LOS ANGELES _ Before tipoff Sunday, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he was amazed at how Lakers star LeBron James had only gotten better as he aged. James' physical fitness, at 35, has placed him in the conversation for the NBA's most valuable player.
And yet, "there's a lot of people in the league with LeBron's body," Rivers said. "There's no one in the league with his brain."
To Rivers' displeasure, James proved him correct only hours later.
Time after time in Sunday's fourth quarter, the 6-foot-8 James handled the ball near the top of the three-point arc while hunting a particular matchup _ getting slim Clippers guard Lou Williams switched onto him in a pick-and-roll.
With 2:50 to play, and the Lakers leading the Clippers by seven, James got the mismatch he wanted. Williams moved his feet, but James was soon by him, dribbling into the paint, dropping off an assist for a reverse dunk by teammate Anthony Davis.
The Lakers claimed their 13th victory in their last 15 games, and their first over the Clippers in three tries this season, by picking their rivals apart in the second half of a 112-103 victory.
Davis scored 11 of his 30 points in the second half, James added 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and Avery Bradley scored a season-high 24 points to hold off the Clippers, who remain one spot behind the first-place Lakers in the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers (49-13) trailed by four at halftime but never trailed for the final 14 minutes to continue their impressive weekend _ they beat league-leading Milwaukee by 10 Friday _ and snap the Clippers' six-game winning streak.
Paul George scored a game-high 31 points for the Clippers (43-20) and Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points.
A Clippers fan who idolized Kobe Bryant growing up in Palmdale, George understands the fervor around the matchup better than perhaps anyone else playing Sunday. But his opportunity to make an impact in the rivalry had been limited to this point. Offseason shoulder surgeries left George watching the first matchup this season from the bench, wearing a velvet tuxedo jacket, and his 5-of-18 shooting on Christmas kept him from playing a central role in the Clippers' second victory.
On Sunday, he was his team's driving force and, at times, their only dependable offensive option.
When the Lakers' pressure on the Clippers' backcourt led to three consecutive turnovers in the first quarter and difficulty getting Leonard the ball in the half-court offense, George compensated by barreling toward the rim en route to 19 points in the first half.
Three days after George attempted just three shots inside the paint against Houston, he matched that total in Sunday's first half, and that did not include the fouls he drew that led to four free throws. The focus on close-range shots was necessary on a day when both teams made only two of their first 14 three-pointers.
The Clippers missed their opportunity to break the game open when they failed to make a field goal during a nearly five-minute stretch late in the second quarter. Their nine-point lead was whittled to four by halftime. The Lakers responded by opening a six-point lead within the first six minutes of the third quarter that lasted until George swished three-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Clippers a one-point lead.
Two minutes later, George made two free throws for a 74-73 lead. It was the last time the Lakers trailed.
Asked before tipoff whether he'd circled the date with the Lakers in advance, Rivers cocked a smile and produced the afternoon's first block.
"Do you see me circling games?" he said.
Of course, the teams have circled one another since last summer, when both added stars and became championship contenders. Leonard met with both during free agency before picking the Clippers. His arrival, together with George, came weeks after Davis became James' Lakers running mate.
A playoff series would be the first between the franchises.
"I'm all for it," Rivers said. "It probably means that both teams are doing well through the playoffs. And I just want to win (a championship), I don't want to beat the Lakers, being honest. But I just have a feeling, for one of us to go where we both want to go, at some point we're gonna be in each other's way."
