The new-look “Battle of L.A.” will commence Friday when the Luka Doncic-led Los Angeles Lakers square off against the Darius Garland-led Los Angeles Clippers.
The rivalry enters a new era after longtime franchise stars LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard departed in the offseason, joining the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors, respectively.
The Lakers revealed their new look Wednesday with a convincing 127-105 win over the Golden State Warriors, while the Clippers dispatched the Sacramento Kings 121-96 in their season opener.
The Lakers will play host to Friday’s game.
Now the undisputed face of the franchise, Doncic led the Lakers with 28 points and seven assists while also amassing eight rebounds against the Warriors. New addition Walker Kessler added 26 points, going 12-for-12 from the floor, and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.
According to the Lakers, Kessler’s 12 field goals without a miss were the second-most in Lakers history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s 14-for-14 performance in 1969. He also had 10 dunks, the most by a Lakers player since Shaquille O’Neal in 2003.
“That’s an unbelievable first game for a really good player,” said Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who contributed 23 points with six assists.
The Lakers shot 56.8% from the field and turned 16 Warriors turnovers into 25 points.
“Playing with the guys that we have on our team … they’re just so good,” the 7-foot-2 Kessler said. “Their court vision’s insane. So they know my advantage is my height (and) they found me in the right spots.”
The Clippers entered their opener with greater uncertainty following Leonard’s departure amid an NBA investigation that found the franchise violated salary-cap rules.
With a new offense focused around Garland, and additions like former Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, the Clippers dominated the Kings by shooting 52.4% from the floor and 40.0% from 3-point range.
Garland scored 30 points in 32 minutes, while veteran Brook Lopez had 17 points off the bench with 11 rebounds. The duo combined to shoot 18 of 31.
“Just trying to make the right reads whenever I can,” Garland said. “When they’re trying to help out, I try to swing it as quick as I can to our shooters. If they’re doubling, try to get over the top to our bigs and make plays from there.”
Rookie Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 overall draft pick out of Illinois, had an impressive debut with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes.
“It felt good,” Wagler said. “Just wanted to play hard and see how it went. It went well. I think as a team we played really good. We started the game off really good and that kind of got us in the flow.”
Hachimura spent 3 1/2 seasons with the Lakers before moving across town via free agency this summer. Now he will get his first look at his revamped former team.
“Playing in that arena is special to me,” Hachimura said. “I am excited for it. We have to get the (victory) you know. We did a great job (against the Kings) and we are gonna come out and focus on getting that win.”
Since the Clippers’ 11-game winning streak over the Lakers ended after the 2022-23 season, the Lakers have won eight of the last 12 games in the matchup.
