Luka Doncic scored 29 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out nine assists to lead the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to a 108-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, continuing their strong push in March.
LeBron James added 17 points and nine assists, while rookie Dalton Knecht contributed 19 points off the bench for the Lakers, who extended their winning streak to six games despite missing starters Rui Hachimura (knee) and Austin Reaves (calf).
Doncic, who joined the Lakers at the trade deadline, has scored 20 or more points in four of his last five games.
The Lakers won the season series 3-1 over the Clippers, extending their dominance with six wins in the past eight matchups against their in-town rivals, after ending an 11-game losing streak. Since Jan. 21, the Lakers have gone 16-3.
Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 33 points with 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Kris Dunn added 15 points for the visitors, Ivica Zubac had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and James Harden finished with 13 points and eight assists.
Norman Powell returned for the Clippers after missing the previous five games with a knee injury but left with a hamstring issue in the first quarter and did not return after scoring four points in nine minutes.
The Lakers led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter and took an 89-77 advantage into the final period. They led 104-94 with 4:12 remaining after two free throws from Doncic before the Clippers made a late run.
A 3-pointer from Leonard with 1:40 to play trimmed the Clippers' deficit to 107-102, but Dunn had a layup attempt blocked by James with 30.4 seconds left that would have cut the gap to a single possession.
Dorian Finney-Smith sealed the victory with a free throw at 8.6 seconds remaining and finished with 11 points.
The Lakers used a 12-0 run late in the second quarter to take a 56-43 lead behind 12 points from Doncic and 10 from Finney-Smith. The Clippers were held scoreless over the final 7:35 of the second quarter.
