INGLEWOOD — Luka Dončić sat out with back tightness, and the Lakers’ defense stood in for him. Los Angeles dismantled the Clippers 103-87 at Intuit Dome on Wednesday night, turning 24 turnovers into 31 points, running for 26 fast break points and putting six players in double figures on the way to a 4-1 start.
It was the answer to Tuesday’s 136-129 loss to Portland, when the Blazers shot 59 percent and the Lakers’ coverages came apart. Wednesday, the Clippers shot 35.1 percent, went 10-of-31 from three and finished 30 points under the 117 they scored in Friday’s loss to these same Lakers.
The defense answered first
After the Blazers loss, Austin Reaves said the blown assignments were on everybody in the room. Wednesday, the fix was just as collective. The Clippers’ 87 points are the fewest the Lakers have allowed this season. The previous low was 105, in the opener against Golden State.
Twenty-four giveaways, 26 on the break
The Clippers came in as the NBA’s most turnover-prone team, and they have now committed at least 24 in three straight games. The Lakers made them pay. Los Angeles scored 31 points off turnovers and 26 fast break points to the Clippers’ six, going 9-of-12 in transition.
Quentin Grimes was the spark. He closed the first quarter by turning two steals into two finishes in under 15 seconds. He would continue being aggressive all night and kept getting rewarded by his efforts on both sides of the ball.
[Instagram embed: Grimes steal and dunk]
The run that settled it
The Clippers’ last lead came midway through the second quarter, 31-29. Reaves answered with a 28-foot step-back three, and the Lakers never trailed again. By halftime it was 56-38 on a 27-7 run. Matisse Thybulle hit two threes inside 31 seconds, Sandro Mamukelashvili kept the second unit humming, and Reaves scored all 16 of his points before the break.
Then came the other side of Reaves’ night. He finished with eight turnovers, five of them in the third quarter, and the Clippers opened the second half on a 13-2 run to cut an 18-point lead to seven. It was the only stretch all night that looked like a game.
Sexton took the wheel
The Lakers answered with a 10-0 burst, and then Collin Sexton did the rest. He checked in with 4:53 left in the third and Los Angeles up 68-55, and he scored 11 of the Lakers’ last 17 points of the quarter on two threes, a pull-up, a layup and an and-one free throw. The lead was 19 by the end of the period.
Sexton finished with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three, and a game-best plus-23 in just 21 minutes.
Grimes was the engine behind all of it with 23 points, five assists, four steals and 9-of-11 at the line in a game-high 38 minutes. Thybulle went 4-of-5 from three for 15 points, Mamukelashvili added 13 points and eight rebounds, and Walker Kessler had 11 points and nine boards. Six Lakers scored in double figures, and the Lakers did it while shooting 29 percent from three.
The Clippers still need a full 48
Tyronn Lue asked for 48 minutes of competitive basketball after Sunday’s loss in Oklahoma City. Wednesday, the Clippers did not deliver it. After halftime, the closest they got was seven, and the lead peaked at 23, 94-71, with 7:43 left in the fourth.
Keaton Wagler led the Clippers with 21 points, 10-of-12 at the line, and hit the best shot of the night, a 46-foot bank-in three with 1.6 seconds left in the third to make it 85-66. The Clippers were also without six players listed inactive, including Beal, Hachimura, Ingram and Strus.
What Game 5 answered
Could the defense recover from the Portland mess? Yes, the Clippers shot 35.1 percent and scored 87, the fewest the Lakers have allowed this season.
Could the Lakers win without Dončić? Yes, by 16. And is there more to this team than its stars? Six double-figure scorers and 21 points off the bench from Sexton say there is.
The Lakers have now beaten the Clippers twice in five days, 125-117 and 103-87, and the schedule does not slow down. Their stretch of five games in seven days continues Friday at Golden State, a team they beat 127-105 in the season opener.
Final: Los Angeles Lakers 103, LA Clippers 87
Notable Stats of the Game
Quentin Grimes (LAL): 23 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists
Collin Sexton (LAL): 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Austin Reaves (LAL): 16 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
Keaton Wagler (LAC): 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Derrick Jones Jr. (LAC): 15 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists
Darius Garland (LAC): 14 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists
Upcoming Game for the Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers (4-1) @ Golden State Warriors (2-3)
Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
Location: Chase Center • San Francisco, CA
Tip-Off: 7PM PST