Lou Williams goes off for season-high 36 points in win over Lakers

On Friday night, the LA Clippers took down the Los Angeles Lakers, 118-107, behind a second-half surge led by Lou Williams.

On a night when the LA Clippers struggled with fouls and three-point shooting, Lou Williams shined bright.

The 32-year-old guard had his best game of the season against his former team, going off for 36 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes of play. Williams was a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line as well, and made all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. It was the 14th time this season that Williams had scored at least 20 points in a game.

Williams has been especially hot lately, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the LA Clippers. December has easily been the most difficult month of the season so far for the “other” Los Angeles team, and after missing four games due to a hamstring injury, Williams has helped the Clippers win four of their last five against some of the tougher Western Conference teams.

The two-time Sixth Man of the Year is averaging 23.4 points and 6.6 assists over the last five games, and has connected on nine of his last 13 attempts from three-point range during that same stretch. As if last year wasn’t enough proof, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Clippers play their best basketball when Williams is on the floor.

Danilo Gallinari had another stellar game as well, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, plus a steal and a block. And although he had an off night from three-point range (1-of-3), Gallinari was near-perfect from there free-throw line (8-of-9) and recorded his fourth double-double of the season.

Tobias Harris (3-of-9 FG, 0-of-1 3P) had an unusually low scoring night with nine points, but still chipped in 10 rebounds and a steal. He’s been one of the more consistent players in the league this season, so expect him to bounce back tonight when the Clippers host the San Antonio Spurs.

Montrezl Harrell posted a team-best +19 plus/minus rating against the Lakers, despite only playing 20 minutes. His five fouls kept him on the bench a little more than usual, but he still finished the night with 12 points and four rebounds.

For the Lakers, it was second-year wing Kyle Kuzma doing most of the damage, going for 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a game-high 42 minutes. Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart added another 48 points to the tally, but ultimately struggled to carry the load in LeBron James‘ absence.

With the win, the LA Clippers moved to 21-14 on the season, taking sole possession of the Western Conference’s fourth seed. The Lakers, 20-16, fell down to seventh. The victory was LA’s 22nd in their last 25 matchups with the Lakers.

The LA Clippers will look to continue their winning streak tonight against the San Antonio Spurs, their final game of the 2018 calendar year.