For the first time this season, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Lakers thanks to a rare triple-double from Kawhi Leonard, who also led a group of six players in scoring more than 16 points.

In the middle of the game, Russell Westbrook attempted to put his shoes back on but was unable; as a result, he had to play with just one shoe on one foot and a sock on the other.

Westbrook carried on the оffensive by reversing the ball to his left hand and making a quick 3-pointer. The crowd at Crypto.com Arena cheered as the ball went through the basket.

Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers continued to provide exquisite plays with captivating duels performances as they faced off to construct the third Los Angeles derby of the season. Russell Westbrook’s poignant shot is a prime example. 

Apart from Russ’s long shots, Kawhi Leonard’s mediocre set of shots, James Harden’s 3-point step-backs, and Paul George’s easy breakthroughs helped the LA Clippers stay relevant.

On the other side of the court, the Los Angeles Lakers used Anthony Davis’ muscle to аttаck the basket rather effectively even without LeBron James due to ιnjury. LeBron was supplanted as the leader by D’Angelo Russell, who kept up his “transfer season form”.

In the fourth quarter, Russell even had a standout defensive play when he blocked Harden’s attempt to score.  However, LeBron James left a gap that was too great for the Lakers to close on the day he did not play.

This season, the LA Clippers defeated the Lakers twice in a row before taking the third match 127-116.

Six different LA Clippers players combined for over 16 points in this game, headed by James Harden (23 points, 10 assists), who also recorded a triple-double. Kawhi Leonard finished with 25 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds.

On the other side of the front line, D’Angelo Russell led the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineup with 27 points and 12 assists on the day, while Anthony Davis recorded a double-double with 26 points (12–20 FG), 12 rebounds, and 2 assists. Everybody scored ten points.

For the majority of the game, the LA Clippers were the team in charge, keeping a lead of 8–12 points from the end of the second half to the conclusion of the third. Even without LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers never gave up and managed to stay in the game. The Lakers played strong defense in the final 12 minutes of the game to cut the deficit from double digits to just 2 points (108-110). They “got cold” at the critical moment, failing to score points in eight straight attacks, therefore they were unable to capitalize on this opportunity. The Clippers won the game by raising the flag, scoring nine points in a row to take back control of the contest and go on to win the championship by an 11-point margin.