LeBron James helped the Lakers end their 11-game losing streak against the Clippers despite their roster of ailments.

..Despite having a far smaller roster than usual, the Lakers produced their finest game of the year on Wednesday, defeating the Clippers 130-125 to win their first series since the NBA bubble.

LeBron James scored 35 points on 13-19 shots, displaying his usual dominance. While Anthony Davis scored 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, D’Angelo Russell put on a stellar performance for the second straight game. However, Davis’ defensive influence was as noteworthy as anything else that happened that evening.

Throughout the day, the Lakers’ position on the injury report took a beating. Due to concussion symptoms, Rui Hachimura, who missed Monday’s game against the Magic, was ruled out on Wednesday. Darvin Ham disclosed before to the game that Gabe Vincent’s knee had swelled up and that he was also out.

Taurean Prince’s knee achy during warm-ups was the final—and possibly most concerning—injury update. Even though he wasn’t taken off the court right away, he didn’t start, didn’t see any action, and was finally substituted out in the second half.

In addition to Jarred Vanderbilt’s injury, the Lakers potentially lost four of their top nine rotation players as well as almost all of their wing depth. The eventual result left the Lakers severely shorthanded with eight players available and three individuals who could play two ways.

It didn’t help that the Clippers, who often outperform the Lakers, started the game with a little more vigor even though they had just completed a back-to-back and were without a number of players due to the James Harden deal. Actually, the Lakers were listless during the first quarter, and the “visitors” capitalized on this.

With Kawhi Leonard leading the charge—he shot 7-8 from the field in the opening frame—the Clippers blew out to a double-digit lead. Following a steal by Paul George and a basket by Norman Powell, the lead grew to its greatest size, 37-18.

Austin Reaves and Christian Wood’s three-pointers late in the game gave the Lakers a chance to salvage something. Even yet, the Clippers were losing the Lakers by 13 points going into the second quarter, with their field goal percentage of 16–23 compared to 9–22 for the Lakers.

LeBron and AD’s layups carried the Lakers’ momentum into the second quarter, extending it to a 10-2 run. Throughout the first six minutes of the second quarter, the Lakers had numerous opportunities to close the gap, but missed jumpers and errors prevented them.

After LeBron lost and then put his shoe back on, the Lakers overcame their early deficit and cut the margin back to single digits on a dunk shortly after the quarter’s halfway point.

The Clippers were able to regain some order after Kawhi and George returned to the floor, and the advantage was once again extended to double digits—at least for the near future. The Clippers kept up their scoring even though Kawhi only managed one field goal in the second quarter. If LeBron hadn’t missed two 3-pointers, the lead would have been greater than the 61-48 deficit the Lakers had at the half.

The Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell opened the second half with a string of layups, but the Clippers’ advantage was mostly unabated due to a lack of stops on the other end. But the Lakers continued to chip away, and Anthony Davis’ rebound putback and subsequent foul shot brought the team within nine points, 78-69, following a Cam Reddish block on Kawhi.

Before Darvin Ham unleashed his secret weapon in a lineup that included Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, and Davis, D’Lo made a jumper to bring the Lakers closer. It was astonishingly a lineup that performed admirably.

After fracturing both of his ankles and making back-to-back jumpers to regain his confidence, Austin Reaves found Wood for an open 3-pointer to tie the game at one.

The Lakers took the lead after Max Christie stole the ball during a timeout and made two free throws. The Lakers’ fever dream persisted as they continued to get stops while playing with a three-center group. LeBron was sitting out the quarter, but the Lakers still had a two-point lead at the end, having outscored the Clippers 39–24.

Following Cam Reddish’s spectacular dunk attempt on Ivica Zubac, the Lakers embarked on a 6-0 run that included Reddish’s free throws, Russell’s fastbreak layup, and a jumper by James. The Lakers’ biggest lead of the game, 100-95, prompted a timeout from the Clippers.

LeBron kept reversing the clock, Russell kept up his excellent shooting, and Reddish kept up his solid defensive performance as the Lakers kept pulling away from the Clippers.The Lakers got the ball to Davis inside and profited from the Clippers switching to a small ball team. Davis scored five points in a row to increase the margin to 113-104.

Reddish, LeBron, and Davis all missed free shots, which opened the door for Paul George to layup and foul, giving the Clippers one more chance. Russell missed a shot near the hoop, but he quickly made up for it with a 3-pointer. With 18.5 seconds remaining, Russell made up for his miss by making two free throws, giving the hosts a three-point lead.

Reddish was called for a flagrant late foul on a George 3-point shot, which was upheld following a challenge, on the subsequent in-bounds play. George made all three of his baskets to knot the score at 117–117.

Russell had a clear opportunity to shoot from the wing, but he missed, forcing overtime in the Lakers’ decision not to use a timeout.

The Lakers’ opening possession of the extra period began with a jumper by Kawhi, but George was fouled out of the game right away. The Clippers’ offensive performance suffered in the absence of George’s incredible shooting, which forced overtime.

LeBron’s massive alley-oop slam to cap off a fantastic night was a big exclamation point after Wood forced a turnover on Kawhi.With a little over a minute remaining, Reaves stretched the lead to four points after a and-one by Kawhi put the Clippers within two points. Then, in response, Kawhi produced a 3-pointer of his own, bringing the score to one point.

The next possession would see Reaves take a foul, but Wood’s putback slam provided the winning basket and put an end to the suspense.