The Clippers entered the season believing their depth and talent would put them in a league of their own in the Western Conference.
After sixty-seven games, they’ve done just that, going from what some considered one of the NBA’s best teams to arguably the most mind-boggling. After seemingly freefalling in the third quarter on Sunday, they did everything they could to secure their strongest and much-needed win of the season, a 135-129 victory over Memphis.
Trailing Paul George by 42 points and Kawhi Leonard’s 34, including 15 in the fourth quarter, the Clippers ended their five-game losing streak and secured a win on a night that set the direction of the franchise at a seemed lost for a moment.
After Memphis gave up 51 points in the third quarter, the Clippers gave up only 17 in the fourth quarter.
The Clippers arrived at the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night, riding a five-game losing streak as the West’s only winless team since the All-Star hiatus ended in mid-February. At the start of the season, the extension of the All-Star schedule seemed like an opportunity to rest and prepare for the playoffs. Instead, a streak continued as one-point losses in Denver, San Francisco and Sacramento became a survival belt to stay in the postseason.
And that’s why Sunday’s game was higher than usual as their almost full roster – just below Norm Powell and his injured left shoulder – had no excuse against a severely understaffed Memphis roster. His All-Star starter in Ja Morant will miss at least two games, his timeline for a return remains unclear as the league investigates the security guard’s Instagram video of him posing with a gun. Big start Steven Adams has a sore knee. An Achilles tendon rupture late last week sidelined athletic winger Brandon Clarke for the remainder of the season. And too many technical fouls resulted in a suspension for lead-off hitter Dillon Brooks.
The Clippers desperately need a win.
They provided another reminder of why they are treading water – and why a glimmer of hope to fulfill their potential remains in their locker room as they improved to 34-33.
Instead of adjusting his starting lineup, coach Tyronn Lue reverted to his default five consisting of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Ivica Zubac and Marcus Morris Sr. Using his shots as he added a rebound and an assist, Lue started Nicolas Batum through Morris in second half.
Within a minute, the half-time lead increased from five to eleven points. But less than eight minutes later, with their defense in tatters again and three largely avoidable turnovers resulting in seven Grizzlies points, the Clippers trailed 10 points. And when Reserve Santi Aldama Terance Mann spun and spun at the free throw line with a drive that ended in a dunk, and Desmond Bane followed with a 3-pointer transitioning into the next possession, the lead grew to 16.
The Grizzlies totaled 51 points in the third quarter, a record low for a defense that has been among the league’s worst in the past two months.
During the break in play between the third and fourth quarters, as the Clippers pondered how to dig their way out of a 15-point gap, reserve Robert Covington – who was praised by Lue after a season-high 31 minutes on Friday, but was back from rotation against Memphis – stared a thousand feet from his bench as Leonard sat blankly beside him.
Then came the deluge, the Grizzlies failed to score for nearly six minutes until a Desmond Bane layup ended a 17-point run in the Clippers’ fourth quarter. Their run was cut short by a dunk and foul from Russell Westbrook, where he yelled at Grizzlies defenseman Desmond Bane, who could not be heard over the roaring crowd. The series would grow to 24-2.
Eric Gordon scored 17 from the bench and Mason Plumlee added 15 points.
That the Clippers needed such a rally at all was astounding considering the Grizzlies’ sparsely-manned lineup. Morant’s timeline for a return is unclear, coach Taylor Jenkins said. Morant, sporting a signature Nike boot and All-Star credentials, has been one of the league’s rising faces, but a flurry of allegations, capped by his video late Friday, has team Morant saying he will be dealt with, chipped at the same time.
“There are two elements I want to make very clear,” Jenkins said ahead of the tip. “There is a support element, someone who needs to improve and needs help. And then there is the responsibility to the team that we had to stand up for. Of course, there’s a lot of focus on gun violence nationally and across the league, and for us internally on this issue, that’s the position we’ve taken on how to support Yes through this growth opportunity – it’s a learning opportunity.
Source: LA Times