Collin Sexton’s ‘insanity’ lifts shorthanded Lakers over Clippers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — With a minute remaining in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 103-87 win over the crosstown Clippers, Lakers guard Collin Sexton charged through the lane and was fouled while making a layup over veteran center Brook Lopez.

As he lay on the ground, flexing his muscles towards the Clippers bench, Lopez accidentally bumped into him, prompting Sexton to shoot up from the ground and get in the big man’s face. Lopez, who projects the demeanor of a 7-foot-tall teddy bear, put his hands up in defense and pleaded for mercy like Sexton was a mob boss ready to chop off a finger.

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Sexton, still-faced and without blinking, gave Lopez the mercy he pleaded for and walked to the free throw line to sink his 21st point of the night.

“I know Brook … He’s one of those guys, he’s chill,” Sexton said of the interaction postgame. “I just didn’t know. We push, fight, foul. That’s how the game is supposed to go. Whenever I’m out there, you’ve got to expect it.

“When I step between these lines, it’s us against them. I’m going to do whatever my team needs from me. I feel like I turn into a different person when it’s time to go … When I step into these lines, it’s wartime.”

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Sexton had a game-high plus-minus of +23 in 21 minutes off the bench Wednesday night, but the point total and the 4-of-7 shooting from three wasn’t what stood out.

It was his intensity. The wide eyes, screaming and maniacal smiling when guarding Clippers guard Cam Christie, in a clip that went viral during the game.

Anyone who engages with Sexton off the court knows him to be a quiet and reserved guy who moves with a calm smile. On the court, he plays with what head coach JJ Redick described as “insanity” after his debut in Utah.

“Sometimes it’s hard to get his attention because he gets locked in, he’s in the zone,” Reddick said of Sexton. “I love it. I love his competitive fire. … I like when he’s just in go mode. It puts pressure on the defense.”

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On the second night of a back-to-back where the Lakers were without two major sources of their identity early in this season — Luka Dončić, their…

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Publish date : 2026-10-29 07:00:00

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