Kawhi Leonard leads Clippers over LeBron James' Lakers

Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 30 points to lead his Los Angeles Clippers past LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers on the first night of the 2019-20 NBA season.

Leonard also had six rebounds and five assists in the 112-102 triumph Tuesday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Danny Green had 28 points and seven rebounds for the Lakers (0-1). Davis poured in 25 points and had 10 rebounds in the loss. James came close to a triple double, with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers.

"There were a lot of emotions in the first game," Leonard told NBA TV. "I'm just happy we came out and got a victory. We had great practice this week, with everybody competing and pushing limits. We had some carry over tonight."

Davis scored nine points in the first quarter, helping the Lakers to a 25-22 advantage, before the Clippers clawed back. Leonard had 16 points in the second quarter as the Clippers (1-0) outscored the Lakers 40-29 to take a 62-54 lead at halftime. The Lakers fought back to tie the score at 85-85 in the third frame before being outscored 27-17 down the stretch.

"It's the first game," Davis told reporters. "We aren't down or upset. We stand levelheaded going into the next game. We'll look at the film and figure out what we can do better."

The Lakers host the Utah Jazz at 10:30 p.m. EDT Friday in Los Angeles. The Clippers battle the Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m. Thursday at Chase Center in San Francisco.