Luka Doncic had 43 points and 13 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers ripped the Los Angeles Clippers 135-118 on Tuesday night in an NBA Cup game. It was the 23rd 40/10 game of his career, which is tied for third all-time in NBA history.
The Los Angeles Lakers whipped their city rival Tuesday night, taking down the Los Angeles Clippers 135-118 in an NBA Cup game at crypto.com Arena. It was an NBA Cup game as well, and the Lakers are now 3-0 in the in-season tournament group stage games, earning a spot in the quarterfinals already.
Luka Doncic led the way with 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. He's had a great start to the season, making NBA history in the process.
Doncic scored 24 of his 43 points in the first quarter and the Clippers never really had any answer for him
“Luka got it going early, kind of set the tone of what was going to be offensively, and then we just followed that train,” said Lakers star LeBron James, who had 25 points, six rebounds and six assists in his third game of the season. “I'm getting better. It’s getting better. TIt will get better every game, you know. And today was another testimony to that, a testament to that. So great win for us, but I’m starting to feel better and better.”
The Lakers also got 31 points from Austin Reeves to improve to 13-4 on the season. They play their final NBA Cup game at home on Friday against Dallas. A win there would guarantee a home game in the quarterfinals.
The Lakers have won five straight, including all three games with James back in the lineup after missing the first month with sciatica issues. They are tied with Denver for the second-best record in the NBA's Western Conference behind Oklahoma City and they've won all three games with Doncic, James and Reaves all on the floor together.
“Honestly, I think we did great,'' Doncic told reporters after the game. "I'm just trying to read the defense because I know at some point they’re going to start blitzing me, so I just play out of that.
LeBron was aggressive in the second half, AR was aggressive and I think we each pick our momentum and go at it.”
This was the 23rd time that Doncic had 40 or more points and 10 or more assists in a game, which is now tied for third all-time in NBA history with Nate "Tiny'' Archibald. Only Oscar Robertson (46) and James Harden (32) have more 40/10 games.
The Clippers continue to underachieve this season. They are now 5-13 on the year. The New Orleans Pelicans (3) are the only Western Conference team with fewer wins than the Clippers.