LOS ANGELES — In the most thrilling 18 seconds of LA Pro basketball this season, Anthony Davis got the final shot.
But Reggie Jackson got the last word.
The RE Speck-donning guard has shown steel in close games during his Clippers tenure, and on Thursday night, his driving baseline layup — a 25-point caper for the night — was the difference in the Clippers' 111-110 victory over the Lakers. Crypto.com Arena.
After a fourth loss in their last five games, the Lakers (25–28) were devastated when Davis' runners ran out with time running out, with Davis himself throwing arms over his head. The relief came only after making a 17-point lead for the Clippers (27-27) - once again feeling the pressure of stopping a comeback.
"We just want to give fans value for their money," Jackson quipped.
Changed the lead four times in the last 30 seconds: Malik Monk dropped a 3-pointer to give the Lakers their first second-half lead with 28.1 remaining, forcing the Clippers to call a timeout. Marcus Morris Sr. followed just behind Trevor Ariza's hand, with 18 seconds remaining from the wing with his own go-forward 3-pointer.
After a timeout, Russell Westbrook found Davis for an alley-up slam with 12.5 seconds remaining, giving Jackson enough time to get the ball into the corner, spin through two defenders, and finish. Gone.
Later, Davis admitted that he saw his own missed shot seven times before attending a post-game press conference. The Clippers had made a miscommunication to prevent him from appearing on the court, leaving a sliver open for him to run to the rim. He just missed.
"The ball touched every part of the rim," he said softly. "I couldn't have asked for a better look."
That the Clippers also needed Jackson's heroism seemed unlikely after the Lakers were sluggish in the third quarter. By that point, the Clippers had composed far more on offense strength than Morris (29 points) and Serge Ibaka (a season-high 20 points), forcing the shape-deprived Lakers into uncomfortable switching matchups.
Morris Sr. enjoyed his best scoring game since returning to the lineup on Sunday, sharp on his 3-point shooting (6 for seven), to lead a team that shot 43% from deep. Sharing was also fundamental to the Clippers' attack: the team finished with 29 assists.
At this point it almost goes without saying that the Clippers are grinding without Paul George for most of the season and all season of Kawhi Leonard. But Clippers coach Ty Lew gave a shout out to his group for being flexible in front of Davis and Westbrook, who didn't make the All-Star team this season, but made their fair share.
"What I get from this team is: We know Kavi probably isn't going to come back, we don't know the status of PG, but these guys keep fighting," Lew said. "every single night. "
Without LeBron James and later Carmelo Anthony, the Lakers' attack for a long time was Davis and only Davis. He finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds, in the same effort as a worker for the second straight night.
The top of the fourth quarter saw the Lakers resurface, kicked by a running dunk by Austin Reeves. After scoring 2 for 9 off the ground, Westbrook suddenly found momentum with six straight points, bringing the game within four points.
It wasn't until Jackson scored with 7:11 that the drought was finally over, but the Clippers' troubles weren't over. Davis brought it close to two points with a powerful dunk with 5:42 remaining.
The Clippers looked ready to stay steady in the final minutes after Ibaka sank a pair of free throws and Morris downed a jumper, but a Westbrook 3-pointer and a Monk and a putback brought the Lakers within a point , and from there, it was as if the other shoe was waiting to fall.
The 17-point Clippers lead was completely gone after Westbrook hit a baseline jumper to give the Lakers the first lead of the half.
"I thought it was a good chess match back and forth," Lew said. "Coach (Frank) Vogel did a good job trying to keep me off balance."
Davis still looked already strong against the Clippers, who were ill-equipped without Ivica Zubac to slow her down. Six of Davis' first seven field goals were dunks, as he found ways to attack the paint.
But any wind in the Lakers' sails died near half-time when Carmelo Anthony - falling 24 points against Portland on Wednesday night - landed awkwardly after a missed shot. He stopped and went to the locker room, where Lakers medical staff diagnosed him with a true hamstring strain, which is due to be reevaluated on Friday morning.
But the Lakers brushed off the notion that their slackness to start the third quarter was about Anthony's absence. For a team that is now struggling in the playing field of the Western Conference, they should never lack for urgency, Monk acknowledged.