Quentin Grimes scored 23 points, Collin Sexton added a season-high 21 points off the bench, and the Los Angeles Lakers — without Luka Dončić — beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-87 on Thursday night for the second time in a week. On the same night Victor Wembanyama had 36 points and 14 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the short-handed Utah Jazz 117-111 in overtime.
Dončić sat out with back tightness from the second game of the team’s first back-to-back of the season. Starting forward Ziaire Williams missed the game with a sore left foot. Coach JJ Redick said both moves were precautionary.
Without Dončić’s NBA-leading 36-point average, the Lakers (4-1) had six players in double figures. Austin Reaves had 16 points and Matisse Thybulle had 15. Sexton and Thybulle had four 3-pointers each.
Rookie Keaton Wagler scored a career-high 21 points off the bench to lead the Clippers (1-3). They dropped their third in a row, having lost to the Lakers by eight points on Friday. They were without starting forward Rui Hachimura (left quad tightness) against his former team.
The Clippers again failed to hold onto the ball with 24 turnovers. They had 26 in each of their last two games, both losses to the Thunder and Lakers.
Down 18 points, the Clippers briefly rallied to open the third, outscoring the Lakers 12-2 to pull within seven. But the Lakers closed the quarter on a 27-15 spurt, with Sexton reeling off 11 consecutive points including back-to-back 3-pointers for an 85-65 lead.
The Lakers took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Clippers 31-6, including 16 points in a row, to take a 56-38 half-time lead. Six different players scored for the Lakers, led by Reaves with nine.
Devin Vassell scored 17 of his 21 points after half-time to give the Spurs (3-2) a second option that was missing early on as Utah (1-4) led by as many as 11.
Keyonte George had a season-high 31 points but seemed gassed at the end of regulation and overtime carrying the Jazz offence. Ace Bailey added 19 points and rookie Darryn Peterson had 18 but didn’t play down the stretch or in overtime.
Brice Sensabaugh, who scored 16 points, opened overtime with a 3-pointer for the Jazz but the Spurs responded with a 12-0 run to secure their third straight win.
San Antonio’s aggressive defence disrupted every Jazz offensive action and forced desperate shots near the end of the shot clock in the extra period. The Spurs caused four turnovers and allowed just 2-for-7 shooting in overtime.
With the Jazz trailing 105-100, Sensabaugh and George hit back-to-back buckets to send the game into overtime. The Spurs missed their last four field goal attempts in regulation, including De’Aaron Fox’s jumper at the buzzer.
The Jazz were playing without three of their big men starters. Jaren Jackson has a torn MCL in his right knee, Lauri Markkanen has a right wrist sprain and Jusuf Nurkić has yet to play this season with a foot injury.
San Antonio’s Tobias Harris hasn’t played this season because of a strained calf but the Spurs have one of the best health outlooks of any Western Conference contender.
Wembanyama scored 21 in the first half to keep the Spurs within striking distance but they trailed 55-51 at the break.
