LeBron James and an injured Los Angeles Lakers team fell 103–88 to their in-town rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, on the road after losing Luka Doncic to an injury in the second half.
Doncic did not start the third quarter and was later ruled out, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, with a left leg contusion. He finished with 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting, along with five rebounds and two assists.
James led the way for the Lakers with 36 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, shooting 15-of-28 from the field.
Los Angeles struggled offensively in the first half, entering halftime shooting just 34.1 percent from the field and 2-of-19 from beyond the arc while trailing a Clippers team that entered Saturday's matchup with only six wins on the season.
For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard led the charge with 32 points, three assists, and 12 rebounds, while James Harden added 21 points and 10 assists. John Collins also contributed, chipping in 17 p oints and 12 rebounds in the victory.
Fans took to social media to react to the Lakers' loss, with many expressing frustration after falling to a Clippers team sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
With the win, the Clippers improved to 7–21, jumping the Sacramento Kings to move out of last place in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Lakers fell to 19–8 but remained fourth in the West.
The Clippers built a commanding 54–39 halftime lead, led by 15 points from Leonard while Harden added 10. The rest of the Clippers' starters combined for 16. Los Angeles struggled offensively, as Doncic and James combined for 28 points at the break while the remainder of the roster managed just 11.
The Clippers maintained control with an 80–61 advantage entering the fourth quarter, but the Lakers made a push late. They held the Clippers scoreless for more than four minutes and went on a 12–0 run to cut the deficit to 10.
However, Collins, Harden and the Clippers answered down the stretch, padding the lead and securing the win for the squad.
The Lakers will look to bounce back when they face the Phoenix Suns on the road on Tuesday.
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