In a disappointing crosstown rivalry matchup, the Los Angeles Lakers fell 103-88 to the struggling LA Clippers. What made it worse is the fact Luka Doncic left the game early due to a left leg contusion.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been hit by the injury bug lately as on Saturday night against the L.A. Clippers, they took the floor without three starters and a key bench player in Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent.
Christmas and the NBA go hand-in-hand. The day serves for the top hoops league in the world, like Thanksgiving for the NFL. However, while the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are perpetual Thanksgiving participants, the NBA has mixed up the matchups and the teams throughout the years.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best teams in the 2025-26 season by record, but it still feels like the team is scratching the surface of their potential.
The short-handed Lakers suffered another significant loss Saturday night when Luka Doncic didn’t return to the game after halftime due to a contusion on his left leg, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
James Worthy did not sugarcoat what he saw from Luka Doncic during the Lakers’ 103-88 loss to the Clippers. Watching from his analyst seat, the Lakers legend did not hesitate in calling out Luka for chasing whistles all night, instead of playing through contact.
Even under the best of circumstances, the Lakers probably came into Saturday’s game feeling a bit run down. An unorthodox schedule means they’re amidst a four-game road trip where the longest trip is Utah with multiple stops in Phoenix.
LOS ANGELES – During the Los Angeles Lakers’ 103-88 loss against the LA Clippers on Saturday, the Lakers were whistled for two technical fouls. One was on Luka Doncic, the other on Marcus Smart.
The Lakers had a rough night get worse Saturday. Star guard Luka Doncic was ruled out at halftime of a 103-88 loss to the Clippers after suffering a left leg contusion in the first half, the team announced.
Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points with 12 rebounds, James Harden added 21 points with 10 assists and the Los Angeles Clippers ended an eight-game home losing streak with a 103-88 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday at Inglewood, Calif.
The Lakers fought to the end despite being severely undermanned, but lost in a wire-to-wire defeat to the Clippers, 103-88. The host Clippers jumped out to a double-digit lead from the jump, putting the Lakers in a hole they never could crawl out of.
Before heading back on the road, the Los Angeles Lakers returned home for a matchup with the L.A. Clippers, their first of the year at Intuit Dome. The Lakers were shorthanded once again in this one without three starters in Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura, plus a key bench piece in Gabe Vincent.
The Los Angeles Lakers are down three starters on Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers, with Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura all sitting out with respective injuries.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the NBA’s best teams early in the 2025–26 season, currently owning a 19–7 record. While superstar guard Luka Doncic has been playing at an MVP level, he has benefited from consistent production around him from key role players.
Former Los Angeles Lakers starting shooting guard Byron Scott knows a thing or two about great point guards. After all, he played alongside Hall of Fame Lakers point guard Magic Johnson, who reinvented the position and propelled LA to five championships and 10 NBA Finals appearances from 1979-91.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart was hit with a $35,000 fine by the NBA for his actions toward referees during Thursday’s game. Smart was fined for making an “obscene gesture” at halftime of Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz, the league said in a statement.
When Luka Doncic arrived to the Los Angeles Lakers, there were questions about how he would fit alongside LeBron James and Austin Reaves considering all three of them having the ability to orchestrate an offense.
Former Los Angeles Lakers coach Mark D'Antoni has been nominated for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for the 2026 class. D'Antoni is a new candidate for the Hall of Fame, joining a long list of basketball's greatest teams, coaches and players that are eligible for induction.