Kawhi Leonard had 14 points and seven rebounds in his first game in 16 months, and the Los Angeles Clippers opened a season of sky-high expectations with a 103-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
, who held on down the stretch to beat their more pedigreed Los Angeles rivals for the eighth consecutive time.
The Clippers’ high hopes for their first championship rest largely on Leonard’s ability to return to elite form. They failed to get out of the play-in last spring without Leonard and with only 31 games from George, but both are healthy now alongside five-time All-Star Wall, who provided an immediate spark.
The Lakers dropped to 0-2, but still rallied from two large deficits and kept it close into the final minute despite nightmare shooting performances from Russell Westbrook and fellow point guards Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn in their Lakers home debuts. The Lakers went 9 for 45 on 3-pointers overall.
The oft-injured Davis gave fans a fright when he crashed to the floor after being undercut in the third quarter. He got up and went to the tunnel to stretch, but returned a few minutes later.
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