The Clippers were projected to have a full roster tonight; however, a few hours before the game, Marcus Morris, Sr. (elbow) and Ivica Zubac (calf) were ruled out. But I am not sure those two could have inspired a better shooting night for the Clippers tonight against the Warriors. Check out our recap of the Clippers’ fourth straight loss below:
Summary
Ty Lue elected to start Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee in place of Morris and Zubac, with Nicolas Batum as tonight’s sixth man. Norman Powell and Terance Mann also finished the quarter, protecting the Clippers’ very narrow first quarter lead. The score was 27-26 after 12 minutes and the game was just as back-and-forth as the score suggests: there were eight lead changes and six ties.
The Clippers’ offense had to adjust to the Warriors’ decision to essentially not guard Russell Westbrook and have his defender (generally, Draymond Green) play as a free safety. This, of course, created major spacing issues because Westbrook was (rightfully) unwilling to shoot every possession. But he was able to keep the Clippers’ offense running with some nice assists and by pushing the pace.
The Clippers extended their lead in the second quarter, culminating in a 56-45 score at the half. Leonard led the way with 15 points, followed by eight each from George and Westbrook. Mason Plumlee also had 14 rebounds. The Warriors’ first half was led by Klay Thompson, who had 16, and Green and Jonathan Kuminga, who each had seven. Neither team shot well from three: The Clippers were 6/21, while the Warriors went 3/22 (0/9 in the second quarter).
The Warriors chipped away at the Clippers’ lead and tied it by the 5:30 mark of the third quarter. The Clippers’ offense started to slump and turn the ball over, allowing the Warriors to push the pace and find open shooters—who started to remedy their earlier struggles.
But it got worse from there—much worse. The Clippers found themselves down 15 at the end of the third quarter, getting outscored 42-16 in the frame. LA had seven turnovers in the quarter, Leonard stopped hitting shots, and George had to sit after picking up his fourth foul.
The Clippers continued to struggle hitting shots to start the fourth quarter. And by halfway through the frame, Ty Lue emptied the bench. Why the Clippers came out so flat in the second half is truly a mystery, but we can at least identify the consequences: They were sloppy with the ball; they chucked deep threes without any true offensive process; and they could not keep up with the Warriors in transition (the Warriors had 29 points off Clipper turnovers).
Notes
Eric Gordon Struggles: In his first 26 minutes, Gordon scored just seven points on 3/11 shooting (1/7 from three). He also had zero rebounds, zero assists, one steal, one turnover, and three fouls. It is extremely hard to win a game—against anyone—when the starting shooting guard cannot produce anything on the offensive end. He ended up playing in garbage time, so his stat line looked a little better, but his impact on the meaningful minutes were de minimis—and even hurtful.
Norman Powell Struggles: Norm likewise struggled. He finished with just two points in 21 minutes on 1/9 shooting (0/7 from three) and just two rebounds, one assist, and one turnover. As the TNT crew mentioned after the game, Norm has not been in a rhythm because he is not getting as many touches as he was pre-trade deadline. Ty Lue needs to find a way to get him going because the Clippers will not win games without him playing at a Sixth Man of the Year level.
That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ loss against the Warriors. 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!
