Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, right, drives to the basket as Lakers star LeBron James defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura drives to the basket as Clippers guard Amir Coffey defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers guard Norman Powell takes a 3-point shot as Lakers guard Austin Reaves defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers guard Austin Reaves drives to the basket at Clippers guard Amir Coffey defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers guard James Harden, left, shoots as Lakers forward Anthony Davis defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Terance Mann, left, shoots as Lakers forward Rui Hachimura defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward LeBron James, left, dunks as Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, center, and guard Terance Mann defend during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward Anthony Davis, center, reaches for a rebound with Clippers guard Terance Mann, left, and center Daniel Theis during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers center Mason Plumlee, right, shoots as Lakers forward Anthony Davis defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Norman Powell, center, shoots as Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, left, and forward LeBron James defend during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard James Harden, left, shoots as Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, center, defends and center Mason Plumlee watches during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers star LeBron James celebrates after their 116-112 comeback victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. James scored 19 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and made five of his season-high seven 3-pointers as the Lakers erased a 21-point deficit. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers star Anthony Davis prepares for the start of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers coach Darvin Ham talks to his players during a timeout in the first half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, shoots as Lakers forward Anthony Davis defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, center, shoots as Lakers forward Cam Reddish, left, and guard D’Angelo Russell defend during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard James Harden, below, shoots as Lakers forward Anthony Davis defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, center, dunks as Clippers guard Norman Powell, left, and forward LeBron James watch during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward LeBron James, right, shoots as Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward LeBron James, left, shoots as Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Terance Mann, right, shoots as Lakers center Jaxson Hayes defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura dunks during the first half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers forward Taurean Prince, left, is fouled by Clippers guard Norman Powell, right, during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers guard James Harden, right, knocks the ball away from Lakers forward Rui Hachimura during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, left, is fouled by Lakers star Anthony Davis during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, left, and Lakers center Jaxson Hayes go after a rebound during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, right, knocks the ball from the hands of Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Amir Coffey, right, shoots as Lakers forward LeBron James, left, and guard Austin Reaves defend during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, second from left, dunks as Clippers guard Terance Mann, center, defends while Clippers center Daniel Theis, second from right, and Lakers forward Anthony Davis watch during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonardl, right, shoots and misses as Lakers forward LeBron James defends with seconds left in the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, right, shoots as Clippers guard James Harden defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Musician/entertainer Jay-Z is seen during the first half of the game between the Lakers and the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers star LeBron James shoots as Clippers guard Norman Powell defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. James scored 19 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Lakers to a 116-112 win after they trailed by 21. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, center, loses the ball while under pressure from the Clippers’ Terance Mann, left, and Daniel Theis, right, during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook watches a replay on the video board after he dunked during the second half of their game against the Lakers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook handles the ball as he looks for a way around Lakers guard Austin Reaves during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers guard James Harden handles the ball as Lakers guard Austin Reaves defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers forward P.J. Tucker grabs a rebound from Lakers forward Cam Reddish during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Clippers guard Terance Mann dunks over Lakers star Anthony Davis during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers star Anthony Davis shoots as Clippers center Daniel Theis defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lakers forward LeBron James scowls after scoring during the second half of their comeback victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, center, shoots as Clippers guard Norman Powell, right, defends and forward Anthony Davis watches during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, right, shoots as Clippers guard Norman Powell defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers star LeBron James celebrates after their 116-112 comeback victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. James scored 19 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and made five of his season-high seven 3-pointers as the Lakers erased a 21-point deficit. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers forward Anthony Davis dunks during the first half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward Anthony Davis, left, knocks over Clippers center Mason Plumlee as he drives to the basket during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, right, shoots as Lakers forward Cam Reddish defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers forward Anthony Davis, right, shoots as Clippers forward P.J. Tucker defends during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Lakers star LeBron James looks on during the first half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers star LeBron James takes a shot during the second half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers star LeBron James takes a shot during the second half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell gestures after making a 3-pointer late in the second half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers forward Cam Reddish dunks during the second half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers star LeBron James takes a shot as Clippers star Kawhi Leonard defends during the second half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers guard Austin Reaves gets to the basket for a layup in front of Clippers guard James Harden during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers star Anthony Davis takes a shot during the second half of their game against the Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie takes a shot as Clippers star Kawhi Leonard defends during the second half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Terance Mann gets to the basket for a layup in front of Lakers forward Rui Hachimura during the first half on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — The phrase Anthony Davis used to describe the run LeBron James went on during the Lakers’ 21-point comeback victory over the Clippers: sicko mode.
Because for a 7½-minute stretch, the Clippers didn’t have any answer for the James-led onslaught, in which the future Hall of Famer scored 19 of his 34 points in the final quarter to punctuate a 116-112 Lakers win.
“He had to take the cape, tuck it under his seat on the bench, I guess,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “It was time for him to whip it out. He definitely did that, put the cape on, and just got aggressive and got into good rhythm.”
James made five of eight 3-point attempts in the fourth to help turn the Clippers’ 21-point fourth-quarter lead (98-77) into just a two-point Lakers’ deficit (106-104) with 4:36 remaining after he made his fifth 3-pointer of the quarter and his season-high seventh of the game.
The Lakers spammed pick-and-roll actions that led to James getting Clippers big man Daniel Theis guarding him from behind the 3-point arc.
“It’s like an action we call point rub,” Ham said. “It’s basically targeting the weakest defender or targeting where we feel like we can get [an] advantage. And he just caught fire.
“I told him in between quarters that we got to get up 3s. We got to score the ball. He did just that. He set the tone in that regard as well. Thank God he’s on our team.”
James described the zone he was in during the fourth as “a superpower feel.”
“I know we’ve kind of heard what it feels like to be in the zone during our sport and that’s just a feeling when you feel like everything that you put up is going in,” James said. “And for me, I just kept it consistent. I wasn’t taking ill-advised shots. I stayed in the course of the offense.
“When I was able to get the switches, I was able to give myself some space to get a couple more looks, so my teammates did a great job of continuing to find me. And then I just started to dictate the tempo, dictate the game and as we started making a run for it and getting the game closer and closer and closer. It’s just a zone and you can’t really describe it. You wish you could stay in it forever, but obviously it checks out once the game ends. But during it, you don’t feel anything.”
Teammate D’Angelo Russell said James gives the entire group confidence.
“How can you be surprised with some of the things he does?” Russell asked about James. “A lot of guys locked in defensively and gave us what we needed, but he’s a huge reason we won this game, just from him being him. As a group, we fought.”
But James’ hot shooting didn’t last the entire fourth period.
Once the Clippers started to send double-teams and extra bodies his way, it was on his teammates to help the Lakers get across the finish line.
And they delivered late, especially Russell and Rui Hachimura.
“It was reminiscent of what they did in the postseason last year,” Ham said. “That Memphis series, Golden State series. Those guys are very capable and willing shooters in big moments. And you saw it on display [Wednesday] in that stretch down the stretch during the fourth quarter. He made the right play and they finished the play.”
James added: “My guys know I’m going to make the right play no matter what. So if I get doubled, they know I’m going to find the right play or find the right player. D-Lo started making himself available when I started getting doubled and he was able to find Rui, Rui hit a three. And then he found Rui again, he had a baseline reverse. Then I got doubled again, I was able to find D-Lo over the top for a catch-high, stay-high 3-ball which was a big play for us. It’s great that we can lean on our guys and everybody feels like they’re very comfortable making plays throughout the course of the game, no matter the time.”
Multiple Lakers acknowledged they needed this win, especially in light of the playoff push and having dropped two of their first three games since the All-Star break after winning six of seven before the break.
It was a reminder of what they could do with their backs against the walls.
“It was definitely a little reassuring for our team to get a win like this,” Davis said. “Guys made big plays, got big shots. This was a huge win for us. Not only just the Clippers, but also for ourselves in general. This is a big reassurance win for us to hopefully get us playing how we were playing right before the break.”
