Since the arrival of Russell Westbrook, the Clippers have had 9 games resolved by 10 points or less. The result: 3-6. A problem in the management of tight finals that already occurred before the arrival of the point guard and that has been more pronounced in his signing. And that was not to blame for last night’s defeat against the Thunder (100-101) in a key game facing the fight for direct access to the playoffs, for entry into the play-in and, basically, for everything that is not left out of the final phase and say goodbye to the season before the rest. Titanic, tachycardic end and victory for OKC, which takes an important step in their particular fight while the Angelenos continue to demonstrate a marked absence of slate, role distribution, rotation capacity or risk management in that clutch time which has been torture for them in a season that has the best left: 9 games as finals.
The Clippers don’t have it all bad: 38-35, fifth in the Western Conference. But they don’t have it at all well either: the Lakers, eleventh after the Thunder’s victory, They are only 2.5 victories away from that position, so the Angelenos are forced to add to secure a position. They repeat their duel against the Thunder on Friday in this calendar mania that the NBA has invented and almost no one has liked: then, they host the Pelicans and Bulls, visit the Grizzlies twice, travel to New Orleans and host the Lakers and Blazers before saying goodbye against the Suns. Not a bad calendar, but not a good one either. especially considering that they have been without Paul George, injured in the leg in the last quarter in some very worrying gestures, which look very bad and which would represent a significant loss for them despite their well-known irregularity.
The management of the final minutes was what it was: the Clippers, who came to be winning by 14 points, were behind (93-95) with 3 minutes to go. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 36 minutes), a blessing of a player with generational overtones, scored a layup to give his team a two-possession lead. After that, Westbrook (15+8+2, with 2 steals and no particularly serious errors at the end) made two free throws. An error for each team, two free throws for Shai after an interesting one-on-one against Westbrook (we’re going 95-99) and a three-pointer by Eric Gordon from home (in a play that Westbrook saved with an offensive rebound) put the result in a fist (98-99). Shai, always Shai, scored again. And a pass from Kawhi to Nicolas Batum made it 100-101 that would be final. The Thunder erred twice, Instant Replay through, and Kawhi had it to sentence, but he made a mess, kneaded too much ball, his teammates took a long time to move and Luguentz Dort did a great defensive job. Full Time.
There the aspirations of the Clippers ended, the attempts to win a game that became clearer as the minutes passed. Kawhi finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, but was overwhelmed late on and went an odd 7-of-16 shooting from the field.; Paul George was 18 + 7 + 5 before he was injured and was seen on crutches after the assault: they have already done tests on him, but they have said they will wait before saying what he has officially. Meanwhile, Ivica Zubac was not the solution this time (13 + 3) under the boards, despite the fact that he was clean in the shot (5 of 5) but did not enjoy many minutes on court (barely 19). In the Thunder, in addition to Shai, 20+8+3 from Jalen Willians and 13+6+6 from Josh Giddey, with 12 from Isaiah Joe. A great game, an exciting finish and everything tight in a fight in the Western Conference that will not end until April 9. The day in which we will know who has the ticket that everyone wants and, above all, who will be left empty-handed. Tick, tock, tick, tock… Less is left.
|
33
Nicolas Batum |
|
7
Amir Coffey |
|
23
Robert Covington |
|
13
Paul George |
|
10
Eric Gordon |
|
5
Bones Hyland |
|
2
Kawhi Leonard |
|
14
Terence Mann |
|
8
Markus Morris Sr. |
|
44
Mason Plumlee |
|
0
Russell Westbrook |
|
40
Ivica Zubac |
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
33
Nicolas Batum | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 1/3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
7
Amir Coffey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
23
Robert Covington | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/6 | 0/2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
13
Paul George | 3. 4 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0/2 | 9/12 | 0/5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
10
Eric Gordon | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 1/5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
5
Bones Hyland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
2
Kawhi Leonard | 38 | twenty-one | 6 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5/7 | 5/11 | 2/5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
14
Terence Mann | 10 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/3 | 23 | 1/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
8
Markus Morris Sr. | 30 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/4 | 1/6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
44
Mason Plumlee | twenty | 6 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 3/4 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
0
Russell Westbrook | 26 | fifteen | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3/5 | 6/7 | 0/3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
40
Ivica Zubac | 19 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/4 | 5/5 | 0/0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
13
Ousmane Dieng |
|
5
Luguentz Dort |
|
3
Josh Giddy |
|
2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|
eleven
isaiah joe |
|
23
Tre Mann |
|
fifty
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl |
|
9
Darius Saric |
|
30
Olivier Sarr |
|
12
Lindy Waters II |
|
twenty-one
Aaron Wiggins |
|
8
jalen williams |
|
6
jaylin williams |
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13
Ousmane Dieng | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 1/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
5
Luguentz Dort | 38 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 23 | 1/8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
3
Josh Giddy | 31 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3/3 | 5/9 | 0/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 36 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6/7 | 11/21 | 1/4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
eleven
isaiah joe | 26 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/0 | 3/4 | 2/8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
23
Tre Mann | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
fifty
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
9
Darius Saric | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
30
Olivier Sarr | 19 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2/2 | 1/3 | 0/1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
12
Lindy Waters II | eleven | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
twenty-one
Aaron Wiggins | twenty | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/3 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
8
jalen williams | 37 | twenty | 8 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2/2 | 11/6 | 2/4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
6
jaylin williams | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |