James had the play of the night when he drove hard to the rim and put Paul George on a poster that resulted in an and-1. James was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, seven assists and one steal.

OH MY @KingJames! 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/CinKlturzJ

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 8, 2024

D’Angelo Russell finally returned to the lineup after missing the past few games with a back contusion. Russell started off slow, missing his first five shots from the field.

However, Russell bounced back in a hurry as he hit a pair of 3-pointers to give the Lakers the lead. He kept it up in the fourth quarter with a couple of timely buckets, ending his evening with 13 points to lead the bench.

Agua. pic.twitter.com/l0YSuCQ3xH

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 8, 2024

Christian Wood, who had been getting DNPs just a few weeks ago, was a huge lift for the Lakers as his scoring and rebounding helped keep them hanging around.

Not only that, but Wood was a real deterrent in the painted area whenever the Clippers were next to the rim. Wood recorded a near double-double of nine points and 10 rebounds, also adding two blocks.

HEARD YOU 🗣️🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/pY421QbTWc

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 8, 2024

Lastly, Anthony Davis asserted himself on both ends in the second half as he happily too advantage of his size in the middle of the floor. Davis had a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, as well as three steals and one block.

What’s next for Lakers

The Lakers continue their homestand on Tuesday when the Toronto Raptors come to town. They’ll then get the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.