LOS ANGELES _ Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young nailed the three-pointer, then trotted down the court as he does after all of them, with his tongue hanging out as his hands signaled with three fingers to show what he'd just contributed.
Young, a Los Angeles native, jogged back down the court Sunday night and high-fived two purple-clad fans, the only member of this Lakers team who was part of it the last time the Lakers beat the L.A. Clippers.
Young's shot came near the end of the Lakers' 111-102 victory over the Clippers at Staples Center, the first time in 12 meetings that the Lakers topped the other franchise in town.
"Where we're at right now and where the Clippers are at is two different places," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "They're one of the few teams in this league that's competing for an NBA championship right now.
"It always is nice to beat the other team in your hometown. (But) at least from my seat, I'm not looking at it in those regards right now."
Seven Lakers scored in double figures _ every starter and reserves Brandon Ingram and Lou Williams. Starting center Timofey Mozgov and Young led the Lakers with 19 points each. It was the first time this season, and the first time since April 12, 2015, that all five Lakers starter scored in double figures.
Clippers guards J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford each scored 22 points, but Redick didn't play the fourth quarter because of a sore hamstring.
The Lakers took their first lead in the third quarter, as they scored the first 13 points to open the period. While the Clippers threatened after that, they never reclaimed the lead.
The Lakers' largest lead of the game was 18 points.
Being home meant something to the young Lakers. Not that coming home was easy.
Sunday's was their first game home after a 12-day trip, and they had to face the team that shares their building and their city, and that was one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference not that long ago.
Historically, the series is lopsided in favor of the Lakers. They wore a nod to being the city's marquee franchise on their chests, whether intentional or not. The Lakers' white jerseys said simply "Los Angeles," in a purple script. The Clippers' said "L.A. Clippers."
But the Clippers 11-game winning streak heading into Sunday's game was the longest winning streak any team has had against the Lakers since they moved to Los Angeles, and they had won 15 of 16 in the series. They entered the game with the third-best record in the Western Conference, and a roster that included legitimate stars.
Neither team entered Sunday with much momentum.
The Lakers were playing their first home game in exactly two weeks, having returned Saturday from their longest trip of the season. They went 1-6 on the road, were never fully healthy, and blew 19-point leads in two losses.
The Clippers meanwhile, have only 10 losses this season, but eight of them have come in the last 16 games. Injuries have also plagued them. Neither star forward Blake Griffin nor point guard Chris Paul played Sunday.
The Clippers started fast Sunday, opening up a double-digit lead. The Lakers stayed close, though, trailing by only four when the first quarter ended and by three at halftime. Then the Lakers held the Clippers scoreless for four minutes and outscored them 34-16 in the third quarter.
From there, they regained a feeling they hadn't had in a long time.
"I think it was needed," Walton said. "It's one win. We all know that's not that big of a deal in the long NBA season, but for us, it felt nice to get this one back home. Been a tough couple weeks. We really had to come together to win that game tonight."
