October 24, 2026 at 6:28 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Lakers Take the Third Quarter and the Crosstown Opener, 125-117

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Austin Reaves scored 28 and the Lakers outscored the Clippers 39-26 after halftime to move to 2-0 with a 125-117 win.

The Lakers are 2-0, and they got there Friday night by winning the one stretch of the game that mattered. Los Angeles beat the Clippers 125-117 at home, with Austin Reaves leading the way at 28 points and nine assists in 38 minutes, the most on the floor for either side. Reaves grabbed only two rebounds, which tells you how he spent his night: creating for others, and for himself when the Clippers sagged off.

The game was level at 64 at the break, after the Clippers took the first quarter 31-27 and the Lakers answered 37-33 in the second. The third settled it. The Lakers put up 39 to the Clippers' 26 and carried a 103-90 lead into the fourth. The Clippers won the last quarter 27-22, which made the final look closer than it felt. Walker Kessler added 22 points and eight rebounds, Luka Doncic had 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Quentin Grimes gave them 13 points and eight boards off the bench.

Neither team had its full roster. The Lakers played without Jake LaRavia, who seems to have avoided anything serious with his ankle but sat anyway, along with Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr. The Clippers were shorter still, missing five players, among them Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal and Max Strus. Darius Garland still scored 26 with six assists, and Brook Lopez had 22 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Derrick Jones Jr. and Rui Hachimura each finished with 16. Kris Dunn, though, took 34 minutes to score seven.

Oddsmakers had made the Lakers the clear favorite, and they played like it once the second half started. It was also a continuation of their opener, when Doncic scored 28 and Kessler, a newcomer, went 12-for-12 from the field. This time the scoring was more spread out. The Clippers fall to 1-1, and 0-1 on the road, with a thin roster and some questions about how they'll score until the injured players return.

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