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Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers-Clippers rivalry had a new spark entering Friday night, and Luka Doncic wasted no time making his presence felt on his 26th birthday. In just his first match against the LA Clippers, the Slovenian star dropped 31 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a hard-fought 106-102 victory, their fifth straight win overall and fifth consecutive triumph over their city rivals.

Doncic, who had countless battles with the Clippers in the playoffs while with the Dallas Mavericks, continued to torment them in purple and gold.

His 31-point outing, just one shy of his Lakers career-high, came on 9-of-22 shooting (3-of-9 from beyond the arc) while also contributing five assists and three steals. Despite six turnovers, his playmaking and shot-creation proved too much for the Clippers’ vaunted defense, which entered the game ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating.