Lakers vs. Clippers score: Kawhi Leonard picks up where he left off to win battle of Los Angeles

The NBA season got underway with an exciting matchup in Los Angeles

Los Angeles may always be a Lakers town, but on Tuesday, the Clippers staked their claim with a 112-102 win on opening night. It was only the first game of the season, but this was a statement for the Clippers after both teams launched themselves into the ranks of title contenders with busy summers. 

After leading the Raptors to their first championship in franchise history last season, Kawhi Leonard picked up right where he left off, pouring in 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting to lead all scorers. He added five rebounds, six assists and two blocks in a strong debut for his new club. 

On the other side, Anthony Davis got off to a great start but faltered in the second half. He finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, but needed 21 shots to get there, and had a tough time dealing with the physicality of the Clippers' defense. Likewise, LeBron James struggled in the second half, and finished with 18 points on 7-of-19 shooting, while also adding nine rebounds and eight assists. 

Leonard picks up where he left off

The last time we saw Kawhi Leonard in a meaningful basketball game was Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals when he helped the Raptors finish off the Warriors to clinch their first title in franchise history. Now, the reigning Finals MVP is in Los Angeles, and he picked up right where he left off.

After a bit of a slow first quarter in which he only took a couple of shots and mostly felt out the game, Leonard took over. He poured in 16 points in the second quarter alone to lead a Clippers surge that got them the halftime lead. In the fourth quarter, he added another seven to help the Clippers pull away for the win, and finished the night with 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting, six rebounds and five assists. 

There are still 81 games to go, but few will be bigger than this one, and Leonard did exactly what the Clippers expected of him when they signed him in the offseason. The jury is still out about whether he's the best player in the world, but on Tuesday night he proved that right now he's the best player in Los Angeles. 

Davis and LeBron start strong, falter down the stretch

Anthony Davis was the other star making his debut on Tuesday night, and the Lakers and new coach Frank Vogel made a concerted effort to play through him early in the game. In the first quarter alone, he took seven shots from the field, and got to the line for seven free throws, making three of each for nine points. They continued to feed him the ball in the second quarter, and he ended the first half with 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting and 8-of-12 from the line. Meanwhile, LeBron James was having success running his typical point-forward routine and finished the opening 24 minutes with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. 

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Combined shot chart for LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the first half.  NBA.com/Stats

As for the second half, well, that didn't go so well. The star duo combined for 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting, so it was no surprise that the Clippers ran away with the game. Davis still had some success whenever he was able to get to the rim, but the Clippers' strong defense started to wear him down, and he settled for a bunch of jumpers in the second half, hitting nothing outside of the restricted area. It was the same story for LeBron, who just did not have his jumper working in this game. 

screen-shot-2019-10-23-at-12-50-40-am.png
Combined shot chart for LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the second half.  NBA.com/Stats

Together, they finished with 43 points on 40 shots, which is never going to be a winning combination for this Lakers team. The drop-off in talent is just too great; they need LeBron and A.D. to play well or it's going to be a struggle most nights in a loaded Western Conference. The good news is that both of them can play much better than they did in this game, and most teams aren't as good as the Clippers on defense. 

Clippers win, but L.A. is still a Lakers town

As everyone is well aware, the Clippers and Lakers both play at the Staples Center, and for Tuesday night's game, the Clippers were the hosts. If it wasn't for their logos being on the court, however, you may not have known. There was a large Lakers contingent in the building, which was obvious any time the cameras zoomed out to show the crowd.

They made themselves heard all night long. It started before the game when Kawhi Leonard was met with a chorus of boos during his pre-game introduction and that continued a few minutes later when Leonard came out to the floor to welcome the crowd to the start of a new season and was met by even louder boos. It was noticeable even on TV, and Leonard made an obvious attempt to raise his voice to counteract the noise. Then, late in the fourth quarter, there were "Let's go Lakers!" chants during a replay review.

Even with the Clippers' surge into relevance over the past decade or so, L.A. has remained a Lakers town, and Tuesday night was just another reminder that there are still some things in the NBA that haven't changed.

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