The Clippers played yet another close game in Chicago, much like last year. This year, though, they were able to comeback from down 19 and hold on for the win. Check out our recap below:
Summary
Here’s a riddle: How did the Clippers win a game in which they (1) at one point trailed by 19 points, (2) shot under 40% from the field and 30% from three, (3) allowed the Bulls to shoot 50% from the field and from three, (4) had Mann, Kennard, Batum, and Jackson combine to shoot 4/31, and (5) were out-rebounded and out-assisted?
First, the three best scorers carried their share of the load and some. Kawhi Leonard had 33 points, four rebounds, five assists, five steals (including the game-winning steal), and two blocks in 40 minutes. Paul George was less efficient but still added 16 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists (but five turnovers). And, finally, Norman Powell had a super-efficient 27 points on 64% shooting, going 10/10 from the line (including two clutch free throws). Powell’s 20 first-half points also kept the Clippers in this game after they went down 19.
Second, the Bulls turned the ball over 20 times to the Clippers’ eight. The Clippers only had 11 points off of those turnovers (in fact, the Bulls had 24 points off turnovers), but the turnover differential allowed the Clippers to take 16 more shots than the Bulls. Therefore, although the Clippers shot 10% worse than the Bulls from the field, they only made one fewer shot. Relatedly, the Clippers had five more offensive rebounds, even though they lost the overall rebounding battle by seven.
Finally, the coaching staff apparently took this game more seriously than others—or at least did not totally mess up the Clippers’ comeback. [Perhaps they were forced to figure it out after going down by so much early.] The Clippers only played nine players tonight, including only seven minutes for Robert Covington. Ty Lue did not experiment with Moussa Diabate or Moses Brown (who was not even active). We actually saw the “Wingstop” (Terance, George, Leonard, Batum, and Covington) lineup in a key moment. It was not perfect (many are rightfully questioning the decision to have Reggie close the game) but a win is a win. The coaches deserve some credit for helping this team comeback to win on the road.
Notes
Norman Powell for 6MOY: Norman Powell is averaging 16.2 points on 48/42/78 shooting splits. Only Bennedict Mathurin (17.8) is averaging more points off the bench, but Powell is trending upwards, averaging 17.9 points in January. He is also in the top three of 25-point games off the bench. Finally, he is a good bellwether for this Clippers team: he is scoring 17.7 points in wins, but only 14.5 in losses. When he shoots well, the Clippers win. Being the X-Factor for the 4th seed in the West is a nice thing to have on one’s resume.
Around the NBA: The Clippers are now 29-25 and are the 4th seed. At the time of writing, the Pelicans are up three at the half on the Nuggets; a Pelicans loss would help the Clippers a lot because it would put them at 26 losses. Here are the rooting interests for Wednesday’s games:
- Grizzlies over Trail Blazers (to get the Blazers to 27 losses)
- Timberwolves over Warriors (coin flip—but getting the Warriors to 25 losses would help more than the Timberwolves getting to 27)
- Spurs over Kings (the Kings being this good is fun but annoying for the Clippers)
- Raptors over Jazz
- Hawks over Suns
That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ comeback win against the Bulls. As always, check out The Lob The Jam The Podcast and Clips ‘N Dip for analysis throughout the week, and follow us on Twitter to watch the game with us!
