Loading

Paul George had 30 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 28 for the Clippers, who had an 11-point lead midway through the third in a game with deep ebbs and flows. The Clippers got that lead after a 26-5 run; the Lakers immediately rebutted with a 36-14 run to reclaim control.

And it still came down to the final moments.

George’s three-pointer with 1:50 left cut the Lakers’ lead to 99-98. James muscled his way to a lay-up on the next possession, and then George hit another three to tie the game at 101 with 29 seconds remaining.

James followed his own miss down the lane for the go-ahead basket, then was brilliant on the last defensive possession — forcing the ball out of Leonard's hands and covering George as his three-point try at the buzzer misfired.

Friday marked the NBA’s first game action that counted in 141 days, the league finally getting back to work after the coronavirus pandemic forced a shutdown.

During the pandemic, a renewed discussion about racial injustice happened in this country — the conversation that surrounds this NBA restart. The courts have “Black Lives Matter” painted on them, and the Lakers and Clippers knelt together during the national anthem in a silent protest to demand equality.

New Orleans and Utah did the same in the night’s opener, with the Jazz claiming a 106-104 victory over the Pelicans.

Rudy Gobert sank two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to cap a 14-point, 12-rebound and three-block performance.

It was quite the moment for Gobert, who was the first NBA player known to test positive for COVID-19 in March, resulting in the NBA suspending and setting off a cavalcade of several other leagues and conferences either postponing or canceling their seasons.

"Life works in mysterious ways," Gobert said.

Back in March, Gobert had a cavalier attitude about the virus that continues to have a serious impact on global health, he and joked about the virus, touching reporters' microphones and digital recorders at a press conference shortly before he tested positive. He also ran afoul of teammate Donovan Mitchell, who also tested positive for COVID-19 in March.

New Orleans, which led for most of the game and by as many as 16 points, nearly pulled out the victory as time expired when Brandon Ingram's three-point attempt rimmed out in a bitter end to his 23-point night.

“He’s made a ton of big shots for us this year, but the bottom line is I don’t think it should have come down to that,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “We let a golden opportunity slip away.”

Zion Williamson, who missed nearly two weeks of practice after leaving the team for a family medical matter on July 16, was deemed fit to start, although his playing time was limited.

He scored 13 points in just more than 15 minutes, highlighted by a couple alley-oop dunks, one on a nearly half-court lob from Lonzo Ball.

AP, McClatchy