Doncic rules as Lakers beat Clippers in high-voltage Los Angeles derby

The momentum swung to the home side. The Los Angeles Lakers earned a well-deserved victory in the NBA Cup against their neighbors, the Los Angeles Clippers, by 135-118 at Crypto.com Arena. A game in which there were moments of tension and in which there was and one player that clearly rose above everyone else on the hardwood.

With the 43 points he scored against the Clippers, Luka Doncic managed to surpass one of the Lakers legends, Magic Johnson, in one specific stat: finishing with more than 40 points in a game played in the jersey of the purple and gold franchise.

"We can be very dangerous, but we have to take it one game at a time," the Slovenian player said at the end of the Los Angeles derby. Doncic now has seven games with the Lakers in which he has finished with more than 40 points.

Along with those 43 points, Doncic finished his night on the Crypto.com Arena hardwood with 13 assists and 9 rebounds.

For his part, LeBron James added 25 points (plus 6 rebounds and 6 assists) to the scoring for the Lakers and Austin Reaves, who put together one of his best performances since he has been a Lakers player, chipped in with 31 points (plus 9 rebounds and 3 assists).

On the visiting side, James Harden scored 29 points (plus 5 rebounds and 9 assists) and Kawhi Leonard recorded 19 points (plus 5 rebounds and 3 assists).

High tension with a few minutes to go

With the exception of the first quarter—which the Clippers took by the slimmest margin—in the rest of the periods the Lakers were in command. In the final 12 minutes, the purple-and-gold squad stepped on the gas to seal the win.

In the midst of the technical and tactical show, there was room for moments of tension. With just 3:30 left in the Angelino derby, Clippers point guard Kris Dunn shoved Doncic after the Lakers scored.

That action led to a minor scuffle, with Lakers center Jaxson Hayes also involved. The referee made the decision to expel Dunn.

In their next game, the Lakers will take on the Dallas Mavericks, in a matchup in which Doncic will be reunited with his one-time teammates. For their part, the Clippers will host the Memphis Grizzlies.