Sometimes, Patty Mills is overlooked, but tonight he hit eight three-point kicks and took the Spurs coated with Teal, Orange and Pink to a great advantage several times. But the Clippers relied on Kawhi Leonard to carry out the attack, and Patrick Beverley had one of his best goal nights when he had to make up for Paul George’s lack. The Clippers closed the scoring to just two points in the final seconds, but Patty Mills was fouled, hitting one of the two dirty shots. The Clippers had one last chance to win, but a masked Kawhi Leonard failed to make the final shot as DeMar DeRozan made him take a hard shot and he missed, giving the Spurs a 3-point win, breaking a four-game losing streak.
Comments
- I’m getting too old for these late West Coast denunciations. I almost fell asleep before the game started.
- Bill Land called # 2 at Clippers Hannibal Leonard in the pre-game, and it’s nice to see that I wasn’t the only one who thought that when I saw that mask.
- LaMarcus Aldridge receives a lot of criticism from fans who think he is too old and too slow to play more, but the attack feels much more fluid when he is on the ground.
- Keldon in the mix makes this team a lot better. Its energy is contagious.
- Vassell learned a small lesson in trying to protect Lou Williams, as he reached and presented Lou with three free throws.
- Patty Mills beat the Clippers 10-0 in just over a minute at the end of the first quarter.
- With Paul George out, the Clippers didn’t have many options for goals other than Kawhi. The second offensive option among the players is probably Batum, and he is not so good anymore. Patrick Beverley is a strong defender, but not very good at kicking the ball [after I wrote this, he started to illogically hit every shot he took]. Lou Williams is the second best scorer, but they need him on the bench to keep the team in games when the starters rest.
- This fast bucket from Lonnie Walker IV is everything. It is the dance movement at the end that makes it special.
- Who was that masked man?
- I may be biased, but I think the Fiesta shirts are the most beautiful uniforms in the league.
- Spurs are unbeaten in road games wearing Fiesta shirts.
Game flow
The Spurs jumped a quick 9-0 lead with both teams missing in a few long shots, but the Spurs entering the painting and taking advantage with Keldon Johnson and LaMarcus Aldridge in the painting. After a timeout, the Clippers cleaned things up a bit and took the lead in a theft and Kawhi’s burial at the end of the quarter. But the Spurs finished well, with Patty Mills overcoming the arc and scoring the last 13 points for good buys, guaranteeing a 36-27 lead after a quarter.
Devin Vassell started to score in the second and the Spurs went wild with three, running to a big advantage. Everything started to flow for San Antonio, and they couldn’t do anything wrong on either end of the court and increased the advantage to more than 24 when the Spurs hit their kicks and the Clippers failed to hit anything. With nothing working for the Clips, the masked man decided to play the game with his own hands and started working one on one, and the Clips started to cut the lead. The Spurs held the best they could and led 63-44 at the break.
The Clippers started the second half with an 11-4 run when Kawhi took over and Pop needed a timeout. The Clippers reduced the lead to 6 in one point when Pat Beverley suddenly became a good three-point shooter. LaMarcus Aldridge finally started to catch the ball and hit some kicks to push the lead back into double digits, but the Spurs failed to maintain it and led by just one point at the end of the 85-84 room, having been defeated by 39 -22 in the quarter. [Later corrected to 85-83 by the refs, who changed a Luke Kennard three to a two point shot.]
The Clippers tied the score when the last quarter started with a Zubac tray. The Spurs then went in a 12-0 streak to lead for a dozen. Patty Mills started going crazy beyond the bow as he scored the cages dressed in Fiesta for a 15 point lead. But the Clippers were not yet finished, and Pat Beverly led the Clippers in a race to reduce the lead to one digit. The Clips increased the volume of their defense and closed the scoring to 115-113 with 13 seconds remaining. The Spur somehow allowed Kennard an open eye, but he missed, and Pat Beverley missed Patty Mills, who hit one of two free throws. With an advantage of 3 points and 5 seconds remaining, Leonard shot to draw, and the Spurs won by 116-113
Musical break
The shearing ships are made of wood, right? Very free and easy.
What is the next . . .
To see the perspective of Clippers fans, visit ClipsNation.
The Spurs will be back at the Staples Center on Thursday night at 9:00 am to face the Lakers, who beat them twice last week. It will be the last game against the title champions this season, so this will be the last chance to avoid a LeBrons sweep this season.