It was an absolute thrilling end to another version of the “Hallway Series”, as the Lakers (25-28) were bested by the LA Clippers, 111-110. The two teams traded six scores in the final minute of the game and after a Reggie Jackson layup with four seconds remaining, Anthony Davis dribbled up the court and was inches away from the buzzer beating floater.
Tightly contested for much of the first half, the Clippers turned their game up in the third quarter and led by as many as 17 with four minutes left in the third period. A small Lakers run would cut the deficit down to 12 at the end of the third.
The Purple and Gold would open the final frame on a 12-2 run that was initially sparked by Austin Reaves, who took a Clippers turnover coast-to-coast for a stylish two-handed dunk.
The Lakers would get to within two points before the Clippers regained a seven-point lead with three minutes remaining. Clutch shots from Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk gave the Lakers a late lead at 105-104 with about a minute left.
Back-and-forth, the two LA squads traded buckets and with four seconds left, Jackson hit the winning layup, as AD’s shot rimmed in and out on the other end, sealing the Clippers victory.
A painful ending doesn’t take away from the fact that the Lakers did not fold over after being down by double-digits.
Anthony Davis recorded another 30-point double-double, tacking on 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 38 minutes.
Malik Monk had a slow start early but turned it on in the second half, scoring 16 of his 21 points in the final 24 minutes and added seven rebounds and seven assists. Similar to Monk, Russell Westbrook found his groove and made some clutch shots in the fourth quarter to keep the Lake Show in the game. Russ finished with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
Just before halftime, Carmelo Anthony took a midrange shot from the left wing and came down holding his right hamstring. Melo did not return in the second half, after scoring seven points in 11 minutes. His status moving forward has not yet been determined.
Next on the agenda is a matchup with the New York Knicks this Saturday in primetime.