Lakers Beat Clippers 125-117 Behind Austin Reaves’ 28 Points

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the LA Clippers 125-117 on Friday, October 23, 2026, led by Austin Reaves’ 28 points and nine assists. A 39-point third quarter separated the teams after a tied first half at Crypto.com Arena, helping the Lakers improve to 2-0 in the NBA regular season.

Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown

First Quarter: Clippers Establish an Early Advantage

The Clippers outscored the Lakers 31-27 in the opening quarter, building a four-point cushion. It was the first of three periods the Clippers would score at least 27 points, but the Lakers’ production across the middle two quarters ultimately proved decisive.

Second Quarter: Lakers Draw Level

The Lakers answered with a 37-33 second quarter, bringing the halftime score to 64-64. Both offenses were productive through the first 24 minutes, leaving neither team with an advantage entering the break.

Third Quarter: Lakers Take Control

The game’s biggest separation came in the third, when the Lakers outscored the Clippers 39-26. That 13-point difference turned a halftime tie into a 103-90 Lakers lead entering the fourth. The Lakers totaled 76 points across the second and third quarters.

Fourth Quarter: Clippers Narrow the Margin

The Clippers won the final period 27-22, reducing the deficit by five points. That improvement was not enough to erase the Lakers’ third-quarter advantage, and the home team finished with an eight-point victory in regulation.

Key Performers

• Austin Reaves, Lakers: Led all scorers with 28 points and paced the Lakers with nine assists, providing the game’s strongest combination of scoring and playmaking.
• Walker Kessler, Lakers: Collected a team-high eight rebounds as the Lakers finished with a 37-35 edge on the boards.
• Darius Garland, Clippers: Led the Clippers with 26 points and six assists.
• Brook Lopez, Clippers: Contributed 22 points and three blocks.
• Rui Hachimura, Clippers: Led the visitors with six rebounds.

NerdSports Stat: The Lakers outscored the Clippers 64-50 on two-point baskets—a 14-point advantage that offset the Clippers’ six-point edge from three. With both teams scoring 19 points at the free-throw line, that two-point production accounted for the entire eight-point winning margin.

Game Analysis: Lakers’ Efficiency Makes the Difference

The Lakers converted 46 of 79 field-goal attempts, shooting 58.2% compared with the Clippers’ 49.4% on 41-of-83 shooting. The Clippers attempted four more shots, but the Lakers made five more baskets.

Three-point shooting kept the Clippers competitive. They made 16 of 37 attempts from beyond the arc, good for 43.2%, while the Lakers finished 14 of 32 for 43.8%. The Lakers’ greater efficiency inside the arc provided the difference: they converted 32 of 47 two-point attempts, compared with 25 of 46 for the Clippers.

Ball distribution also favored the winners. The Lakers recorded 29 assists to the Clippers’ 24, with Reaves accounting for nine. Neither team gained an advantage at the foul line, as both finished 19 of 25, or 76.0%.

The quarter totals offer the clearest explanation of the result. The Clippers matched the Lakers over the first half and outscored them in the fourth, but the Lakers’ 13-point third-quarter advantage was enough to decide the game.

What the Result Means

The Lakers improved to 2-0 overall and 2-0 at home, while the Clippers moved to 1-1 overall and 0-1 on the road. Both Western Conference teams return to action Sunday, October 25: the Lakers host the Utah Jazz at 2:00 PM PDT, and the Clippers host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 4:00 PM PDT. For the Lakers, the win preserves an unbeaten start; for the Clippers, improving on this game’s third-quarter performance becomes an immediate priority.

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