The Los Angeles Lakers beat the L.A. Clippers 125-117 in the first game of the crosstown rivalry series at Crypto.com Arena on Friday, Oct. 23.
Austin Reaves nearly had a double-double for the Lakers with 28 points and nine assists. He finished 10-for-13 shooting from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line on the night.
Luka Doncic added 23 points, seven assists, and six rebounds for the Lakers but also turned the ball over 11 times.
The Lakers ran away with the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Clippers 39-26.
Darius Garland nearly matched Reaves’ production, finishing with 26 points and six assists for the Clippers.
The Lakers improve to 2-0 to start the season and will travel to play the Utah Jazz on Sunday. The Clippers fall to 1-1
and will look to rebound against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
Walker Kessler continues to have early success
Walker Kessler has not disappointed through his first two games in a Lakers uniform.
The Lakers’ new big man had an efficient night, going 10-for-14 (71%) from the field against the Clippers' defense. He finished with 22 points and eight rebounds in 35 minutes of play. The center also showed up on the other end, coming up with a game-high six blocks.
Kessler was coming off a strong debut with the Lakers, having scored 26 points and collected nine rebounds in 30 minutes of play against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21. He went 12-for-12 from the field.
Lakers’ defense a proven strength
Kessler was responsible for six of the nine total blocks that the Lakers recorded on the evening.
Kessler and Collin Sexton each had three steals while three other players had at least two steals for the team. The Lakers finished with 13 total steals.
Clippers struggle to keep the ball
Garland followed up his strong start to the season with another 25+ point performance but was also responsible for nine of the team’s 26 turnovers.
The Clippers finished the first quarter with a 31-27 lead but had eight of their turnovers come during that period.
The team had allowed just nine total turnovers in the first half against the Sacramento Kings earlier in the week.
Coach Tyronn Lue’s team fell apart in the third quarter after giving up 13 turnovers.
Rui Hachimura’s return spoiled by Lakers
Hachimura returned to Crypto.com Arena for the first time since joining the Clippers this past offseason. Hachimura had 16 points and six rebounds in 33 minutes of play. He shot 5-for-14 from the field.
Hachimura was seen reuniting with his former teammates, such as Doncic, before the game. He was also seen pretending to go back to the Lakers’ locker room as he had for four seasons before joining the Clippers as a free agent.
"It was amazing. It was a great time with them," Hachimura said after the game on Friday. "Of course I missed them, but it was time to move on.
"It was special, my four years, four seasons with them. I'm happy with the Clippers. It's my eighth year; it's a really big year for me. I'm focused on that."
Brook Lopez turns back clock
Center Brook Lopez helped lead the Clippers in the first half against the Lakers.
In the first half, Lopez came off the bench for eight minutes and produced 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting and 2-for-2 from the 3-point line for the Clippers. He did go 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. The game was tied at 64.
Lopez finished with 22 points and four rebounds. He went 8-for-9 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line.
The 38-year-old began his 19th season in the NBA with a double-double off the bench on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings. He produced 17 points with 10 of his 11 rebounds coming on defense.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Key Lakers vs Clippers takeaways: Kessler's hot start has LA cruising
