CLIPPERS PRESS HOME THEIR ADVANTAGE

They beat city rivals again in first game against Lakers at Inglewood since 1999

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LOS ANGELES - James Harden was hailed as "selfless" after he scored 21 points to go along with 12 assists to help the Los Angeles Clippers earn a 116-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan 19 in the first game between the teams at Inglewood, California since March 1999.

On the 2018 National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP), Lakers legend LeBron James said: "Just a great player who loves to play the game. Plays at his own pace. Has won every stop that he's been at.

"He's just a guy who's a selfless (player). He's been able to reinvent himself. At one point, he was giving guys 50-point triple-doubles, 60-point triple-doubles. He just plays the game the right way."

Ivica Zubac registered 21 points and 19 rebounds. Norman Powell scored 22 points and Kawhi Leonard had 19 in his fifth game of the season as the Clippers won their fourth consecutive game overall and improved to 15-6 at their new US$2 billion (S$2.73 billion) Intuit Dome home.

It already seems to have a homely feeling for Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, who said: "It felt like home, from introductions to when they were booing the Lakers. I thought our fans were tremendous."