Clippers vs. Thunder: Did you see Chris Paul
By Matt Miller
The Clippers trailed most of the game in their third meeting with the west’s best Oklahoma City Thunder. But Chris Paul took over in the fourth quarter to give the Clippers the 100-98 victory.
But that surprising result was easy to miss.
On a night where the Kobe-less Lakers rolled over and out rebounded the Spurs, the Angels lost 6-5 at Minnesota despite a Peter Bourjos inside the park home run, the Dodgers won 4-1 behind a second lights out performance from Chad Billingsley, ESPNU televised the announcement from top basketball recruit Shabazz Muhammad that he will attend UCLA in the fall, and the Kings won late at Vancouver in Game 1 to gain home ice advantage—in all likelihood you probably missed the action from Oklahoma City.
I can’t remember a day when so many relevant things happened for Los Angeles sports franchises. Since the Kings are in the playoffs, the Lakers and Clippers are in the playoff hunt, and its still early for the Magic-owned Dodgers and the Pujols added Angels, all of these teams garner interest simultaneously.
But if you missed the Clippers trailing at half, and at the end of three quarters, Chris Paul took over the game late. He made 8 of 9 field goals in the second half to put the Clippers up by 5 with under two minutes to play. A Serge Ibaka dunk and a Kevin Durant 3 pointer from the top of the key tied it with 30 seconds remaining. After a timeout, off a screen at the top of the key Paul drove down the lane around Perkins who switched on to him, two-stepped past the helping Westbrook, and put up a spectacular tear drop on the run over the NBA’s leader in blocks Serge Ibaka to put the Clippers up two. The Thunder got the ball back with 10 seconds to play, and Durant missed a contested three, and Griffin tipped the rebound as the clock expired.
That was Paul’s third game winning field goal in the last 10 seconds of a game this season (Elias Sports Bureau), and his play combined with the Clippers improved bench play are the reasons they’ve now won 9 out of 11. Paul and the Clippers play gives new momentum to a prevailing thought at the All Star Break which was Paul could be MVP of the league this season. It comes as no surprise, but no Clipper has ever won the award.
The Clippers beat the Thunder two out of three times thus far this season (the first two games being blow-outs which the home team won), but the Thunder come back to Staples on Monday the 16th for one last showdown with the Clippers before what would likely have to be a second round matchup in the playoffs.
The Clippers did not have a shoot around today before they take on the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Rick Adelman’s team has beaten the Clippers in all three meetings this year. But the T-Wolves likely will be without MVP candidate Kevin Love after he left last night’s game against Denver with concussion symptoms after being inadvertently elbowed by Javale McGee. That should sway things in the Clippers favor who have something to prove against this team that has had their number all year.