The Los Angeles Clippers suffered a 125–122 loss against the city rival Los Angeles Lakers, with Kawhi Leonard having to leave early with an ankle injury. Led by Luka Doncic's 38 points and 11 assists, the Lakers fielded a trio of Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James, who had one of their best offensive performances of the season.
After the game, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue praised his team, claiming that they fought to the end despite great adversity.
Tyronn Lue Postgame
"Don't feel like any team is trying to beat me." pic.twitter.com/0Pdv8KLZiU
- Law Murray 🏴☠️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) 21 February 2026
"You see, that's who we are. This group, we're gonna compete, we're gonna fight every night. This doesn't look like a bullshit team that's trying to lose to me. We'll scrape by every night. We'll fight every night. That's who we are. Teams that are gonna play against us know we're gonna fight every night," he said, according to a post by The Athletic's Law Murray on X.
The Lakers started with an early offensive burst, led by Doncic's 17-point quarter, as the Clippers returned from a 12-point deficit in the first quarter. However, the reaction was just as dramatic.
Leonard shot clinically throughout, finishing 11 of 19 shooting, including an impressive 19-point second quarter that kept the game from slipping away. The Clippers' physical ability and comeback provided another encouraging sign.
They had a significant early advantage in second-chance production, outscoring the Lakers 14–2 on offensive rebounds in the first half. This helped them flip the script as they overcame a 15-point deficit to take a 17-0 lead.
However, Leonard's ejection with a little more than five minutes remaining proved to be the turning point. Despite bringing the score to 123–120 with only 46 seconds remaining, the Clippers struggled to stay in the game and ultimately lost.
However, as he pointed out, Tyronn Lue's team fought until the end and will have plenty of positives to take from the defeat.
