The Clippers came back from a 14-point deficit to win handily over the offensively woeful Orlando Magic on the road, returning to a .500 record for the first time in nearly two weeks. Keep reading for a full recap of the Clippers’ win over the Magic.
Summary
The theme of the first half was an odd disparity in refereeing, and that impact was felt right away, as Reggie Jackson picked up two quick fouls and was taken out for Eric Bledsoe. Fortunately, even as the Clippers racked up fouls and the Magic accumulated free throws, the Magic’s cold shooting kept their lead small. The Clippers were icy as well to start, only getting loose halfway through the period when Nic Batum knocked down a couple threes. The bench played well in general, upping the defense and cutting the Magic lead down to two.
Unfortunately, the Clippers got in foul trouble right away in the second quarter, with Isaiah Hartenstein picking up three fouls in 90 seconds and subbed by Serge Ibaka. This is around when the Magic went on run – the Clippers had several careless turnovers, and their defense slacked, allowing several wide open shots around the rim. The Magic lead hit 14, but quick Brandon Boston and Luke Kennard threes brought it back down to eight. As the starters trickled in, the Clippers’ defense tightened, with the Magic turning the ball over themselves. Finally, a flurry of late threes gave the Clippers a 49-48 lead at halftime despite shooting zero free throws to the Magic’s 12. Nic Batum led the good guys with 12 points, all on threes.
The third quarter did not start as smoothly, as the offense reverted to the struggles at the start of the game. At the center of the issues was Reggie Jackson, who had some awful shots and turnovers and was removed from the game early for Bledsoe with the Magic up four. The rest of the quarter went a bit better, but the Clippers’ offense never really got into much of a rhythm, showing life only in isolations and off turnovers. The result was that the Clippers hung around, but could not definitively break through, and trailed by two going into the final frame.
While the Clippers’ energy was fine all game, they notably upped their intensity and effort at the start of the 4th. Their activity in the paint and on the offensive glass finally bore fruit in Magic fouls, putting the Magic in the bonus at the 10:11 mark of the quarter. Even the insertion of the still struggling Jackson could not slow the Clippers much, as despite some offensive difficulties, their defense continued to limit the Magic’s attack. The Magic continued to misfire, and with a couple Winslow free throws and belated Jackson jumpers, the Clippers’ lead grew to 13 with under three minutes to go. That basically ended the game, and the Clippers closed it out with their deep bench unit.
Notes
Balanced Rebounding: One consistent issue for the Clippers this season has been rebounding. And while the Magic are bad, they do start two big men in Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba, and have some big wings in Franz Wagner and Chuma Okeke. Therefore, it was great to see the Clippers outrebound the Magic 49-38 (partially because the Magic were so cold, to be fair), and limit them to just seven offensive rebounds, most on long bounces off threes. The Clippers rebounded in numbers, with nobody getting more than 8 (Winslow), but eight players logging at least 4. This is the kind of effort the Clippers will need to win games when they’re down their superstars.
Kennard’s Spacing: After his heroics last night, Luke Kennard had another big game, scoring 17 points on 6-9 shooting, and leading the Clippers in plus/minus with +23 in 32 minutes. The Clippers noticeably had more spacing on offense when he was in the game, and suffered at the start of the first and third quarters with him on the bench. The Clippers probably won’t start him in their healthy, non-PG and Kawhi unit, but he’s going play a lot of minutes due to the lack of shooting the Clippers sometimes have.
Bully Ball Winslow: Justise Winslow had one of his best games of the season today after another solid performance yesterday, scoring seven points (all on free throws) and collecting eight rebounds in 23 minutes while providing lots of defense, hustle, and pace. He remains an awkward fit at times due to his complete lack of shooting, but the Clippres have been able to work around that as long as they get stops when he’s on the court. His ability to use his strength to muscle his way to the rim and draw fouls is also useful, even though his actual touch around the basket is dreadful. He played over Brandon Boston in the second half, and it was undoubtedly the right call. There will be nights where he’s not needed, and on a fully healthy Clippers roster he’s out of the rotation, but Winslow has at least given the Clippers something in January, and that’s a great sign.
That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ win over the Magic. Leave your comments below, and prepare for a much tougher game against the scorching Heat on Friday night.
