The LA Clippers returned home after quick two-game road trip only to be stonewalled by the San Antonio Spurs, 116-92.
Game Summary
Coming off a tough road loss in the final seconds against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, the LA Clippers returned home looking to get back on track with the San Antonio Spurs in town.
The Spurs had other plans, however. The Clippers came out in the first quarter and managed to keep pace with the Spurs for the most part, but found themselves trailing 35-27 at the end.
The second quarter was when the Spurs jumped out to a double-digit lead and they never looked back. The Spurs were able to get whatever they wanted offensively, spearheaded by Dejounte Murray.
The Spurs also did a good job capitalizing on the Clippers turnovers and had a big advantage with second chance points to take a 62-48 halftime lead.
The Clippers never seriously challenged the Spurs in the second half and the San Antonio lead just kept growing. It was more of the same of the Spurs crashing the offensive glass and converting on second shot opportunities and finishing off the Clippers turnovers.
Tyronn Lue mentioned after the game that it was almost like the Spurs had a layup/floater drill all game and that the Clippers failed to match the Spurs physicality on the glass and on the defensive end.
It wasn’t as if the Spurs shot exceptionally well, they just did a good job converting off the Clippers miscues. Outside of most of the first quarter, the Clippers were just a step slow and didn’t have it.
Notes
- Paul George made his return to the lineup after missing the past five games with an elbow sprain. He did look pretty good and that was about the only positive on the night for the Clippers. He finished with 25 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. He started the game favoring the elbow a little bit but settled in and become more comfortable as the game went on. He mentioned after the game that the elbow took some hits during the game and he’ll see how sore it is/how it feels tomorrow. George himself isn’t going to fix the issues the Clippers had, but it’s a big morale boost and on court boost to have him back.
- Serge Ibaka got his first action after being out of the rotation since Dec. 6. His performance was kind of a mixed bag. He started out pretty well, doing a good job defending the rim on Spurs drives and snatching up a few boards. He didn’t shoot particularly well, going 1-6 and missing both of this three-point attempts. He was moving okay though and after the game Ty Lue said patience is the key with Ibaka, that it’s a process and he can’t get frustrated if he doesn’t play.