The Clippers seized a decisive win on the road over the Pacers, 126-115, behind 36 points from Paul George. Check out a full game recap of the Clippers’ win over the Pacers below.
Summary
The pace of this game was frenetic from the start. The Clippers raced up and down the court, as did the Pacers, but the quality was far less impressive than the speed of the game. Caris LeVert and Malcolm Brogdon led the charge for the Pacers – the two guards were able to penetrate paint at will against the Clippers, and got wherever they wanted. On the other end, Marcus Morris and Paul George continued their scorching shooting from Sunday, assisted by a couple dunks from Ivica Zubac. The Clippers slipped a bit towards the end of the quarter as the bench came in, and the Pacers took a small lead into the second period.
The second quarter went much better for the Clippers, mostly because of the defensive end. Nic Batum had three blocks in the frame, and legitimately began to deter shots due to his length. Terance Mann and Rajon Rondo attacked the basket, and when they didn’t finish or draw fouls, Patrick Patterson was there with a couple putbacks. The Clippers took a lead, and were able to maintain it even as their defense fell off when the starters returned. This was mostly because Paul George became a flamethrower, nailing multiple threes and difficult midrange jumpers. Behind PG’s scoring, the Clippers held a two-point edge going into halftime.
The Clippers forfeited their lead early in the period due to some bad shots and turnovers, but then retook it behind another Paul George scoring barrage. Ivica Zubac continued to star in his supporting role on both ends of the court, while Morris took over PG’s mantle as scorer late in the period. Unfortunately, the Pacers, too, remained hot, and the Clippers’ lead sat at a mere three entering the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was dominated by the Clippers. Paul George scored two midrange buckets and gave a gorgeous alley-oop to Terance Mann for a dunk, pushing the lead to 11 and forcing a Pacers timeout. While the Pacers began to score more with their starters back, the Clippers matched them every step of the way with some gorgeous offensive basketball, featuring great ball movement and passing out of the short pick and roll. The Pacers prevented the game from being a blowout, but never threatened the Clippers either, and the Clippers won comfortably, 126-115.
Notes
PG Spectacular: Paul George was simply ridiculous in this Clippers’ win over his old Pacers squad, as discussed at length throughout the game recap. He scored 36 points on 13-25 shooting, made 4 of his 7 threes, and drained all 6 of his free throws. Oh, and he chipped in seven rebounds and eight assists as well. The defense wasn’t perfect (though it improved as the game went along), and five turnovers is a bit high, but George dominated this one from start to finish. He also had another big dunk, which hopefully means his foot is feeling well. If Paul George is playing this well, and Kawhi can continue his level of play before his last two missed games, the Clippers are in great shape.
Batum Brigade: What more can be said about Nic Batum? Batum had five blocks in this one, pulled down five rebounds, and scored 14 points for good measure in this one. He’s been the Clippers’ best and most consistent perimeter defender this season (by all impact metrics as well as the eye test), is money from the corner, does all the little things, and fits beautifully with all of the Clippers’ best players. Or rather, with the Clippers’ “other” best players, as Batum has unquestionably been a top 4 Clipper this year, behind Kawhi and PG and on pace with or even slightly ahead of Zubac. Incredibly, the Clippers might not be a title contender if it wasn’t for Nic Batum, and the value he’s brought on a minimum deal is staggering. I don’t think I’ve ever been more wrong about a Clippers’ signing in my decade-plus of fandom and over 6 years writing about the team. Batum Battalion, indeed.
Mann over Luke: The one consistent downside we’ve seen recently has been from the backcourt duo of Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard, who have been taken to school on the defensive end when paired together. The biggest culprit is Luke, who was simply dreadful on that end tonight. The Pacers bullied him on the way to the basket, caught him sleeping off ball, and generally made him look foolish on defense. He’s also simply a worse basketball player than Terance Mann, who had another marvelous game on both ends of the court and continues to bring much-needed energy and athleticism. Mann simply needs more minutes, especially with Kawhi or PG out, and starting him makes sense – the Clippers don’t need shooting with a lineup containing Reggie, PG, and Morris.
Giving PatPat His Flowers: I’ve been very harsh on Patrick Patterson this season, but he’s been solid recently, and was downright good tonight. PatPat scored six points, brought in five boards, and dished four assists in just 19 minutes, and his defense was mostly effective as well. I remain concerned about playing him against legitimately good teams (the Pacers are just thoroughly mediocre), but he deserves credit for his steadiness, savvy, and passing out of the short roll. Good stuff from PatPat.
That will about do it for this game recap of the Clippers’ victory over the Pacers. This was a very satisfying win for the Clippers, but they can’t relax, because they have another game tomorrow against the Pistons. Stay tuned for Cole’s player grades, which should come up tomorrow morning, as well as a preview for that Pistons’ contest.
