LOS ANGELES — You can say this about the Lakers and Clippers: They keep it close.
Their meeting in December was decided by four points, thanks to some timely shooting by Marcus Morris Sr. Earlier this month, Reggie Jackson’s final shot went in and Anthony Davis’ didn’t – the defining sequence in a one-point game.
Two lengthy officiating reviews don’t quite provide the same dramatic flair as those tight finishes. But at the very least, the latest installment – technical and ugly as it was at the end – offered suspense until LeBron James’ final hurl from the corner hit the side of the rim.
Even though the games have been close, the result again was the same: The Clippers survived a late Lakers surge, winning 105-102 in the first game out of the All-Star break for the injury-plagued teams. It was Morris again who played the hero, hitting a tough 16-foot jumper for the decisive points just before a series of officiating calls dragged out the finish.
The Clippers, who beat the Lakers for the sixth straight time, were driven largely by a communal effort: Seven players finished with double-digit points, no more than Terence Mann’s 19. James led the Lakers with 21 points, but he was just 6 for 18 from the field after his final miss to tie the score.
“We had a good group in there,” Mann said. “We wanted to lock in defensively and let the offense take care of itself – and that’s what we did.”
The last 25 seconds of play took more than 10 minutes to wrap up because of complex officiating questions.
After James leaped for a rebound, he tried tossing the ball back in bounds, but the ball was intercepted by Robert Covington who then stepped out of bounds. After one review gave the ball to the Lakers, the Clippers challenged the call, getting the ball back after referees determined James’ foot was down before he released the ball.
The next play was also lengthened by a challenge, when Lakers coach Frank Vogel asked for one when a foul was given to Talen Horton-Tucker after he nearly forced an 8-second violation. The officials rescinded the foul call, and on the next play, Reggie Jackson couldn’t cross the timeline in a second – forcing a Clippers turnover.
Given this extra possession with 18.3 seconds left, the Lakers looked for the red-hot Carmelo Anthony – who had 18 points in his first game back since these teams last squared off on Feb. 3. But the 37-year-old’s long, high-arcing shot was off target, and Jackson snatched the rebound and padded the lead with a pair of free throws.
Five Lakers scored 14 points or more, including Anthony, Horton-Tucker (16), Russell Westbrook (18) and Dwight Howard (14).
Amir Coffey scored 12 of his 14 in the fourth quarter for the Clippers.
If current trends continue, and the NBA’s two L.A.-based teams actually have their first postseason showdown in a play-in game, it seems promising that the first three have been close. But for a Lakers team looking up at the Clippers from ninth place in the Western Conference, the Clippers’ 3-0 record in those games is another shadow hanging over their season.
The Lakers’ talk of a post-All-Star break reset didn’t pick up as quickly as they hoped. While James kicked off the night with a fadeaway jumper – akin to the one he nailed to win the All-Star Game last weekend – the rest of his teammates had a tough time finding the bottom of the net – especially from deep.
The Lakers missed their first 10 attempts. After missing three weeks of action, Anthony looked particularly rusty with errant shots.
The only Laker to benefit from all the misses was Howard, making a start in place of injured Anthony Davis and turning back the clock. In his first-quarter shift alone, the former franchise big man grabbed five offensive rebounds; by the second quarter, he had already secured a double-double. Howard wound up with a season-high 16 rebounds for the night, adding to a career total that already ranks 10th all-time.
But while the Lakers were gobbling up the rebounds, the Clippers were getting all the points. Luke Kennard (5 for 8 from 3-point range), fresh off his runner-up finish in the All-Star 3-point contest, was graciously granted open looks by the Laker defense. Mann – continuing to take advantage of his recently acquired starting spot – wreaked two-way havoc and punched up what was otherwise an underwhelming transition attack.
But the third quarter leveled the playing field as the Lakers picked up their tempo – and their shooting. Fueled by the Clippers’ 17 turnovers, the Lakers were able to swing a 31-15 quarter advantage, finally taking their first lead of the second half when Horton-Tucker swished a 3-pointer. The Lakers had a six-point lead at the end of three quarters when Horton-Tucker dunked to beat the buzzer by three-tenths of a second.
More to come on this story.