L.A. Clippers Pushed To The Limit In Game 2 OT Loss
It took 53 minutes of a drawn out game, but eventually the San Antonio Spurs were able to prevail over the Los Angeles Clippers to become just the second team to win a game on the road in this year’s playoffs with a 111-107 victory. Tim Duncan played 44 minutes to lead the Spurs with 28 points, an astonishing fact considering he is three days away from his 39th birthday.
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The Spurs led for the majority of what was a competitive game at the Staples Center. Kawhi Leonard pitched in for 21 points in 39 minutes behind Duncan. In what was a crucial game for the Spurs, the bench stepped up with Patty Mills scoring 18 and Boris Diaw scoring 12. Tony Parker left the game in the fourth quarter with a tight achilles and only provided one point and five assists. Manu Ginobli provided only 9 points before fouling out in overtime.
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The game overshadowed an incredible performance by Blake Griffin who scored his first post-season triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. Chris Paul provided 21 points and 7 assists while J.J. Redick had 21 points in a game that did not see him score from the field in the fourth quarter until he hit a difficult three-pointer to tie the game. Most impressively was how the starters kept the score close and making up for the fact that their bench combined for only 17 points compared to the Spurs 48 from the bench.
The Spurs staved off several runs by the Clippers, at one point gaining a ten point lead in the second half. Both Griffin and DeAndre Jordan had several impressive dunks that electrified the crowd in attempts to shift the momentum but the Spurs matched them at every turn. In a game that saw both teams play impressively, the most important shift came in the fourth quarter when the Spurs began fouling DeAndre Jordan to slow the momentum of the Clippers. San Antonio fouled Jordan five times in the last five minutes of regulation where Jordan made only four of ten free throw attempts. The strategy drastically slowed down the pace of the game and most importantly, it stopped the league’s best offense by forcing their worst free-throw shooter to be the one to defeat the defending champions from the line.
April 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) shoots a free throw basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
While the Spurs strategy slowed down the pace of the game, the Clippers made several key shots down the stretch to keep the game close enough. In the final seconds, the Clippers had a two-point lead when Blake Griffin lost the ball while going up against Marco Belinelli. Griffin fell onto the court in an attempt to regain possession but Boris Diaw had already gotten the ball for a fast-break and Patty Mills finished with a layup. Chris Paul missed the final shot of regulation and the game went to overtime.
While the Clippers remained close, the Spurs made more shots down the stretch despite Manu Ginobli fouling out in an attempt to stop Matt Barnes on a fast-break. Redick missed a shot to tie the game with 13.9 seconds that bounced around the rim. From there the Clippers were never able to regain control and the Spurs left Los Angeles with a victory.
The game leaves the Clippers in a precarious situation as they must now go into San Antonio for two games. More pressingly, the Spurs have shown that the Clippers are not ready to deal with the Hack-a-Jordan strategy which limits their best defensive player. In a statement that undoubtedly added insult to injury, Kawhi Leonard was announced defensive player of the year by the NBA. DeAndre Jordan came third in voting.
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That said, the Hack-a-Jordan showed that the Clippers have the talent on the defensive end to slow down the Spurs. While their offense became severely limited, the extra time for the defense stopped San Antonio on several plays. Throughout the night the Clippers were able to make rebounds, and their defense led to several turnovers that kept them in the game. These are vital if the Clippers are to make changes to win on the road in San Antonio. The team won’t return to the Staples Center until Tuesday and they do not want to have to face a 3-1 deficit when they do.