The LA Clippers started their three-game road trip in Atlanta on Friday evening, taking on the Hawks, who they beat back in January, 106-93. This time, Trae Young and Kevin Huerter protected home court, beating the Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac led Clippers, 112-106.
Summary
Both team were hot from the start: in the first quarter, the Clippers shot 52.6% from the field, while the Hawks hit 60% of their shots. Marcus Morris. Sr. had nine of the Clippers’ 24 first quarter points, and Luke Kennard got off to a 2/2 start for five points. The Hawks, who finished the first quarter with 33 points, were led by De’Andre Hunter (6pts), John Collins (6), and Trae Young. The Hawk’s early seven point lead was almost entirely earned at the free throw line, where they were 8/8, with the help of Isiah Hartenstein, who had two shooting fouls in his two minutes in the quarter.
Both teams continued their hot shooting in the second quarter (although the Hawks come back to earth a little). But the Clippers’ were able to catch—and, for a while, surpass—Atlanta by hitting six second-quarter threes. Batum, Reggie, and Luke all had two, and the Clippers as a whole started getting to the free throw line. But the Clippers’ 13-0 run was answered by an 8-0 run by the Hawks, who went into halftime with a one-point lead.
The third quarter was much more even, though the Hawks extended their lead to five by quarter’s end. The Clippers’ attack was led by Reggie and Ivica Zubac, while the Hawks were boosted by Young and Huerter. Morris, who missed five of his six shots after starting 3/6, was ejected about eight minutes into the third quarter for barking at a referee who (rightfully) called him for traveling.
Although the Clippers hung tough in the fourth quarter, they could not get over the hump. Both teams’ scoring dropped off, but Kevin Huerter hit two huge threes that pushed the goalposts just out of the Clippers’ reach. Reggie and Zubac both continued their strong play, but Reggie had a few too many hero-ball possessions that resulted in suboptimal shots. Relatedly, Luke Kennard only took one shot in the whole forth quarter.
Notes
Familiar Faces: Former Clipper Lou Williams, who was inactive in the first matchup between these teams, got some action tonight. He played 12 minutes but had just two points on 1/6 shooting. Bally Sports West’s Jaime Maggio reported a nice quote from Ivica Zubac about Lou’s ability to instill confidence in his teammates. Danilo Gallinari also played a huge role off the bench for Atlanta, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Missing RoCo: The Clippers have been without Robert Covington (who is out for personal reasons) for a few games now, and he has been missed dearly. Isaiah Hartenstein was more effective as the game went on, but he had almost as many fouls as rebounds in his 12 minutes. Moreover, Zubac’s 12 rebounds accounted for one-third of the Clippers’ team total, as Atlanta out-rebounded LA by 11 (including 15 offensive rebounds to the Clippers’ six). Covington would have been helpful on the boards and with defending Gallinari, Okongwu, and Capela, who all had good games. Even Kevin Huerter—who averages 3.2 rebounds per game this season—had eight rebounds tonight against the undersized Clippers.
That does it for our recap of tonight’s Clippers-Hawks game. The Clippers take on the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Until then, check out the podcast for more news and analysis.
