakers’ winning streak of two games came to an end.
In his fifth game of the season, Leonard continued to play under a minutes restriction, playing 24 minutes but none in the fourth, tying his season best. In the third quarter, when the Clippers had their largest advantage of 26 points, he scored eight consecutive points to reach 14,000 points in his career.
Takeaways
Lakers: The game’s opening basket gave them their lone advantage. They ended the third quarter behind 92-77 after outscoring the Clippers 13-2, including 11 consecutive points. The building was filled with their fans’ frantic cries of “Let’s go, Lakers!” during the spurt, drowning out the home crowd.
Clippers: They began a run of six games in nine days and won their third straight game.
Key moment
After shooting 58% from the field, the Clippers led 64-49 at the half after outscoring the Lakers 32-23 in the second quarter. The Lakers defeated the Clippers 25–24 in the fourth quarter after both teams scored 28 points in the third.
Key stat
Both groups made at least 50% of their shots from the field. The Clippers made 11 3-pointers, while the Lakers made nine.
Up next
On Tuesday, the Lakers will host the Wizards. On Monday, the Clippers will host the Bulls.