The Clippers picked up a tough win against the Kings 111-109 in a night where Paul George went for 40 points with no Kawhi Leonard or John Wall.
Summary
The first half was mostly a sludge, and was that way from the get-go. Norm Powell was brutal, forcing up shots and wild passes on head-down drives to the rim that got the Kings going in transition. Marcus Morris did make a couple midrange jumpers, and Reggie Jackson drained two threes, which kept the Clippers attached. However, the only time the Clippers created easy looks was when Paul George ran the offense and bent the defense off pick and rolls. On the other end, the defense was fairly sharp, preventing the Kings from getting good looks in the halfcourt. Terance Mann provided some nice energy there, getting more of a role after just a bit piece in the season opener.
Ty Lue went with an all-bench unit to start the second quarter, to mixed results. The defense was mostly excellent, and the ball moved around a lot, but the lack of any kind of north-south driving and shot creation meant the Clippers were mostly just playing catch on the perimeter. Reggie was brought back for offense, followed by George and Ivica Zubac, but nothing could get the Clips going. Fortunately, the Kings weren’t much better, and their lead remained small. Clippers’ cold shooting and some sloppiness got the Kings out and running late in the period, and brought their lead to as large as seven. However, Paul George struck back with two big threes (19 points total), and the Clippers trailed by just three at halftime.
Paul George continued to scorch, scoring five quick points to put the Clips back ahead. Marcus Morris picked up his 4th foul early, brining in Nic Batum, and the Clippers’ defense tightened accordingly. Unfortunately, they wasted stops and forced turnovers with a couple bad turnovers, which kept the Kings in it. Luke Kennard was brought in for Reggie Jackson, and immediately added some nice two-point shots as well as sharp playmaking. On the other end, De’Aaron Fox got going with drives to the rim, getting to spots over and over to keep the Kings even. At the end of the quarter, things got weirdly foul-heavy, with Harrison Barnes going a bunch and then RoCo and Terance going as well to get the Clips lead up to 6.
Marcus Morris started the 4th, but almost immediately picked up his fifth foul, and was taken out for Batum, who was alongside Reggie, Luke, Covington, and Mann. Understandably, this lineup looked bad offensively – until they didn’t. Reggie made a beautiful pass to a cutting Mann, RoCo blew by Sabonis for a dunk, and then RoCo got a steal and fastbreak layup to put the Clippers up 10. George, who had stood up to check in, sat back down, and the Clippers’ second-unit + Reggie continued to hold their heads above water. George came back for Reggie, and the rest suited him well, because he immediately got back to work. Not a moment too soon, as Fox revved back up as well, and made tough shot after tough shot to drag the Kings back. The Clippers’ offense stagnated, resulting in Reggie and then Norm being brought in to juice things up, to no real avail. George’s stray buckets were the Clippers’ only offense, and some misadventures (a Norm transition layup that was blocked where he got hit on the head, and a George blocking foul that should have been a charge) helped the Kings as well, who clawed their way back to down just three with 30 seconds to go. However, Nic got the offensive board on the George miss, Norm hit free throws, and the Clippers escaped with the win.
Notes
Star George: Paul George was a superstar in this one when the Clippers needed him to be. He scored consistently throughout the game, and used his scoring prowess to create opportunities for others. While he had a few bad turnovers, considering his usage, he was not nearly as loose with the ball as he sometimes can be. To top it all off, his defense, while not nearly as good as it was in his prime, was still excellent. PG was in control, he was comfortable, he was dominant. A great sight after a rough game one and an injury-damaged 2022 campaign.
Norm Struggles: Norm Powell has played very poorly through the Clippers’ first two games. He has appeared very rushed on offense, throwing up wild shots and forcing the issue. There’s also some issue with familiarity, as he’s clearly been out of sync with his teammates on multiple occasions. He also doesn’t seem to have much lift around the rim, which is concerning, and might speak to either lack of conditioning or some minor injury. His defense has also been unimpressive. He got the close tonight, and I get why Ty wanted to show confidence in him, but he’s been the Clippers’ worst rotation player – by far – and I would not have played him nearly as much. Hopefully he shapes up soon, and there’s nothing actually wrong with him.
Nico and RoCo Time: After not playing much against the Lakers, Nic Batum and Robert Covington played most of the second half and closed against the Kings. Their defense was fantastic, both chipped in with a number of timely baskets, and they played mistake-free basketball on offense. Marcus Morris’ shooting is valuable, and Ivica Zubac is playing great (and probably should have played more), but Batum and Covington are just perfect role players, and it would be tough for me if I was coaching the Clips to not play them about 40 minutes apiece.
Luke Stock Up: Luke Kennard played 28 minutes, was a +15 (highest on the team by far) and consistently made a positive impact even on a night his three was misfiring. He is playing confidently and aggressively on offense, and while he’s still one of the worse defenders on a team loaded with them, he’s by no means bad at that end. Terance Mann played well tonight, and will get his chances, but Luke appears to have a firm grasp on a rotation spot to start the season.
