Inglewood – Winning their regular season games has never been guaranteed, not with the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors on the calendar.
The San Antonio Spurs Sub500, without their two best players, were a team that the Clippers had to overshadow with relative ease.
The Clippers had momentum, a healthy list and the desire to finish the regular season as one of the best teams in the constantly evolving classification of the Western Conference.
All these things were good, but they still needed an effort inspired in the second half and a boost of their coach to put away the Spurs, 122-117, in the first match of a consecutive set Tuesday evening in Intuit Dome.
The Clippers (47-32) then face the Rockets (52-27), who obtained the seeded n ° 2 during the conference on Wednesday evening.
The Clippers are part of four four games with three games to play in the regular season, but they occupy the seeded n ° 4 for the moment thanks to records combined in head. Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies are fifth at seventh of this order, and the Minnesota Timberwolves (46-33) are alone in eighth place.
The Place des Clippers could change tomorrow and / or by the end of the week because no place outside the first two has been locked in the west and the third Lakers (48-31) have only one match before equality at four. Lakers can secure seeded n ° 3 by winning two of their last three games.
After a slow first half, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that he had reminded the team what was at stake – a chance to dictate their own future in the playoffs and secure one of the first six places.
“(I told them) We have a chance to do special things, and we cannot play with this game,” said Lue about her speech at halftime. “I know that some of the guys were tired and James (Harden) was one of them,” said he was stuck in the mud, but other guys intensified.
“And so, however, we were able to do everything we did to win the match, fight and the guys did a better job in the second period.”
The Clippers gathered to win their fifth consecutive match and get closer to their goal, with a home advantage in a series of best rounds at the best of seven.
“We knew that we did not like the way we played, especially defensively in the first 24 minutes,” said goalkeeper Norman Powell. “So being able to get this bucket, stop, take another bucket, was great for the swing of the momentum for us. We were able to push our heads comfortably.
“They are young, they are fighting, they dull, they play hard, they play together, so it was a good battle for us, a good test so that we are mentally locked in the aspects of the game.”
The recent success of the Clippers can be attributed to a healthy list, according to Lue. With Kawhi Leonard and Powell in alignment, they won 15 of their last 18 games, dating from early March.
“I think being whole, being healthy, we show in a way what we can do and who we can be,” said Lue. “As I said, that and the trades. I think Kawhi being healthy, James (Harden) playing at a higher level, it was really good for us.”
Two days after Leonard played in the two games of a consecutive set for the first time this season, the Clippers took an edifying route and seated him for Tuesday’s match against the Spurs. He should play Wednesday.
“We knew he would have three days off (if he didn’t play on Tuesday),” said Lue. “So we just tried. It worked. He feels good but (we are) just smarter on this subject.”
It turned out that the Clippers did not need Leonard.
The Center des Clippers Ivica Zubac continued to assert its place for a place in the NBA defense team with its 12th consecutive double-double (24 points, 20 rebounds), the longest sequence by a clipper since Chris Paul had 14 consecutive games in 2013.
It was also his fourth time this season, Zubac posted at least 20 points and 20 rebounds, binding it for the second largest number of the League this season.
“He still plays and it’s huge, especially this period of (season) when the guys are very seated,” said Lue. “But Zu likes to play. He wants to play, there were a lot of games where we try to sit down and rest and he does not want to sit. He wants to play and be there for his teammates.
“So you congratulate him. You want guys in the locker rooms who want to play every night. So that means a lot for us. ”
Zubac attracts attention to stride.
“I just want to play my best, I want to improve and help the team win,” he said. “If it means that I am one of the best big ones, when he is, but I just want to win and help my team and facilitate their life on the field.”
Powell finished with 25 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Harden rocked his discomfort and made a shy rebound of a triple-double with 21 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 19 points and Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18.
The Spurs entered the game that have already been eliminated from the post-season game, a somewhat predictable end after the star Victor Wembanyama star center was excluded for the season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder and the ‘Star Gard for’Aaron Fox underwent an end-of-season surgery.
Harrison Barnes led the Spurs with 24 points, pulling 8 per 10 on the ground (6 for 8 of the 3 -point beach) with five rebounds.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
