Anthony Davis looked every bit the part for much of the game before James closed the triumph with a game-winner in traffic.
Davis leads Lakers 3rd-quarter rally
Davis sizzled and dominated the scoreboard in a third-quarter rally that lifted the Lakers ahead of their crosstown competitors in what effectively could be a Western Conference Finals sneak peek.
His back-to-back 3-pointers late in the 3rd quarter stressed a 17-5 run that offered the Lakers a 72-71 lead and stopped the bleeding of what begun out as a dominant Clippers verse.
After the Lakers led the whole first half, Clippers forward Paul George went on a personal 9-1 run with three straight 3-pointers to begin the quarter. Before the Lakers would score their very first basket of the quarter, the Clippers had actually gone on a 14-1 go to take a 66-55 lead.
Davis willed the Lakers back to a 77-76 lead by the end of the quarter that the Lakers translated into triumph. The very best defense one of the leagues premier defensive groups had for Davis was repeatedly fouling him in the paint. Davis made them pay with a 16-for-17 performance at the line.
Davis willed the Lakers back to a 77-76 lead by the end of the quarter that the Lakers equated into victory. The best defense one of the leagues leading defensive teams had for Davis was repeatedly fouling him in the paint. In the end, Davis completed with 34 points, 8 rebounds and four assists. James had a hard time from the field, hitting 6-of-19 shots. After James put the Lakers up on the other end, Georges final heave from beyond the arc didnt connect.
LeBron James game up huge in the clutch on Thursday. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) More.
Georges heroics not enough.
George threatened to take the success for the shorthanded Clippers, who began bubble play without Montezl Harrell and Lou Williams, neither of whom has yet been cleared to play. He sank another 3-pointer with 28.4 seconds remaining to connect the video game at 101-101.
After James put the Lakers up on the other end, Georges final heave from beyond the arc didnt link. George ended up with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals while striking 6-of-11 3-pointers. Kawhi Leonard tallied 28 points, 4 assists, two takes and two blocks.
It was the last conference of the routine season for the rivals, who would start the playoffs as the top two seeds in the West if the postseason began today. The Lakers have a stranglehold on the top seed, extending their lead over the Clippers to 6.5 video games with 7 games staying, while the Clippers lead over the third-place Denver Nuggets now stands at one video game.
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Theres chatter about LeBron James challenging favorite Giannis Antetokounmpo for NBA MVP.
Theres a real battle on the Los Angeles Lakers for who is worthy of the honors for the team. It was on full screen Thursday in an awesome 103-101 Lakers win over the Los Angeles Clippers in their bubble debut.
Anthony Davis turned up huge in his bubble launching. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) More.
LeBron comes up big in crunch time.
James, who filled up the box rating as he routinely does, was not to be surpassed. He scored two of the biggest containers of the game with a layup in bruising traffic in the final minutes that extended the Lakers result in 101-98 and a putback layup that protected the Lakers victory with 12.8 seconds staying.
In the end, Davis finished with 34 points, eight rebounds and 4 helps. James had a hard time from the field, hitting 6-of-19 shots. However he linked when the stakes were highest and tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven helps.
With Davis efficiency, he and James have actually now each taped 20 30-point efficiencies this season, marking the very first time a Lakers duo has actually done so considering that Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeal in the 2002-03 season.
