The Clippers fought off the young and scrappy Knicks, pulling away in the 4th quarter to win 129-115. Check out the full game recap of the Clippers’ matinee victory against the Knicks below.

Both teams started off the game hot offensively, with the RJ Barrett-Julius Randle combination crating easy looks for the Knicks and the Clippers generating their shots through their now trademark ball movement. However, after trading blows early, the Clippers fell a bit behind when their bench came in, as their defense sagged further but lacked the firepower of their combined star duo. As the quarter went along, the pace slowed down a bit, and the Clippers stepped up on defense, especially with Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac in, but their offense became sloppier. Despite this, the Clippers trailed only two entering the second period.

The Clippers’ second unit – with Paul George in to stabilize – played almost the entire first half of the second quarter, and that’s because they mostly played well. Despite improved defense, the Knicks made some tough shots, and were also able to work their way to the line. On the other end, Lou Williams played brilliantly, getting to his spots with ease and dishing to corner shooters three different times for made buckets. A brief bad minute-long stretch with three awful Marcus Moris and Paul George shots keyed a quick 7-0 Knicks run, and they regained the lead. With that, the Clippers’ starters came back in, and the offense got its mojo back. PG found Patrick Patterson for two consecutive threes to give the Clippers the lead again, albeit a single point margin, as halftime came.

As they have for much of the season, the Clippers put forth their best effort in the third quarter. A quick 7-0 surg right out of the gate jumpstarted by Kawhi Leonard gave the Clippers a slightly more comfortable edge that they would not relinquish the rest of the game. While the Knicks continued to battle and fight, the Clippers zipped the ball around the court, leading to regular wide open threes. Almost everyone on the team chipped in, with Reggie Jackson and Kawhi Leonard playing particularly big roles. The offense slowed down when the second unit came in, but the defense only improved, and the Clippers held a double-digit lead entering the 4th quarter.

The start of the 4th quarter was less than ideal. Terance Mann’s defense and energy was as positive as always, but his lack of shooting killed several offensive possessions for the Clippers, while the Knicks looked more alert and active attacking the glass. Immanuel Quickley really got going, and brought the Knicks down to just a single possession deficit. At that point, however, the Clippers slammed the door shut. Lou Williams made a couple more pretty passes for a Zu dunk and Morris three, and then Kawhi Leonard drained a couple shots as well to get the lead back to double digits. The Knicks continued to battle, but it never got that close again, and the last 90 seconds of the game was garbage time with the Clippers holding a lead in the teens.

Notes

Pat Pat Ready: With Nic Batum a late scratch with a groin injury, Patrick Patterson was called upon to start, and he answered the call. Ty Lue has taken to saying that Pat Pat is “always ready” and just “needs a spoon of water”, and he played like it this morning. Patterson hit all five of his shots, including all three of his threes, with two very big ones coming towards the end of the first half to get the Clippers the lead. He didn’t play the last 18 minutes of the game, which is fine. He gave the Clippers 20 minutes when they needed him. Patterson’s poor defense and lack of rebounding would have cost the Clippers even more heavily against a better offesen than the Knicks, and he is probably unplayable for more than small stretches against really good teams, but his ability to be ready at a moment’s notice is very handy.

Reggie Continues to Amaze: This might have been Reggie Jackson’s best game as a Clipper. He was an efficient scorer, shooting 6-12 from the field, 3-6 from three, and 3-4 from the line for 18 points. He was a steady ballhandler and playmaker, dishing out three assists to zero turnovers, and consistently managing the offense. He even made an impact outside of scoring or passing, collecting 5 rebounds in his 26 minutes. Reggie wasn’t perfect, as a couple of his shots were bad decisions, and his defense remained somewhere in the realm between poor and acceptable, but he was simply a very good point guard in this outing. If he continues to play like this, the Clippers can let Pat Beverley take additional time to heal and know that they have a steady hand at the wheel.

The New Lou Williams: This might be a good model of the new kind of “Lou Will Game” that the Clippers are looking for this season. He could have been more efficient, sure, scoring only 9 points on 3-9 shooting. But nearly all of those were good looks, and he rarely forced the action as a scorer. Instead, he operated more as a playmaker, and a deadly one, hitting four corner shooters for threes and also setting up Zu for an easy dunk and for free throw attempts. He was especially potent in the 2nd quarter but was also a big part of the 4th quarter push to end the game. Throughout, he competed on defense, and while he still had a few miscues on that end, he’s noticeably better there than he has been in previous years. With the Clippers staggering Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and Luke Kennard and Reggie Jackson also getting minutes, it’s less and less likely that Lou Williams has 20 point scoring games. But if he can put together efficient enough 10-15 point games with a handful of assists and low turnovers, he will be filling his part on this team beautifully.

Well, that’s about it for this game recap of the Clippers’ victory over the Knicks. Check out the Strickland for their coverage of the game, and buckle your seatbelts for the upcoming showdown against the star-studded Nets on Tuesday.

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