INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Lakers open the Luka Dončić era in dominating fashion with a 122-97 win over the cross-town rival Clippers on Tuesday night, finishing 5-1 in their Grammy road trip.
The Lakers earned their first-ever win at Intuit Dome to split the series for their third straight win, all of which have been over a 15-point margin. They are now 10 games over .500, at 29-19 (fifth in the West), the seventh win in their past eight games.
In their first game since trading Anthony Davis to Dallas, LeBron James mentioned that his emotions were “all over the place.” He thought the trade was a hoax when he first heard the news at dinner with his family after the Lakers win in New York on Saturday.
Davis facetime James right after the trade broke, and after getting off the phone with his teammate of six years, it didn't feel real for James.
“It didn't seem real until I saw Luka today and saw a clip of AD at the Dallas shootaround,” James said. “That’s when it finally hit me.”
“I’ve seen it all up until this one. Never been a part of a transaction like that. That was different,” James said.
Dončić, who is day-to-day with a calf injury, watched at the end of the bench in streetwear with his new team, still noticably shocked by his body language that he was delted by the team he thought he'd spend his whole career with.
Despite the dramatic 72 hours prior, the Lakers would flash brillence from the jump, which led to multiple smiles and awes from the 25-year-old Slovenian.
The Lakers would hit six of their first seven shots before capping off an explosive first quarter where they shot 63.6% (seven-for-11) from 3-point range and 75% overall, scoring 45 points—their highest this season in a quarter.
The scoring barrage was led by James (26 points, nine assists, eight rebounds), who had 15 points by the end of the first quarter and 22 at the half. He would score four points the rest of the way as L.A. maintained their one-sided success, reaching as much as a 31-point lead.
James, 40, flashed a noticeable energy on the defensive end, diving for loose balls while staying active. JJ Redick praised James for leading the team on both ends, acknowledging his effort at this point in his career.
"He’s going full tilt on both ends of the floor... he’s playing both sides of the ball and giving everything he can,” Redick said.
Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves would each have 20 points. Reaves added nine assists and six rebounds. The bench would combine for 43 points on the night, with Gabe Vincent (12 points) and Dalton Knecht (14 points) combining for 26 points.
The Lakers ended the night hitting 18 3-pointers, totaling 48.6% from 3-point range and a 55.6% field goal percentage against a top-three defense in the NBA.
Ivicia Zubac, who killed the Lakers in their last matchup, finished with eight points (10 rebounds) on two-for-seven shooting in 27 minutes. Kawhi Leonard would score just 11 points in 21 minutes.
The Lakers tied a season-high 33 assists. They are 13-1 when they reached 30 or more assists this season. The one loss... an overtime loss to the Hawks.
Next Game
The Lakers will play their next two games at home, starting on Thursday (7 p.m.) against the Warriors and then on Saturday against the Pacers (1 p.m.).