Collin Sexton gets real on major impact vs. Clippers

October 29, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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LOS ANGELES – In need of a bounce-back win following a disappointing loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers came into Intuit Dome and ended up rolling to a 103-87 victory against the LA Clippers despite the absence of two starters in Luka Doncic and Ziaire Williams. Helping lead the way for the Lakers was Collin Sexton, playing in his fourth game since making his debut amid a calf injury.

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Collin Sexton has always been known as an explosive scoring guard throughout his career, but he’s made it clear this season that he wants to impact the Lakers’ defense in a big way. Although he scored a season-high 21 points, it was his energy and intensity on the defensive end that really influenced the game. He continually put full-court pressure on the Clippers’ ball-handlers, a role he’s made it a point to thrive in.

“It’s doing what’s going to separate you from the rest. And at the end of the day, try to go out and do the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet … me picking up, is not going to show up on the stat sheet, but it’s going to help the team. When they cross half-court they’re at 15 seconds, then they got to try to get into their first play at 13 seconds,” Sexton said during his postgame press conference after the win against the Clippers.

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Sexton went viral during the game as cameras caught him applying smothering defensive pressure against Clippers guard Chris Christie. As he hounded Christie across the court, Sexton’s facial expressions showed an intense and fiery persona.

Following the Lakers’ comeback road win against the Utah Jazz last weekend, head coach JJ Redick likened Sexton’s on court demeanor to insanity, while acknowledging that the team needs more of that and thrives off that. Walker Kessler, who played alongside Sexton for two seasons with the Jazz, has said that, that type of energy is contagious.

For Sexton, it’s just doing what the team needs in his unique way, showcasing his ‘Bull’ mentality.

“At the end of the day I feel like just doing what the team needs and not worrying about yourself. I feel like a lot of times, we’re so worried about the offense cause that’s what shows up [on the stat sheet],” Sexton said. “But the defense is what helps the team win, helps the team get stops. And I feel like that’s something that comes with heart. You got have to some heart, you got to have some dog in you to do that.”

Since Redick has been at the helm of the Lakers, he’s stressed what he calls ‘Banshee’ mentality. That is, being all in on the court and doing whatever it takes to win. Sexton certainly embodies that mentality, so much so to the point that Redick finds it hard to get his attention sometimes.

“He gets locked in, he’s in the zone. I love it. I love the competitive fire,” Redick said during his postgame press conference. “Collin, there’s some stuff for spacing that he needs to work on, but I also like when he’s just in go-mode. It puts pressure on the defense, he’s touching the paint, those two threes he hit in the third were huge for us.”

Coming into the Clippers game, Sexton was averaging 9.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 15.4 percent shooting from the 3-point line. His shooting efficiency can be excused to his early season calf injury that sidelined him for the entirety of preseason, and conventional wisdom suggests his percentages get back to his career averages as the season progresses and he gets more comfortable on the court.

But regardless of how his offense flows, the defensive end is where he will continue to make his presence felt.

“Minus the offense, they [coaching staff] told me just go out and be a pest on defense, and I felt like that got the energy of the group going,” Sexton said. “I felt like we were very disciplined but also we were very physical at the same time and we didn’t give up on plays. We continued to have each other’s back and that’s what got us the win.”

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