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Clippers’ Leonard exits with ankle injury in loss to Lakers, Doncic

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LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic had 38 points and 11 assists, Austin Reaves added 29 points and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Los Angeles Clippers down the stretch for a 125-122 victory Friday night.

LeBron James had 13 points and 11 assists for the Lakers in their return from the All-Star break. They blew a 15-point lead in the second half, but Doncic scored 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers split the four-game season series with their crosstown rivals.

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points before missing the final 5:10 with an apparent ankle injury for the Clippers (27-29), who fell just short of getting back to .500 in incredible fashion after their 6-21 start to the season.

Bennedict Mathurin had 26 points and seven rebounds in his second straight outstanding game for his new team before fouling out with 1:49 to play. The athletic guard acquired from Indiana for center Ivica Zubac dropped a career-high-tying 38 against Denver on Thursday.

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Derrick Jones Jr. scored on consecutive possessions to trim the Lakers’ lead to 123-120 with 46 seconds left. Nicolas Batum then stole James’ pass in the final seconds, but the Frenchman missed a tying three-point attempt with four seconds left.

Doncic, James and Reaves were able to play together for only the 11th time in the Lakers’ 55 games this season, thanks to a rare moment of full health for the Lakers coming out of the break. They responded with a prolific offensive performance, even while James managed just two points in the second half.

In Doncic’s return from a four-game absence followed by a five-minute All-Star Game appearance due to a mildly strained hamstring, the Slovenian superstar scored 17 points with four 3-pointers in a dynamic first quarter for the Lakers, who made 16 of 17 shots in one stretch.

Leonard, who had just one bucket in the first, answered with a 19-point second.

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The Clippers’ John Collins was helped off the court with 18 seconds left in the first half after he bloodied his face on a hard landing while trying to catch a long pass at the rim.

Clippers: Host Orlando on Sunday.

Lakers: Host Boston on Sunday.

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How to watch St. John’s vs. Creighton basketball game today? TV channel, streaming options and more

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The No. 17 St. John’s vs. Creighton basketball game is set to be played on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s will be looking to continue its Big East dominance as it welcomes the Bluejays to Madison Square Garden.

The Red Storm are on a 12-game winning streak, which they will hope to extend, while Creighton tries to avoid losing its second straight game. Below are some details ahead of the important matchup between St. John’s and Creighton.

How to watch St. John’s vs. Creighton

When is the game?

Tipoff for the game is at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.

Where to watch the game

The St. John’s vs. Creighton basketball game will air live on FOX. There are also multiple streaming options to catch the game live. It can be livestreamed on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports App, and FOX One.

What is at stake in the St. John’s vs. Creighton game?

Saturday will mark the second time St. John’s and Creighton are facing off this season. Their last meeting on Jan. 10 ended up in a victory for the Red Storm with a 90-73 scoreline.

While St. John’s is on a 12-game win streak, averaging 81.4 in its last 10 games, Creighton is 4-6 in its last 10 games. The Bluejays have conceded an average of 82.0 points over the last 10 games.

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St. John’s will have at least one important absence, as Ian Jackson is set to miss the game after picking up an ankle injury. The sophomore guard sprained his ankle during St. John’s win over Marquette on Wednesday, as he attempted a rebound late in the first half.

Jackson left the game before returning to play about three more minutes in the first half and 11 minutes in the second half. He sat out the final five minutes of the game, however. Rick Pitino didn’t give a timetable for Jackson’s return and said he could be out for multiple games.

“His trajectory is going the right way as a basketball player, learning to do the right things,” Pitino said. “He’s improving the other areas that he was basically missing, so we’re going to miss that because he has improved.”

It’s not yet clear who will replace Jackson in the Red Storm’s lineup, although sophomore guard Joson Sanon is a top option.