Dealing with the NBA’s high group and one of many league’s elite gamers, the Clippers wanted to be at their greatest Sunday in the event that they have been to increase their profitable streak to 6 video games.
However they didn’t ship within the ultimate seconds towards the Oklahoma City Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, shedding 103-101 in a tense battle on the Intuit Dome.
“Plenty of turnovers. Even on the finish of the fourth, we had two or three turnovers on the finish,” Kawhi Leonard mentioned. “Yeah, we fought arduous. We was within the recreation the entire recreation. Simply calls might have gone both manner. However salute to them. They’ve been the very best group within the league.”
The Clippers missed a possibility to tie the sport when Derrick Jones Jr. made solely considered one of two free throws with 1:22 left, leaving the Clippers down 101-100 earlier than issues actually began to unravel.
Two expensive turnovers, together with one by Ivica Zubac after he fumbled the ball out of bounds with 1:01 left, ended one probability to take the lead. Then, with 21 seconds left, Norman Powell missed a shot, and after Zubac obtained the offensive rebound, Kawhi Leonard missed a shot with 4 seconds remaining.
The loss dropped the Clippers (40-31) to eighth in an more and more tight Western Convention postseason race. They’re one recreation out of sixth place for the ultimate automated playoff berth with 11 video games left.
“I already performed within the play-in and I ain’t making an attempt to try this once more,” mentioned Powell, who completed with 9 factors. “So, you’re watching carefully on positioning, wanting groups to lose, need to maintain the way in which we’re enjoying going. Bounce again on this highway journey. However, yeah, positively, everyone is making an attempt to keep away from that play-in proper now.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, held to seven-for-29 taking pictures from the ground, completed with 26 factors. He made all 11 of his free-throw makes an attempt, together with two within the ultimate seconds.
Leonard had 25 factors and 10 rebounds. James Harden, who completed with 17 factors, moved previous Moses Malone for eleventh on the NBA’s all-time scoring listing. Zubac had 15 factors and 11 rebounds.
After the sport, Harden limped across the locker room. He had been kneed within the left thigh by Thunder guard Luguentz Dort within the third quarter. Harden mentioned he rolled his foot in the course of the play.
The Thunder, who swept the season collection towards the Clippers, have the NBA’s greatest document at 59-12 and the league’s main scorer and most dear participant candidate in Gilgeous-Alexander (32.9 factors per recreation).
It wasn’t all unhealthy information for the Clippers — coach Tyronn Lue was again on the sideline. He missed 5 of the earlier seven video games due to again ache, with the Clippers going 6-1 over that stretch with assistant coach Brian Shaw on the helm.
Lue thanked his teaching workers for conserving the group in fine condition.
“I really feel so much higher,” Lue mentioned. “I’m simply going to take it day-to-day, recreation by recreation. … The ache from my shoulder and again form of went down my leg slightly bit. … I really feel actually good so far as my again and shoulder. Now, it’s simply making an attempt to get the leg half higher, however I do really feel higher from that regard. That’s what was giving me probably the most issues.”
