A night after Portland pulled away from them late, the Lakers went to the Clippers without Luka Doncic or Ziaire Williams and never needed either. Quentin Grimes scored 23, Collin Sexton added 21 in 21 minutes off the bench, and the 103-87 win lifted Los Angeles to 4-1 and fourth in the conference.
Sixteen Unanswered
The Clippers led 31-29 with 6:46 left in the second quarter, and that was as good as it got for them. Their biggest lead all night was five. The Lakers then scored 16 straight points in just over two and a half minutes and took a 56-38 lead into halftime after a 31-16 quarter. Tyronn Lue's team cut it to 56-46 with an 8-0 run to start the second half. The Lakers answered with a 10-0 run from 58-51 to 68-51, then scored eight in the final 1:22 of the third to lead 83-61. The margin reached 23. The Clippers took the fourth 21-18, and Grimes scored 10 of the Lakers' 18 in that quarter.
The Understudies' Report Card
Sexton, A: 4-of-7 from three, 5-of-8 at the line and the best plus-minus on the floor. Grimes, A-minus: 23 points, five assists and four steals, and he got to the line, going 9-of-11, even on a night he missed all three of his threes. Matisse Thybulle hit 5 of 6 shots, 4 of them threes, for 15. Austin Reaves, C-minus: 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting and eight turnovers, with the offense his to run. The bench made the difference. Sandro Mamukelashvili had 13 points and eight boards and finished +21. Jarred Vanderbilt was +22 in 21 minutes, and the reserves scored 36. Walker Kessler had 11 points and nine rebounds but was -7, the worst mark on the team. Jake LaRavia scored two points and still made his 35 minutes count with 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. The defense held the Clippers to 87. Keaton Wagler needed 15 shots for his 21 points, and Darius Garland turned it over five times.
Golden State on Deck
Doncic went from out to day-to-day with his back injury, with an estimated return of Oct. 30. That's Friday's Cup group-stage game at Golden State. Williams is also day-to-day. Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero remain out, both with the same estimated return. The Lakers are 2-0 against the Clippers this season, two games clear of 11th, and they face the Raptors, Heat and Kings over the next week. The roster also changed: Lawson Lovering signed a two-way contract and AK Okereke was waived. With Doncic's 36.0 a night likely coming back, Thursday showed that the rest of the roster can win a game without him.
Did Luka Doncic play in the Lakers' win over the Clippers on Oct. 28?
No. He missed the game with a back injury and is now listed day-to-day, with an estimated return of Oct. 30 at Golden State.
Who led the Lakers in scoring against the Clippers?
Quentin Grimes led with 23 points. Collin Sexton scored 21 off the bench and finished +23, the best mark on the team.
