LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds, and LeBron James added 25 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' fifth consecutive victory, 135-118 over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.
Doncic matched his season high with 32 points in the first half on the way to his 51st career 40-point game. He fell just short of his 10th career 40-point triple-double, but the Lakers clinched their group with their third straight win in NBA Cup play.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates his basket with guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic celebrates his three-point basket during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum (33) is fouled by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic celebrates his three-point basket past Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Austin Reaves had 31 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who have won 11 of 13 overall.
The 40-year-old James also looked more like his old self in the third game of his unprecedented 23rd NBA season, scoring 16 points in the second half while the Lakers steadily pulled away.
James Harden continued his scoring surge with 29 points and nine assists for the Clippers, who have lost 11 of 13. Kawhi Leonard scored 19 in his second game back from a 10-game injury absence.
The crosstown rivals' first meeting of the season got chippy when Clippers guard Kris Dunn was ejected with 3:33 to play after knocking Doncic to the ground with a hit to his back. Doncic confronted Dunn, who shoved the ball into Doncic's chest before Lakers center Jaxson Hayes shoved Dunn in the back. Dunn then swatted at Hayes, who also got a technical foul.
Doncic opened with his highest-scoring quarter of the season, making his first five 3-point attempts — after missing 17 of 22 in his previous two games — and scoring 20 points in the first eight minutes alone. He also directed a stream of trash talk and staredowns at the Clippers' bench, continuing a semi-friendly feud with LA's second team that predates his move to the Lakers.
Clippers: Host Memphis on Friday.
Lakers: Host Dallas on Friday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates his basket with guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic celebrates his three-point basket during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum (33) is fouled by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic celebrates his three-point basket past Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced a plan Wednesday to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, moving past a split between the two Republican leaders that resulted in Congress leaving Washington last week without a fix to a record-setting partial government shutdown.
They said in a joint statement that “in the coming days” Republicans in Congress will return to a Senate plan to fund most of the department through an agreement with Democratic senators, with the exception of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol. Republicans would then try later to fund those agencies through party-line spending legislation.
Neither outcome is guaranteed, and the strategy could potentially still face opposition from the GOP’s own ranks even though President Donald Trump has given his support.
“We appreciate and share the President’s determination to once and for all bring an end to the Democrat DHS shutdown,” said Johnson, R-La., and Thune, R-S.D.
The plan represents a do-over of what senators had in mind when they passed a bipartisan funding agreement through unanimous consent last Friday. The Senate could approve similar legislation as soon as Thursday morning through unanimous consent, but even if that happens, it's unclear how quickly the bill could move through the House. It will likely take several months for Republicans to act on the second part of Trump's plan and pass budgeting legislation to fund ICE and Border Patrol.
House Republicans refused to go along with the Senate plan last week, instead changing the bill to fund all of DHS for 60 days.
As a result, the shutdown continued as lawmakers left for their home states and congressional districts for a two-week recess. The DHS shutdown reached its 47th day on Wednesday.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, "Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction."
The announcement from the GOP leaders showed that for now, Thune and Johnson are on the same page. Their working relationship experienced a rupture late last week when Johnson — at the urging of many House Republicans — rejected Thune’s plan.
The top Republicans hoping the path ahead will win over skeptical GOP colleagues, but the most conservative lawmakers are likely to seek full funding for all of Trump’s immigration and deportation operations.
“Let’s make this simple: caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., posted on X. “If that’s the vote, I’m a NO.”
It is uncertain whether Johnson could find enough support from the House to recall lawmakers back to Washington before their spring recess ends in mid-April.
Meanwhile, the narrow budget package being prepared for later this year is expected to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the remainder of Trump’s term, as a away to try to ensure those agencies are no longer at risk from Democrats objecting to the president’s immigration enforcement agenda.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump weighed in on the shutdown, using a social media post to seemingly call on Republicans to fund the immigration portions of DHS through a bill that would not require Democratic support. He said he wanted the legislation on his desk by June 1.
“We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won’t be able to stop us,” Trump said.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries released a statement saying, “It’s time to pay TSA agents, end the airport chaos and fully fund every part of the Department of Homeland Security that does not relate to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine.”
The vast majority of Homeland Security workers continue to report to work during the shutdown, but many thousands have been going without pay. That led to more Transportation Security Administration agents calling out from work, causing frustrating security lines at some of the nation's biggest airports. Those bottlenecks appeared to be clearing this week as agents began receiving backpay, per an executive order from Trump.
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Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed reporting.
Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a news conference after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
