The Los Angeles Clippers made their return to crypto.com Arena on Friday night, the arena they called home for 25 years before making the move to the Intuit Dome this season. Facing the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers looked to come away with a win in their big return.
Without Norman Powell, the Lakers duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic was too much with their combined 59 points, leading them to a 106-102 in the Clippers return. Even with Austin Reaves going down early in the first half, the Lakers leaned on their two stars all game long. For James, his performance on Friday added to a historic performance for him in February.
Finishing the month averaging 29.3 points per game, James became the oldest player in NBA history to average 25 or more points per game for an entire month. Even though it was a short month with the All-Star break in between, James’ numbers far surpassed the 25 points per game threshold.
After turning 40 before the New Year, James continues to put up stats and physical feats that would make you think he’s still in the prime of his career. Now 8-2 in their last 10 games, the Lakers are making their push up the Western Conference standings towards the coveted second seed behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Looking ahead for the Clippers, it’ll be a rematch at crypto.com Arena on Sunday against the Lakers at 9:30 p.m. EST.