The Clippers fought hard and came back in the 4th quarter to force overtime, but ultimately ran out of gas and fell to the Cavaliers 120-111. Keep reading for a full recap of the Clippers’ game against the Cavaliers.
Summary
The short-handed Clippers started the game off well, with terrific ball movement leading to consistently good looks. Ivica Zubac was the star of the show early, making a couple trademark hooks and bothering the Cavs on the other end. The Clippers then got a boost from Amir Coffey, who drained two threes and assisted as a connector. Then, fascinatingly, Ty Lue went to a twin towers lineup with Zu and Isaiah Hartenstein as Hart came in for Batum. This only lasted 40 seconds, and then Boston came in. The bench continued to hang tough, and the Clippers trailed by just six going into the second period.
Terance Mann checked in for Coffey, keeping one starter on the court, but the offense sputtered regardless. Fortunately, the Clippers’ defense remained good, and kept the Clips in touch. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Brandon Boston got going, with a layup, three, four-point play, and dunk all coming in a few-minute span, and the Clippers surged to a lead. Ty went back to the twin-big lineup, and this time it got several minutes of run, playing well. Finally, the rest of the starters trickled back in, though not before Semi Ojeleye (!?!) went on a mini spurt. The Clippers cooled off a bit, but held on to a one-point lead at half, 57-56. Notably, starting point guard Terance Mann was scoreless on 0-8 shooting, but chipped in 7 rebounds and 4 assists with no turnovers.
The Clippers were able to grow their lead early in the period by getting to the foul line and making a couple more threes. The ball movement was once again lively while the Cavs were kept in check. However, as the quarter dragged along, fatigue set in for the Clippers: free throws were bricked, threes were missed short, and the defense lagged. The Cavs soon took the lead as Ty Lue maintained multiple starters the entirety of the period. Even some fresher legs off the bench couldn’t get the Clippers going, and the Cavs took a six point lead into the final frame.
The Clippers’ bench unit, buoyed by Amir Coffey, held on for dear life. The Cavs kept threatening to bring their lead to double-digits, but every time they did so, the Clippers, especially Coffey and Hart, answered. At the 7:30 mark, down nine, Ty Lu made the choice to go for it, bringing back Zu and Kennard. Zu scored six quick points, bringing the lead down to five, and forcing a Cavs timeout. The rest of the starters checked back in, and the Clippers’ defense tightened even more. The Clippers’ offense wasn’t pretty, but it worked ok, and Terance Mann hit two threes to give the Clippers a lead and then tie the game. The Clippers forced a stop on the Cavs’ final offensive possession and got the ball with 7.3 seconds left, but had no timeouts. Amir Coffey pushed the ball up the court, may have gotten fouled, but was forced to throw up a wild shot that was nowhere close. Overtime.
In OT, the Clippers, gassed, were unable to get many good looks, and missed those they did get. Meanwhile, the Clippers, with a steady diet of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, were somewhat more successful, and held onto a narrow lead. The Clippers pushed, but just did not have enough energy, and fell 120-111.
Notes
Rest Needed: The Clippers rested Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris to get them rest, but this just resulted in other Clippers receiving huge minutes. Terance Mann logged an incredible 45 minutes, while Amir Coffey and Luke Kennard each played 40. Meanwhile, Rodney Hood, an ostensible veteran option at guard, played just 11 and was utterly ineffective. The Clippers not filling out the back of their roster with more usable depth pieces remains baffling, and it has cost them lately with unreasonable minutes loads.
Twin Towers: The Clippers’ two big men, Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein, were spectacular tonight. Zu had 24 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks on 10-15 shooting before fouling out, while Hart had 10, 6, 3, and 1 on perfect 5-5 shooting in his 20 minutes. They played strong defense (especially Zu), rebounded great, dished for teammates, and finished strong around the rim. Not having a third big is tough, as these guys have to do all the work with not much rest, but they’re more than up to the challenge.
Mann Alive: Terance Mann had one of his best games of the season. He shot only 7-21 from the field, but was 7-13 in the second half, and brought an insane amount of energy to a Clippers team that desperately needed it against a large Cavaliers team. Mann also chipped in 10 rebounds on a night when the Clippers were desperately undersized, and played excellent defense. His aggressiveness on offense has increased exponentially since Eric Bledsoe was traded and he was given the keys to the second unit, and while that’s led to some rotation issues, as mentioned above, it’s definitely been a positive impact for Mann.
That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ game against the Cavaliers. Leave your comments below!
