Los Angeles, CA- The Los Angeles Clippers(6-7) has strung together three victories in a row now, after defeating the San Antonio Spurs(3-12) 109-102.
In a game where the Spurs head coach Greg Popovich had to make a special guest appearance on the mic mid-game to address Spurs fans. They serenaded former Spurs’ forward Kawhi Leonard with boos every time he touched the ball.
The three-time NBA Coach of the Year asked his fans to show more class because that’s not who they are as an organization. After the game, he simply defended his actions by saying “Anybody that knows anything about sports knows that you don’t poke the bear”.
Indeed, that was precisely what occurred. Kawhi Leonard registered 26 points on 10-17 shooting from the field.
The Clippers never trailed in the contest and controlled the game from tip-off. The Clips displayed an impressive shooting performance, going 11 for 20 with a 55% field goal average in the first quarter and led 26-14.
In the second quarter, the Spurs faced a deficit of as much as 17 points. They maintained a 12/23 shooting performance averaging 52% field goal percentage which allowed them to narrow the Clippers’ lead to 6 points.
The Clippers led 54-48 as they entered halftime.
In the third, Kawhi Leonard took over scoring 13 points, making 6 out of 9 attempts on 66% from the field. This allowed the Clips to extend their lead back to 17 points and maintain an 82-70 lead at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth, the Spurs would continue to scrap, cutting an 18-point lead down to 5, behind a career night from rookie Victor Wembanyama, who grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds coupled with his 22 points.
The Clippers have now won three consecutive games after starting 0-6 since acquiring James Harden but now prepare for a more challenging upcoming schedule with the Pelicans, Mavs, Nuggets, Kings, and Warriors ahead.
Head Coach Ty Lue spoke on where his group is at after the three-game win streak. “We’re getting there, we still have a long way to go but I like the progress we’re making”.
