Luka Doncic torched the Clippers for 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds, and LeBron James added 25 as the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to their fifth straight win, a 135-118 victory in NBA Cup play on Tuesday night.
Doncic tied his season high with 32 points by halftime and delivered his 51st career 40-point performance, coming up just shy of what would have been his 10th 40-point triple-double.
The Lakers, fueled by their superstar duo and a third straight Cup victory, clinched their group with the win.
Austin Reaves chipped in 31 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers pushed their blistering run to 11 wins in their last 13 games.
The 40-year-old James also looked more like his old self in the third game of his unprecedented 23rd NBA season, scoring 16 points in the second half while the Lakers steadily pulled away.
James Harden continued his scoring surge with 29 points and nine assists for the Clippers, who have lost 11 of 13. Kawhi Leonard scored 19 in his second game back from a 10-game injury absence.
The crosstown rivals’ first meeting of the season got chippy when Clippers guard Kris Dunn was ejected with 3:33 to play after knocking Doncic to the ground with a hit to his back.
Doncic confronted Dunn, who shoved the ball into Doncic’s chest before Lakers center Jaxson Hayes shoved Dunn in the back. Dunn then swatted at Hayes, who also got a technical foul.
Doncic opened with his highest-scoring quarter of the season, making his first five 3-point attempts – after missing 17 of 22 in his previous two games – and scoring 20 points in the first eight minutes alone.
He also directed a stream of trash talk and staredowns at the Clippers’ bench, continuing a semi-friendly feud with LA’s second team that predates his move to the Lakers.
Clippers: Host Memphis on Friday.
Lakers: Host Dallas on Friday.
