Memphis missed their first 6 shots. Then made a blistering 16 of their next 18 (89%). And 8 of their first 10 3’s. Then cooled to about 40% for the last 3 qtrs.

Bane had 16 in the 1st qtr. Then only 1 in the next 2 qtrs. Kudos to the defense.

21 steals! I thought public looting was illegal.

No Morant. That might explain why the Clips were favored. Vegas knew something we didn’t.

I know this is a pretty obvious statement.

That said, Desmond Bane going on an absolute burner foiled the initial plans and they got into a nice lead. That said, I didn’t think the Clippers had played badly. Memphis had just adjusted by pushing the ball, hunting open 3 pt shots and taking them. That was playoff caliber basketball from them in the first half.

The biggest concern for me through the game was the lack of touches for Zu and Norm. Kawhi was dominating the ball too much, and although he performed better than in previous games, it really wasn’t functionally much different from watching Kevin Porter Jr. play. I don’t think that’s optimal.

During the Q2 comeback, Norm really fueled it, getting more touches, more attention , and Harden making plays. I thought Harden was great despite only shooting 33% from the field. He sized up defenders, attacked them, set up teammates to the tune of 10 assists (and 8! rebounds). Also thought he defended his position well.

In Q3, the Clips returned to their more successful offensive sets, getting Norm and Zu touches and shot attempts. 21 of 36 pts scored in that qtr came from Harden/Norm/Zu with Dunn having a breakout qtr at both ends and Kawhi sprinkling in a few buckets.
Q4 was basically a party at Intuit Dome.

The win was important especially after the bad loss vs Indiana, but we should keep it in perspective. Memphis is probably the only playoff caliber team that turns the ball over more than we do and without Ja their ballhandling was lacking. They made up for it with ridiculous shooting and their size, but playing on the 2nd night of a back to back wore them down in the 2nd half.

Bogdanovic looked very good. I don’t think the other teammates fed him the rock enough (ahem, Kawhi).

Kawhi looked better but not effective. The game turned in the Clippers’ favor when he touched the ball less and Norm/Zu got more looks. I think the theory that we need A+ Kawhi on offense to make the playoffs or win a round or two in the tournament is mistaken. The Clippers are at their best when the ball moves through Zu and Norm and Harden makes the key plays or key shots. In a crunch time setting, I’d rather the ball be in Harden’s hands or that Norm is taking that big shot alongside Harden, than Kawhi. Kawhi dribbles too much, is a ball stopper, and is a diminished midrange shooter. Really, what we need from Kawhi is better defense and more steals/deflections, while moving in space to finish a play that is created by Norm/Zu/Harden’s gravity.

Minnesota is stumbling a bit due to their tough stretch. If the Clips beat Utah tonight they can go 1.5 games ahead of them.

The hard part for the Clippers starts after the break because they go on a long road trip. That said, other teams have a tougher strength of schedule so the Clippers have a decent shot to survive that stretch and remain in the top 6.

To me, Dunn is the engine that drives the defense. I would rather him start over DJJ. Even if he kills spacing, he’s just so disruptive on defense that it creates easy offense. In other words, he defense strengths outweigh his offensive struggles.

As to the win generally, RFlom accurately predicted that we had a chance to run them ragged and we sorta did. Hope the guys that suit up tonite have something left in the tank and that they aren’t thinking ahead to their AS break plans.