Lakers celebrate victory in city duel

The Los Angeles Lakers prevail in the city derby against the Clippers in a thriller. LeBron James once again becomes the deciding factor.

The Los Angeles Lakers have won the city derby against the Clippers.

In a thrilling match, the Lakers won in the Staples Center with 112:103 and thus beat the city rivals for the first time this season.

Once again it was LeBron James who led his team to victory with a gala performance. The 35-year-old narrowly missed the double-double with 28 points and nine assists. To do so, he grabbed seven rebounds.

With a powerful and-one 40 seconds from the end, James finally decided the game in favour of the Lakers, “MVP” shouts from the spectators followed.

For his strong performance the forward was crowned “King of L.A.” by teammate Kyle Kuzma with a hand gesture after the game.

James’ congenial partner Anthony Davis also put in a strong performance and provided 30 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Avery Bradley brought it up to 24 points and with six triplets he set a new record for the season.

Lakers beat Clippers in city duel
On the side of the Clippers, who after six victories in a row left the scene as losers for the first time, Paul George was happy about the title Topscorer. The Shooting Guard contributed 31 points, sinking nine of his 16 attempts from the field and three of seven throws from downtown. However, George committed two offensive fouls in the final quarter and left several throwing chances.

Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, but remained relatively pale with two rebounds and without assist. In the final quarter he scored ten points.

After an open first half with slight advantages for the Clippers, the Lakers picked up the pace. In the final phase the guests gained a double-digit advantage for the first time and could not be caught up.

With a record of 49 wins and 13 defeats, the Lakers, who already have their ticket to the play-offs safely in hand, continue to lead the table in the Western Conference. The Clippers are well behind (43 wins from 63 matches).