Luka Doncic owns the Clippers again as Lakers win NBA Cup matchup

Luka Doncic hit a 3-pointer right in front of the Clippers' bench late in the first quarter, then glared at them, shook his head and ran back to the court to play defense. Lakersjust one of the many piercing looks he sent them after delivering one of his three-point bombs.

It seems like Doncic has his own personal rivalry with the Clippers and it just turned into a cross-town rivalry.

Once again, Doncic leads the Clippers past the Lakers. victory with a score of 135-118 Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

He was one rebound shy of a triple-double, finishing with 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. He was 14 of 28 on field goals, seven of 12 from 3-point range and eight of 11 from the free throw line.

After leading the Lakers to their fifth straight win, Doncic has now recorded 39 double-doubles with at least 40 points, moving him past Anthony Davis for fourth among active players, while Magic Johnson is sixth in double-doubles with 40 points as a Laker.

Doncic also tied Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal for the most 40-point double-doubles as a Laker before turning 27 since the NBA-ABA merger (five).

“I thought we played a great game,” Doncic said. “I thought they made a lot of shots, especially in the first half.”

The game got tight late in the fourth quarter and Doncic found himself in the middle of it.

Kris Dunn pushed Doncic in the back while fighting for position on the rebound, and Doncic collided with Dunn, who then pushed the basketball into Doncic's chest. Jackson Hayes then intervened and pushed Dunn.

In the end, Dunn received two technical fouls and was ejected from the game, while Hayes was assessed a technical foul. Doncic committed a technical foul with 3:33 left in the game.

“Obviously, I appreciate it,” Doncic said of Hayes stepping in to help him. “I immediately told him, 'Thank you for supporting me.' And that says a lot about him. That says a lot about this team. Everyone supports each other.”

Doncic scored 24 points against the Clippers in the first quarter alone, making his first five 3-pointers, and then finished the quarter shooting five of eight from three, nine of 14 from the field, with many of the baskets punctuated by looks at the Clippers' bench.

By the first half, Doncic had scored 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting and six-of-10 shooting on three-pointers and six assists.

Averaging 12.5 free throws per game during his career with the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, Doncic has torn the Clippers apart.

Entering Tuesday night's game, he was averaging 32.2 points per game through 20 games, his highest against any Western Conference opponent. He grabbed 7.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists and shot 48% from the field, 36% from the three-point line.

When asked why he performed so well against the Clippers, Doncic shrugged.

“I don't know,” he said. “I think we've met a lot in the playoffs. They beat me the first two times, so I don't know what it's like. I think I like it.”

WITH Deandre Ayton (right knee contusion) left the game, with Hayes replacing him, Austin Reaves (31 points) and LeBron James (25) contributing to help the Lakers. clinch Group B NBA Cup with a score of 3-0.

The Lakers wrap up group play against the Dallas Mavericks at home on Friday night, and the Clippers wrap up group play against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at the Intuit Dome.

Etc.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Ayton had an MRI of his knee, which “was clear other than some swelling and some bruising.” Ayton was injured in the first half against the Jazz on Sunday. “Don’t think this is going to be a long-term thing,” Redick said. “Hopefully it will be game by game and he will be back at some point towards the end of the week.” … The Lakers announced they have signed forward Drew Timme to a two-way contract and have waived two-way center Christian Koloko. Timme played for the Lakers' G League team, the South Bay Lakers, and averaged 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 25.5 minutes in six games. The 6-foot-10 Timme played college basketball at Gonzaga.