LOS ANGELES -- — Luka Doncic scored 31 points on his 26th birthday and LeBron James had 28 points and 13 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers' fifth straight victory, 106-102 over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

Doncic scored 10 points in the fourth quarter of a gritty performance by the Lakers, who were missing two injured starters on the second night of a back-to-back home set. They still won their city rivalry game with strong defense and Doncic's playmaking, finally holding on for their 11th win in 13 games.

Ivica Zubac had a season-high 27 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost four of five since the All-Star break. Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points, and James Harden had 18 in a 5-for-22 shooting performance, including 1-for-10 on 3-pointers.

After struggling with his shot again for three quarters, Doncic hit consecutive 3-pointers midway through the fourth to stretch the lead to 10 points.

Takeaways

Clippers: Undone by 18 turnovers in their first game back in LA since Feb. 12, Zubac's standout effort against the Lakers' undersized frontcourt wasn't enough.

Lakers: An impressive performance with minimal rest and a depleted lineup. Austin Reaves left in the first quarter with calf soreness, while Rui Hachimura sat out after straining his left knee Thursday. Coach JJ Redick said he's “optimistic” Hachimura's injury isn't serious.

Key moment

The Lakers' lead was only four when Doncic hit James for a layup with 2:14 left. After Harden missed two clean 3-point attempts, Doncic found Jaxson Hayes for a dunk and a 106-98 lead.

Key stat

Doncic is sixth in NBA history in points scored before his 26th birthday (12,205). James is first (16,081), while Doncic finished just 10 points behind fifth-place Kobe Bryant (12,215).

Up next

A rematch on Sunday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Ivica Zubac vs. Jaxson Hayes (James Harden gains possession)	0	0
11:35	James Harden misses driving floating jump shot	0	0
11:31	Kawhi Leonard offensive rebound	0	0
11:29	Kawhi Leonard makes 26-foot three point jumper	0	3
11:11	Luka Doncic bad pass (Kawhi Leonard steals)	0	3
11:03	Kris Dunn makes 12-foot running pullup jump shot (Kawhi Leonard assists)	0	5
10:47	Jaxson Hayes makes 4-foot driving dunk (Dorian Finney-Smith assists)	2	5
10:17	Kawhi Leonard makes 26-foot three point jumper (Kris Dunn assists)	2	8
9:58	Luka Doncic misses 23-foot three point step back jumpshot	2	8
9:55	Derrick Jones Jr. defensive rebound	2	8
9:49	Kawhi Leonard misses running pullup jump shot	2	8
9:48	LeBron James defensive rebound	2	8
9:36	Austin Reaves makes 29-foot three point jumper (LeBron James assists)	5	8
9:21	Luka Doncic personal foul	5	8
9:12	Ivica Zubac makes 8-foot two point shot (James Harden assists)	5	10
8:58	Luka Doncic makes 3-foot layup (Jaxson Hayes assists)	7	10
8:45	Derrick Jones Jr. makes 22-foot three point jumper (James Harden assists)	7	13
8:34	Kris Dunn personal foul	7	13
8:25	Dorian Finney-Smith misses 8-foot two point shot	7	13
8:23	Ivica Zubac defensive rebound	7	13
8:17	Kris Dunn makes 6-foot driving floating jump shot	7	15
8:07	Austin Reaves misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot	7	15
8:04	James Harden defensive rebound	7	15
7:54	James Harden makes 9-foot driving floating jump shot	7	17
7:54	Lakers Full timeout	7	17
7:39	Ivica Zubac kicked ball violation	7	17
7:28	Austin Reaves makes 23-foot three point jumper (Jaxson Hayes assists)	10	17
7:11	Derrick Jones Jr. misses 26-foot three point jumper	10	17
7:09	LeBron James defensive rebound	10	17
6:55	LeBron James misses 27-foot three point step back jumpshot	10	17
6:53	Dorian Finney-Smith offensive rebound	10	17
6:51	Luka Doncic misses 27-foot three point jumper	10	17
6:48	Ivica Zubac defensive rebound	10	17
6:37	Ivica Zubac makes 9-foot two point shot (James Harden assists)	10	19
6:18	LeBron James makes 26-foot three pointer	13	19
5:53	Austin Reaves blocks James Harden 's 9-foot driving floating jump shot	13	19
5:50	Dorian Finney-Smith defensive rebound	13	19
5:37	LeBron James misses 3-foot two point shot	13	19
5:34	James Harden defensive rebound	13	19
5:22	Kris Dunn misses two point shot	13	19
5:21	Kris Dunn offensive rebound	13	19
5:20	Kris Dunn makes tip shot	13	21
5:08	Luka Doncic misses 27-foot three point step back jumpshot	13	21
5:05	Kris Dunn defensive rebound	13	21
4:57	Derrick Jones Jr. misses 22-foot three point jumper	13	21
4:54	Dorian Finney-Smith defensive rebound	13	21
4:39	Dorian Finney-Smith misses 26-foot three point jumper	13	21
4:36	Kris Dunn defensive rebound	13	21
4:29	James Harden misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot	13	21
4:26	James Harden offensive rebound	13	21
4:17	Derrick Jones Jr. misses driving layup	13	21
4:15	Derrick Jones Jr. offensive rebound	13	21
4:11	James Harden misses 26-foot three point jumper	13	21
4:09	LeBron James defensive rebound	13	21
3:57	Kris Dunn personal foul	13	21
3:57	Clippers Full timeout	13	21
3:57	Trey Jemison III enters the game for Dorian Finney-Smith	13	21
3:57	Jarred Vanderbilt enters the game for Jaxson Hayes	13	21
3:57	Gabe Vincent enters the game for LeBron James	13	21
3:57	Bogdan Bogdanovic enters the game for Kris Dunn	13	21
3:57	Amir Coffey enters the game for Ivica Zubac	13	21
3:57	Ben Simmons enters the game for Derrick Jones Jr.	13	21
3:45	Gabe Vincent misses 30-foot three point jumper	13	21
3:42	Luka Doncic offensive rebound	13	21
3:33	Austin Reaves misses 28-foot three point jumper	13	21
3:29	Ben Simmons defensive rebound	13	21
3:22	Gabe Vincent blocks Amir Coffey 's 13-foot pullup jump shot	13	21
3:21	Jarred Vanderbilt defensive rebound	13	21
3:06	Nicolas Batum enters the game for Kawhi Leonard	13	21
3:02	Luka Doncic misses 12-foot two point shot	13	21
2:58	Lakers offensive team rebound	13	21
2:58	Nicolas Batum loose ball foul	13	21
2:58	Jordan Goodwin enters the game for Austin Reaves	13	21
2:45	Luka Doncic makes 23-foot three point jumper (Gabe Vincent assists)	16	21
2:25	Luka Doncic shooting foul	16	21
2:25	James Harden makes free throw 1 of 2	16	22
2:25	LeBron James enters the game for Luka Doncic	16	22
2:25	James Harden makes free throw 2 of 2	16	23
2:09	LeBron James makes 17-foot pullup jump shot	18	23
1:46	Bogdan Bogdanovic out of bounds lost ball turnover	18	23
1:22	Ben Simmons shooting foul	18	23
1:22	Jarred Vanderbilt makes free throw 1 of 2	19	23
1:22	Jarred Vanderbilt makes free throw 2 of 2	20	23
1:09	Amir Coffey misses 23-foot three point jumper	20	23
1:06	Trey Jemison III defensive rebound	20	23
58.0	LeBron James misses 28-foot three point pullup jump shot	20	23
56.0	Trey Jemison III offensive rebound	20	23
54.0	Trey Jemison III makes two point shot	22	23
38.1	Amir Coffey misses 23-foot three point jumper	22	23
36.1	Jarred Vanderbilt defensive rebound	22	23
30.1	LeBron James lost ball turnover (James Harden steals)	22	23
26.1	James Harden makes two point shot	22	25
3.1	LeBron James makes driving layup	24	25
1.1	Nicolas Batum misses 30-foot three point pullup jump shot	24	25
0.0	Clippers offensive team rebound	24	25
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	24	25

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Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

crypto.com Arena

Los Angeles, CA

Date & Time

3:00 AM, March 1, 2025

Coverage

ESPN, Spectrum Sports Net, FanDuel SN SoCal

Attendance

18,997

Referees

Zach Zarba, Justin Van Duyne, Sha'Rae Mitchell

2025-26 Pacific Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
LA Lakers	35	24	.593	W1
Phoenix	34	26	.567	W1
Golden State	31	29	.517	L1
LA Clippers	27	31	.466	L3
Sacramento	14	47	.230	W1

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Luka Doncic scores 31 on his birthday, and the Lakers beat the Clippers 106-102 for 5 straight wins

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