The Clippers played one of their best games of the season, leading the Hornets throughout most of the game before turning the contest into a rout in the 4th quarter behind a dominant bench performance. Keep reading for a full recap of the Clippers’ win over the Hornets.
Summary
The first quarter got off to a nice start, with the Clippers zinging the ball around on offense and the Hornets shooting poorly on the other end. Amir Coffey and Reggie Jackson led the Clippers’ attack, with Coffey in particular seemingly taking on more ball-handling responsibilities. However, as the quarter went along, the Hornets were able to get going a bit in transition, and ate into the Clippers’ lead. Finally, with LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges still in against the Clippers’ bench, the Hornets surged ahead and took a single point edge going into the second quarter.
Serge Ibaka entered the game for Hartenstein after a minute or so, and Serge played ok on offense, draining a couple jumpers and a nice hook. However, the Clippers’ defense was more lucky than good, as the Hornets missed open three after open three. The Clippers, however, were unable to take advantage, with a cold shooting drought of their own through the middle of the period that prevented them from opening a double-digit lead. Marcus Morris woke up a bit late to help keep the Clippers ahead, but it was a shaky four point advantage going into halftime.
The Clippers got off to another hot start, with back to back threes by Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson pushing the lead to 10 for the first time. However, the Hornets answered right back with a quick 8-0 run, forcing a Ty Lue timout. A series of nice out-of-timeout plays followed, pushing the Clippers lead back up a bit. Unfortunately, just like in the first half, cold shooting meant the Clippers couldn’t grow their lead. On the plus side, Reggie getting going late followed by a terrific bench stint at the end of the quarter gave the Clippers an eight-point lead entering the final frame.
The Clippers’ bench kept things rolling, going on a 7-0 run behind some terrific ball movement and more nice defense. The Hornets starters were re-inserted at the 9:30 mark, and they were able to stem the onslaught, but could not make any inroads. Around halfway through the period, the Clippers’ lead began to grow again thanks to some more bully ball by Winslow and some slick scoring by Boston and Kennard. The Clippers’ lead reached 20, and despite some fight by the Hornets, were able to hold that lead until the game entered garbage time with a few minutes to go.
Notes
Well-Rounded Effort: This might have been the best overall Clippers’ effort this season. While it didn’t have the magic of some of their come-from-behind wins, or the starpower of some of their PG-led wins, every Clipper who played contributed, and the team mostly played well from start to finish. Eleven Clippers scored (everyone who played but Jay Scrubb), with guys like Mann and Coffey contributing on defense despite off shooting nights, Luke Kennard chipping in 10 rebounds, and Boston and Reggie each scoring 19 points in well under 30 minutes. A great, great win and effort on the road against a solid Hornets team, with the starters playing excellent defense and the bench dominating on offense.
Boston’s Best Game: While Brandon Boston has had more explosive scoring games (notably against Boston back in December), this was by far his best game as a pro. He scored 19 points in 22 minutes, not by outrageous shooting and some ball-hoggery, but by playing smart within the offense. He made a catch-and-shoot three, drained a couple midrange pull-ups, scored in transition, and converted couple tough looks around the rim. Outside of scoring, he added five rebounds and two assists with no turnovers, and played mostly solid defense. For a young second round rookie, it was a mighty impressive performance. Overall, this was more encouraging than his hot-shooting outings, and hopefully can be at least somewhat maintained down the stretch of the season.
That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ win over the Hornets. Leave comments below!
