Austin Reaves scored 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting and added nine assists as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the LA Clippers 125-117 on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena. The win moves the Lakers to 2-0. Reaves scored 13 of his points in a 39-26 third quarter that broke open a 64-64 game. Collin Sexton made his season debut off the bench. Luka Doncic scored 23 but committed a career-high 11 turnovers, and the Lakers had to hold on after their lead was cut to six late.
How Austin Reaves Took Over the Third Quarter
The game was tied at halftime after Doncic finished a three-point play with 5.6 seconds left in the second quarter. The Clippers then scored the first basket of the third and led as late as 77-76 after a Derrick Jones Jr. three-pointer at 7:18.
The Lakers then went on a 12-0 run that decided the night. Matisse Thybulle hit a step-back three off a Reaves pass at 6:56. Reaves then scored the next four Lakers baskets, per the ESPN play-by-play: a running layup, a short jumper, a pull-up from six feet and a 26-foot pull-up three at 4:19 that made it 89-76. Walker Kessler followed with a putback, and the Lakers took a 103-90 lead into the fourth.
Reaves went 3-of-5 from three and 5-of-6 at the line in 38 minutes. He also had six turnovers. Nine assists against six turnovers was still a winning trade on a night when the Lakers needed his shooting.
Six Lakers in Double Figures
Reaves had plenty of help. Six Lakers scored at least 13 points, and the team shot 58.2 percent from the field (46-of-79):
- Austin Reaves: 28 points, 9 assists, 2 steals.
- Luka Doncic: 23 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 11 turnovers.
- Walker Kessler: 22 points on 10-of-14, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks, 3 steals.
- Ziaire Williams: 14 points on 5-of-7 in 31 minutes.
- Matisse Thybulle: 13 points, 3-of-6 from three.
- Quentin Grimes: 13 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.
Kessler’s opening week is not our focus today, but his late plays mattered. He made two free throws at 2:22 to push the lead back to eight, and he blocked a Rui Hachimura turnaround jumper with 1:21 left. The AP noted that he has now scored 20 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time in his five NBA seasons.
The Turnover Problem
The Lakers finished with 21 turnovers, and the Clippers scored 29 points off them. Nine of the 21 came in the fourth quarter. A 15-point lead became 119-113 when Darius Garland hit a three-pointer with 3:21 left.
Reaves answered with a driving bank shot at 1:29 to make it 123-113. The Clippers got within six one more time on a Kris Dunn layup with 53.4 seconds left, but Quentin Grimes made two free throws at 40.9 seconds to close it out.
Lakers coach JJ Redick did not hide from the numbers. “We know the turnovers are a problem and we’ll continue to work at it,” he said, per Basketnews. “The reality is a lot of the turnovers are just the pass in front of them, just make the pass in front of you.”
Doncic was just as direct about his own night. “Obviously, my game was terrible,” he said, per Eurohoops. “Not playing a great team game by me and AR, but we have a lot of room left. So, it’s very exciting news, honestly.”
He also explained what changed after halftime. “I think we did some great things defensively in the second half, especially in the third quarter,” Doncic said. “We got out and ran, and got some turnovers on their side so we could score from that.”
Both teams had 13 steals. The Lakers won the paint 58-48, while the Clippers had 22 fast-break points to the Lakers’ 13.
Collin Sexton’s Debut
Sexton had missed all five preseason games and the opener with a right soleus strain. He checked in with 3:52 left in the first quarter, and the Los Angeles Times reported that his first play was a steal. He finished with 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting, 2 assists and 3 steals in 16 minutes.
His best stretch came early in the fourth. Sexton stole the ball from Brook Lopez, hit a 29-foot three-pointer at 9:50 and scored on a driving layup at 8:34. He also assisted on a Grimes three in the third. Sexton was a minus-9 for the night, and he had one turnover, a travel early in the fourth.
Before the game, Sexton described his role next to Doncic as “being ready to shoot,” as heard in the Infanity TV clip above. Redick had said earlier in the week that Sexton “was a full participant” in practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1umFf0NYTr0.
Jake LaRavia Update
Jake LaRavia was listed as questionable before the game with a right ankle sprain. He was then ruled out. LaRavia played all 82 games last season and had set the same goal for this season, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“We talked to him this morning before shootaround and I was going to try to give it a go and went to the treatment room and just it’s not there, but he’s hopeful he could be back Sunday, if not Tuesday,” Redick said, per the Times.
That points to Sunday at Utah or Tuesday at home against Portland. Neither date is confirmed. Adou Thiero (left knee) and Cameron Carr (right oblique) also remained out. Jarred Vanderbilt, Bronny James and Jaden Hardy did not play.
Lakers Schedule Ahead
- Sunday, Oct. 25: at Utah Jazz, 2 p.m. PT.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27: vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 8 p.m. PT.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28: at LA Clippers, Intuit Dome, 7:30 p.m. PT.
According to the AP, Friday was the Lakers’ ninth win in the last 13 meetings with the Clippers. The rematch comes in five days.
Source Notes
- Third-quarter score: The Los Angeles Times wrote that the Reaves three made it 89-77. The ESPN play-by-play has it at 89-76, with Kessler’s basket making it 91-77. We follow the play-by-play.
- Clippers turnovers: The NBA box score lists 25 player turnovers. The AP and ESPN count 26, which adds one team turnover. Both counts are correct.
- Box-score glitch: ESPN’s box score lists Dalton Knecht as a Lakers “did not play.” The Lakers waived Knecht on Oct. 19, and he signed a two-way deal with the New York Knicks on Oct. 23. The ESPN listing is an error.
Want every Lakers practice and postgame clip first? Subscribe to Infanity TV on YouTube.
