LeBron James may have missed 17 games, but his near triple-double performance against the Los Angeles Clippers led the Lakers to a 123-120 overtime win.
As James was naturally rusty after missing five weeks, he re-established himself in the second half and finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in 40 minutes. While it was not ideal for the 34-year-old to play that many minutes coming off a groin strain injury, he had plenty of help.
In the 17 games without James, Brandon Ingram found a rhythm offensively and it continued against the Clippers.
Coming off a career-high 36 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, Ingram showed he was capable of playing alongside James and finished with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists in 44 minutes.
Despite the Lakers leading by 14 points early in the fourth quarter, they found themselves in a back-and-forth battle with the Clippers.
Fortunately for them, Lance Stephenson continued to make timely shots and finished with 20 points while tying a career-high with five 3-pointers.
And along with James, Rajon Rondo had a near triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to successfully start a six-game road trip.
Reminder: Vivid Seats is the Official Ticket Reseller of LakersNation.com. New Customers use “LAKERSNATION” (all CAPS) in the Vivid Seats App on your phone and get 10% off any Lakers home game ticket order for the remainder of the season.
