LOS ANGELES — Walker Kessler cost the Lakers a pretty penny.
Two first-round draft picks. Two first-round pick swaps. And the Lakers committed $130 million over the next four years to the 7-foot-1 big man when they agreed to the sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz in July.
Kessler showed off his power with 26 points on perfect shooting in the Lakers’ season-opening victory on Wednesday. Friday night, the Southern big man showed off his defensive skills – an emphatic warning to the NBA’s best big men – with six blocked shots as the Lakers claimed a 125-117 victory over a young, scrappy Clippers team. Last season, the Lakers (2-0) had just one game when a player recorded at least five blocks.
The Lakers led by as much as 15 points in the second half, but the Clippers cut the margin to six with just over two minutes left following a late surge. The Lakers used a fadeaway jumper from Austin Reaves with 1:29 remaining and Kessler’s sixth block soon after to stave off the comeback attempt despite sloppy turnovers down the stretch.
Reaves finished with 28 points on an efficient 10-for-13 shooting, adding nine assists in a leading ball handler role. Kessler had 22 points on another great night from the field (10-for-14 shooting) to go with eight rebounds, three steals and the half-dozen blocks.
Luka Doncic (23 points, seven assists, 11 turnovers) had a bit more of an up-and-down journey on a night when the teams combined for 47 turnovers. The Slovenian star threw his hands into the air in exasperation – as if to say “finally” – when he got a floater to sink through the net in the second quarter after making just two of his first 10 shots from the field.
On the following offensive possession, left alone from long range after wing Matisse Thybulle drove into the key, Thybulle found Doncic for a 3-pointer, and the league’s leading scorer last season pumped his fists in the air.
At the time, the 3-pointer gave the Lakers a 52-50 lead nearing halftime, but the shots were falling at last for Doncic. The rest of the Lakers shot with ease – converting 65.5% of their shots when taking Doncic (8-for-21 shooting) off the board.
Victory wasn’t so clear for the Lakers in the early goings. The Clippers shot 56.2% from 3-point range (9 for 16) in the first half, forcing the Lakers to fight for a 62-all tie heading into the break as backup center Brook Lopez scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half alone.
Clippers forward Rui Hachimura, making his return to Crypto.com Arena after spending the past 3½ seasons with the Lakers, helped to pace the crosstown foes with 16 points on 5-for-14 shooting as guard Darius Garland put up a team-high 26 points and six assists.
Playing a nine-man rotation – with guard Collin Sexton making his debut after missing the entire preseason with a right deep calf muscle injury – the Lakers’ improved depth helped them start to pull away during a 39-point third quarter.
Thybulle knocked down three 3-pointers en route to 13 points, while wing Ziaire Williams finished with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Sexton scored his first points as a Laker during the fourth quarter when he hit a 3-pointer for a 106-92 lead. He finished with five points and three steals in 16 minutes.
More to come on this story.