Lakers Rout Clippers 103-87 Without Dončić as Bench Takes Over

Quentin Grimes scored 23 and Collin Sexton 21 off the bench as the Lakers improved to 4-1, while the Clippers turned it over 24 more times and fell to 1-3.

By Herald Staff · Oct. 29, 2026, 2:30 PM ET

A basketball rests on an empty hillside outdoor court beside a chain-net hoop, with the downtown Los Angeles skyline glowing under a purple and orange twilight sky. — The Lakers have now beaten the Clippers twice in six days and open Emirates NBA Cup group play against Golden State on Friday.

The Lakers were missing the NBA's leading scorer and another starter on Wednesday night, on the second night of their first back-to-back of the season. It didn't matter. A bench built over the summer for exactly this kind of night took over, and the Lakers beat the Clippers 103-87 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, their second win over their crosstown rivals in six days.

Luka Dončić sat out with back tightness, and starting forward Ziaire Williams missed the game with a sore left foot. Coach JJ Redick said both moves were precautionary, the Associated Press reported. Dončić had been averaging an NBA-leading 36 points a game, and it was the first game he has missed this season, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Six in Double Figures

Without him, the Lakers spread the scoring around. Quentin Grimes led the way with 23 points, five assists and four steals, and Collin Sexton added a season-high 21 off the bench. Austin Reaves scored 16 and Matisse Thybulle 15, with six Lakers in double figures in all. Sexton and Thybulle each made four 3-pointers, and Thybulle went 5 of 6 from the floor, Field Level Media reported. Grimes, Sexton and Thybulle, all in their first season with the team, each set season highs in scoring.

The game turned in the second quarter. After a competitive first period, the Lakers outscored the Clippers 31-6 in the quarter, including a 16-0 run that turned a two-point deficit into a 45-31 lead, and went to halftime up 56-38. The Clippers shot just 17.6% from the field in that quarter.

The Clippers opened the third on a 12-2 burst to pull within 58-51. Then Sexton took over, scoring 11 straight Lakers points, including back-to-back 3-pointers, as the Lakers rebuilt a 20-point lead. They led 85-66 after three, and a Walker Kessler putback made it 96-78 with 5:45 left, according to NBA.com's game breakdown.

"Sometimes it's hard to get his attention because he gets locked in, he gets in the zone," Redick said of Sexton. "I love the competitive fire."

Vanderbilt's Quiet Debut

Jarred Vanderbilt made his season debut after sitting out the first four games and didn't score, taking one shot. He still changed the game. The Lakers outscored the Clippers by 22 points in his 21 minutes, and he grabbed seven rebounds as the Lakers won the rebounding battle for the first time this season, the Times reported. Sexton was plus-23 and Sandro Mamukelashvili, who had 13 points and eight rebounds, was plus-21.

"The second unit, we have to come in and pick up where the starters left off," Sexton said. "We got to come in and impact the game right away. We can't come in and ease into it."

Kessler added 11 points and nine rebounds, and Jake LaRavia pulled down 10 rebounds. Looking for more depth at center behind Kessler, the Lakers signed 7-footer Lawson Lovering to a two-way contract Wednesday and waived forward AK Okereke.

Clippers Can't Hold the Ball

For the Clippers, the problem was familiar. They turned the ball over 24 times, after 26 in each of their previous two games, losses to the Thunder and the Lakers. They lead the league with 23 turnovers a game and shot a season-low 35.1% from the field.

Rookie Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 pick in June's draft, scored a career-high 21 points off the bench, though he shot 4 of 15. Derrick Jones Jr. added 15 and Darius Garland 14. The Clippers played without forward Rui Hachimura, out with left quad tightness against his former team. They have now lost three straight and fall to 1-3.

What's Next

The win lifted the Lakers to 4-1 a night after their first loss of the season, to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. It also came early in a demanding stretch of five games in seven days. Next up is the Golden State Warriors on Friday in the opening night of group play for the Emirates NBA Cup, at 7 p.m. Pacific, according to NBA.com.

Original reporting by The Los Angeles Herald, drawing on the Associated Press, NBA.com and the news outlets linked above.