On January 20th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season saw the Lakers lose 102-116 to the Clippers as visitors. LeBron James played for 35 minutes, shooting 9 of 20 and 2 of 6 from three-point range, scoring 25 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. He made his first appearance at the Clippers' Intuit Dome, tying Scottie Pippen for seventh place in career steals. However, he went 1-for-8 in the fourth quarter and conceded early, resulting in another loss on a milestone night.
This was the first matchup between the Lakers and Clippers since they stopped sharing an arena, and it was a crucial game for positioning in the rankings. It was also James' first time playing at the Clippers' $2 billion Intuit Dome. Before the game, James was seen practicing his three-point shots during warm-ups, even nailing consecutive long-range shots from beyond the logo.
The Los Angeles derby officially began, with James committing a turnover in the first quarter but quickly making up for it with a steal against Harden. He then hit two consecutive three-pointers from outside, to which Harden responded with a 3+1 play. James attempted a super-long three-pointer but missed. Kawhi Leonard hit a three-pointer, and James scored by driving to the basket. In the first quarter, he shot 3 of 6, scoring 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, while the Clippers' stars Harden and Kawhi scored 7 and 5 points respectively.
In the second quarter, despite James and Reeves leading the team, they were continuously suppressed. After James took a break, the Lakers were hit by a 13-3 scoring run by the Clippers. James returned to stop the bleeding with a foul and free throws, but the Lakers were hit by another scoring run, ending the half down 49-64, a 15-point deficit. In the last six minutes of the first half, the Lakers failed to score in open play, suddenly going cold and digging a hole, trailing by as many as 17 points at halftime.
In the third quarter, after falling behind by 21 points, James made a layup and a fast-break dunk, but the Clippers' offensive firepower did not diminish. Harden hit a three-pointer, and Kawhi scored consecutive mid-range jumpers. With 3 minutes and 40 seconds left in the quarter, the Lakers trailed by 26 points. After falling into desperate straits, the Lakers launched a furious counterattack, with James and Anthony Davis leading a 13-2 run. At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers still trailed by 15 points.
In the final quarter, James continued to lead the counterattack, but during this period, he missed two consecutive uncontested layups. He then took a break, exhausted and lying diagonally on the bench. The Lakers' offense stalled again, with Harden leading a 6-0 run to stabilize the situation. With 6 minutes and 9 seconds left, James returned to the court, and the Lakers closed the gap to 11 points once more. However, the Clippers pulled away again. James scored with a mid-range jumper and assisted Yuta Watanabe in a 2+1 play after a steal, but the deficit was too great. With 1 minute and 40 seconds remaining, the Lakers conceded defeat early. Ultimately, they lost the game, and after the match, James embraced Kawhi and others.