Skip to main content
NBA Flare
NBA|

Lakers

125
Game StatusFinal

Clippers

122

Luka Doncic scores 38 and the Lakers hold off the Clippers 125-122 to split LA rivals' season series

Game Article

Game Recap

Nicolas Batum comes up with a steal but misses a potential score-tying 3-pointer for the Clippers.
Nicolas Batum comes up with a steal but misses a potential score-tying 3-pointer for the Clippers.

LOS ANGELES -- — Luka Doncic had 38 points and 11 assists, Austin Reaves added 29 points and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Los Angeles Clippers down the stretch for a 125-122 victory Friday night.

LeBron James had 13 points and 11 assists for the Lakers in their return from the All-Star break. They blew a 15-point lead in the second half, but Doncic scored 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers split the four-game season series with their crosstown rivals.

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points before missing the final 5:10 with an apparent ankle injury for the Clippers (27-29), who fell just short of getting back to .500 in incredible fashion after their 6-21 start to the season.

Bennedict Mathurin had 26 points and seven rebounds in his second straight outstanding game for his new team before fouling out with 1:49 to play. The athletic guard acquired from Indiana for center Ivica Zubac dropped a career-high-tying 38 against Denver on Thursday.

Derrick Jones Jr. scored on consecutive possessions to trim the Lakers' lead to 123-120 with 46 seconds left. Nicolas Batum then stole James' pass in the final seconds, but the Frenchman missed a tying 3-point attempt with 4 seconds left.

Doncic, James and Reaves were able to play together for only the 11th time in the Lakers’ 55 games this season, thanks to a rare moment of full health for the Lakers coming out of the break. They responded with a prolific offensive performance, even while James managed just two points in the second half.

In Doncic’s return from a four-game absence followed by a five-minute All-Star Game appearance due to a mildly strained hamstring, the Slovenian superstar scored 17 points with four 3-pointers in a dynamic first quarter for the Lakers, who made 16 of 17 shots in one stretch.

Leonard, who had just one bucket in the first, answered with a 19-point second.

The Clippers' John Collins was helped off the court with 18 seconds left in the first half after he bloodied his face on a hard landing while trying to catch a long pass at the rim.

Up next

Clippers: Host Orlando on Sunday.

Lakers: Host Boston on Sunday.

------

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

Game Information

Game Information

Time, Location & Referees
crypto.com Arena
Venue
crypto.com Arena
Los Angeles, CA
Date & Time
3:15 AM, February 21, 2026
Coverage
ESPN, Spectrum Sports Net, Spectrum Sports Net +, FanDuel SN SoCal
Attendance
18,997
Referees
Marc Davis, CJ Washington, Mousa Dagher

Game Analysis

Statistics visualization

Game Stats

Get the latest game stats
Clippers
Lakers
45-82FG44-85
55Field Goal %52
8-213PT17-31
38Three Point %55
24-29FT20-25
10Offensive Rebounds5
32Defensive Rebounds27
25Assists31
7Steals8
5Blocks4
16Turnovers12
2Technical Fouls0
20Points Conceded Off Turnovers18
16Fast Break Points14
20Fouls24
5Largest Lead16

Current Standings

2025-26 Pacific Standings

TEAMWLPCTSTRK
LA Lakers5027.649L1
Phoenix4235.545L2
LA Clippers3938.506L2
Golden State3641.468L3
Sacramento2157.269W2

Play by Play

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events
TIMEPLAY
12:00
Brook Lopez vs. Deandre Ayton (LeBron James gains possession)
00
11:43
Luka Doncic misses driving layup
00
11:41
Kris Dunn defensive rebound
00
11:27
Kawhi Leonard bad pass turnover (LeBron James steals)
00
11:23
Deandre Ayton out of bounds lost ball turnover
00
11:06
Brook Lopez makes 15-foot hook shot (Kawhi Leonard assists)
02
10:49
Luka Doncic misses 27-foot three point step back jumpshot
02
10:47
Kris Dunn defensive rebound
02
10:42
Brook Lopez makes 7-foot two point shot (Derrick Jones Jr. assists)
04
10:42
Luka Doncic shooting foul
04
10:42
Brook Lopez makes free throw 1 of 1
05
10:33
Austin Reaves makes 3-foot two point shot
25
10:16
Brook Lopez makes 12-foot fade away jump shot
27
10:03
Derrick Jones Jr. personal foul
27
9:56
Austin Reaves makes 22-foot three point jumper (Luka Doncic assists)
57
9:30
Kris Dunn makes alley oop layup (Kawhi Leonard assists)
59
9:21
Austin Reaves makes driving layup (Luka Doncic assists)
79
8:57
John Collins makes 1-foot dunk (Kawhi Leonard assists)
711
8:35
Luka Doncic makes 9-foot pullup jump shot (LeBron James assists)
911
8:15
John Collins bad pass turnover (Marcus Smart steals)
911
8:10
LeBron James makes running layup
1111
7:52
Brook Lopez misses 28-foot three point step back jumpshot
1111
7:46
Deandre Ayton defensive rebound
1111
7:23
LeBron James makes 11-foot fade away jump shot
1311
7:06
John Collins makes 11-foot turnaround jump shot (Kris Dunn assists)
1313
6:56
Luka Doncic bad pass turnover (John Collins steals)
1313
6:53
John Collins makes running layup
1315
6:45
LeBron James makes 27-foot three point jumper (Austin Reaves assists)
1615
6:28
John Collins misses 23-foot three point jumper
1615
6:24
Deandre Ayton defensive rebound
1615
6:18
Deandre Ayton makes 3-foot dunk (LeBron James assists)
1815
6:18
Clippers Full timeout
1815
6:18
Jake LaRavia enters the game for LeBron James
1815
6:18
Rui Hachimura enters the game for Marcus Smart
1815
6:18
Jaxson Hayes enters the game for Deandre Ayton
1815
6:10
Jake LaRavia personal foul
1815
5:56
Kawhi Leonard makes 16-foot pullup jump shot
1817
5:30
Luka Doncic makes 25-foot three point step back jumpshot
2117
5:04
John Collins misses 3-foot jump bank shot
2117
5:02
Jaxson Hayes defensive rebound
2117
4:52
Luka Doncic out of bounds bad pass turnover
2117
4:52
Luke Kennard enters the game for Austin Reaves
2117
4:52
Bennedict Mathurin enters the game for Kris Dunn
2117
4:35
Brook Lopez misses 26-foot three point jumper
2117
4:31
Jaxson Hayes defensive rebound
2117
4:17
Jaxson Hayes makes 4-foot alley oop dunk (Luka Doncic assists)
2317
3:51
Derrick Jones Jr. misses 23-foot three point jumper
2317
3:50
Luka Doncic defensive rebound
2317
3:40
Luka Doncic makes 27-foot three point step back jumpshot
2617
3:25
Bennedict Mathurin misses driving floating jump shot
2617
3:24
Brook Lopez offensive rebound
2617
3:24
Brook Lopez misses tip shot
2617
3:23
Brook Lopez offensive rebound
2617
3:23
Brook Lopez makes two point shot
2619
3:13
Brook Lopez blocks Jaxson Hayes 's 5-foot jumper
2619
3:13
Lakers offensive team rebound
2619
3:13
Yanic Konan Niederhauser enters the game for Kawhi Leonard
2619
3:13
Jordan Miller enters the game for Brook Lopez
2619
3:10
Luke Kennard lost ball turnover (Jordan Miller steals)
2619
2:56
John Collins makes driving layup (Jordan Miller assists)
2621
2:55
Lakers Full timeout
2621
2:55
Kris Dunn enters the game for Derrick Jones Jr.
2621
2:55
Nicolas Batum enters the game for John Collins
2621
2:38
Luke Kennard makes 25-foot three point jumper (Luka Doncic assists)
2921
2:22
Bennedict Mathurin makes 16-foot pullup jump shot (Yanic Konan Niederhauser assists)
2923
2:09
Kris Dunn shooting foul
2923
2:09
Luka Doncic makes free throw 1 of 2
3023
2:09
Jarred Vanderbilt enters the game for Jaxson Hayes
3023
2:09
Luka Doncic misses free throw 2 of 2
3023
2:07
Nicolas Batum defensive rebound
3023
1:46
Jordan Miller makes 12-foot two point shot
3025
1:19
Jake LaRavia makes 24-foot three point jumper (Luke Kennard assists)
3325
1:09
Bennedict Mathurin misses 25-foot three point pullup jump shot
3325
1:06
Luka Doncic defensive rebound
3325
1:01
Luka Doncic makes 25-foot running pullup jump shot
3625
44.6
Jordan Miller lost ball turnover (Rui Hachimura steals)
3625
38.4
Luka Doncic makes 28-foot running pullup jump shot
3925
31.1
Jake LaRavia shooting foul
3925
31.1
Bennedict Mathurin makes free throw 1 of 2
3926
31.1
LeBron James enters the game for Jarred Vanderbilt
3926
31.1
Bennedict Mathurin makes free throw 2 of 2
3927
17.2
Yanic Konan Niederhauser personal foul
3927
15.7
Luka Doncic makes 1-foot layup (LeBron James assists)
4127
1.0
Bennedict Mathurin makes 26-foot three pointer
4130
0.2
Rui Hachimura misses heave jump shot
4130
0.1
Lakers offensive team rebound
4130
0.0
(00:00) [Clippers] COACH'S CHALLENGE (CALL REPLAYCENTER)
4130
0.0
End of the 1st Quarter
4130

Related Tags

LA Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers Live StreamWatch LA Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers FreeClippers vs Lakers Live ScoreLAC vs LAL GameNBA Stream LA ClippersNBA Stream Los Angeles Lakerscrypto.com ArenaNBA Live StreamBasketball Streams

Need Help?

Explore our comprehensive NBA streams guide for all available options and platform comparisons.

View Streaming Guide