What an introduction to the new “Big 3” era in Los Angeles. In the first game with the Clippers new “Big 3” all playing, Los Angles and Sacramento played to a thrilling 176-175 double OT victory in favor of the Kings.
This will probably be one of the Top-10 games of the year when all is said and done.
Not only did the game go into double OT between two inter-state rivals vying for the #1 seed in the Western Conference, but there was also a barrage of scoring as 6 players scored 20+ points in route for a 351-point spread. Oh, and this was the second-highest scoring game in NBA history as only the legendary 1983 matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons that saw both teams combined for 370 points (Pistons won 186-184).
This was just a fantastic game to introduce the new Clippers “Big 3″…which actually played really well (for the most part).
Russell Westbrook had probably his best game of the season as he finished with 17 PTS, 5 REB, and 14 AST (a single-game record for the Clippers franchise), while Paul George (34 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST) and Kawhi Leonard (44 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST) were their usual brilliant selves as the Clippers got off to a 117-110 lead after the first three quarters.
And, truthfully, I thought this game was a wrap when the Clippers took that 7-point lead into the 4th quarter as everything they tried on offense worked.
They finished with a godly 57.8% 3-point percentage (26-45), a fantastic 60.2 FG percentage (59-98), they racked up 42 rebounds, 8 steals and 3 blocks, and their depth scoring showed up as Nicolas Batum had 19 PTS, 8 REB, and 2 AST, Norman Powell had 24 PTS, 0 REB, 3 AST, and Terence Mann had 10 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST.
If the Clippers didn’t turn the ball over like it was a hot potato, then they would have walked out of Sacramento with a comfortable win.
Now, I don’t want to take anything away from the Kings performance as guys like Malik Monk (45 PTS, 2 REB, 6 AST), De’Aaron Fox (42 PTS, 5 REB, 12 AST, 5 STL), Keegan Murray (15 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST), and Domantas Sabonis (20 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST) went off, but a team can’t expect to win games in this league if they turn the ball over 25 TIMES!
The Clippers starting lineup of Leonard, Westbrook, George, Marcus Morris Sr. (9 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST), and Mason Plumlee (10 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST) had a shocking 18 combined turnovers between the five players, with the two former Oklahoma City Thunder stars, George and Westbrook, leading the way with 4 TO and 7 TO, respectively.
This game essentially showed the duality of Westbrook in the years since he left OKC as even though he was able to mount great point and assist tallies, he still hurt his team by coughing up the ball a game-high seven times. And Paul George was no different as he probably single-handedly lost this game for the Clippers with his back-to-back turnovers in the final minutes to let the Kings back in the game (and inadvertently set up Malik Monk on his insane 3-point scoring spree).
I mean, there’s a reason why teams hate fast-break points as they are huge momentum killers. Can you guess how many fastbreak points the Kings had in this game compared to the Clippers? 41-17.
Yes, the Kings outscored the Clippers over 2-1 in fastbreak points off silly Los Angeles turnovers, clearly destroying any chance of the Clippers winning this game late and/or in either of the overtime periods.
Sure, one can point out that the Kings also outscored the Clippers 88-48 in the paint (which is a huge issue), but that wouldn’t have been too much a big deal if the Clippers reduced their turnover output by half. They still only lost by a single point after regulation and two overtime periods, which shows how good this team can be when they aren’t shooting themselves in the foot.
Nevertheless, I still think the Clippers (4th) will finish above their interstate rivals as the Kings (3rd) are a young, inexperienced team that have absolutely zero playoff experience (the Kings franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006), while the Clippers are oozing experience.
Still, the key factor that will determine if the Clippers are a serious NBA championship contender is if their star players can stay healthy and fit for the grueling playoff schedule.
If Kawhi Leonard and Paul George can stay in the lineup, then I’d bet Ty Lue will be able to iron out the turnovers and get this team playing winning basketball come April’s playoffs.
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