(Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)
Clippers PF Blake Griffin came into Saturday’s game at San Antonio struggling. He had only 14 points each in a loss to the Thunder and a win Friday night in Memphis. Griffin only made 12-of-34 FGs (35.3 percent) in those games.
Clippers SG J.J. Redick wasn’t off to a good start this season, making only 39.2 percent from the field through five games.
Clippers SF Luc Mbah a Moute gets props for his defense, but he had to compete for his job in October because of nonexistent offense. Mbah a Moute had only 12 points on 13 shots in the first 5 games of the season.
And backup SG Jamal Crawford was off to a poor start shooting 3s, making only 2-of-16 (12.5 percent) to start the season.
On the 2nd night of a back-to-back, it would have been fair to expect the Clippers to engage in a grind-it-out affair with the Spurs, the best defense in the league last season. After all, the Clippers had a bottom-10 offense to go with the best defense in the league this season.
The Clippers did get it done on defense once again. But they complemented the defense with exceptional levels of offensive breakout.
By the end of the 1st quarter, Griffin had 16 points, more than either of the previous two games. By halftime, Griffin had 26 points, making as many baskets (12-of-16 FGs) than he had made in the previous two games combined. Griffin ended up with a season-high and game-high 28 points on 13-of-19 FGs, leading the Clippers to a 116-92 victory in San Antonio.
It was the largest win in San Antonio in Clippers franchise history, and T-7th largest home loss in Spurs franchise history. And the Clippers didn’t play any of the starters at all in the 4th quarter.
Redick was locked in early, dropping 10 of his season-high 14 points in the 1st quarter. Redick drove to the cup for an and-one, then followed that up with back-to-back threes. Redick has hit a three now in 62 straight games, the longest active streak in the league. And his 2nd three was made while drawing a foul:
Here's @JJRedick's 26th career 4-point play 👌+☝️! He ranks 2nd all-time in career 4-pt plays, behind Jamal Crawford (47).#ItTakesEverything pic.twitter.com/WsuDNk7E7P
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 6, 2016
Mbah a Moute started opposite Spurs SF Kawhi Leonard and wound up playing a season-high 24:22. Mbah a Moute scored more points in San Antonio than in his first 5 games of this season combined. Not only did Leonard score a season-low 14 points on 3-of-13 FGs, but Mbah a Moute scored 13 points on 5-of-9 FGs, including 2-of-4 from three-point range.
The Spurs scored the first 8 points of this game, but after a timeout with 10:36 left in the 1st quarter, the Clippers went on runs of 13 and 10 unanswered points. Griffin, Redick, and Mbah a Moute scored 31 of LA’s first 33 points of the game.
And Crawford led the bench with a season-high 16 points, making 6-of-10 from the field overall. Crawford made 3-of-5 threes, more made threes than the first five games of the season combined. Crawford passed former Clipper Grant Hill for 88th place on the all-time scoring list during the game as well. Speights also tied a season-high with 15 points off the bench.
Altogether, it was another strong game for the Clippers starting lineup of Chris Paul-Redick-Mbah a Moute-Griffin-DeAndre Jordan. That lineup was on the floor together for 22 minutes, outscoring San Antonio 50-36 while making 52.3 percent from the field. The Clippers put up 73 points in the first half, the most allowed by the Spurs at home in the first half since 1990.
The Clippers scored 21 points off of 9 Spurs turnovers in the 1st half as well, while LA had only 1 first half turnover. For the game, the Clippers outrebounded the Spurs 41-40 while also winning the turnover battle 15-9.
The Clippers will return home at 5-1 and in first place in the Pacific division, with the only blemish being a loss to 5-1 Oklahoma City. Of course, things could’ve been even better tonight…
Chris Paul dribbles between Pau Gasol's legs but can't finish pic.twitter.com/Zwn4Ht1r7Y
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) November 6, 2016
This team is really starting to feel like the 2012-2013 team.
An inconsistent starting unit. A great bench. The 2012-2013 Clippers led the NBA in steals.
That team finished the season 56-26. And they lost in the 1st Round when their bench fell apart and their starters couldn’t make a shot.
The only bad part of having a successful bench might be Doc’s reluctance to make roster changes. It’s easy to talk yourself into Crawford and Speights carrying the offense off the bench in the Playoffs. It’s easy to think the steals will be there in the Playoffs.
The biggest problem with the 2012-2013 Clippers and their undefeated December was it created a false sense of roster balance. That team didn’t make a move during the Trade Deadline to address their SF problem and their lack of consistent shooting.
I’m worried this team might be headed toward repeating the mistakes of the 2012-2013 squad.
That 2012 team was nothing like this team as that team was built on depth while this team seems to be coming together defensively and thats a huge difference . The steals are there if you force them with great defense. The 2012 team also played a great defensive team in the Grizzlies and that could have had a lot to do with it as well .
What are you talking about carrying the offense off the bench ? Who did that for the Cavs last year ? The warriors had multiple guys who are expected to contribute not carry the offense which is basically what we have going right now . No bench player should be expected to carry anything by themselves n the playoffs .
This has traditionally taken it easy during the regular season and the tried to pick it up in the playoffs. They were always the ones reacting to physicality during the regular season and the playoffs now this season from day one they have been the ones bringing a the physicality which is what a team with a top C/PF combo should be doing.
Hahaha. The 2012-2013 Clippers were 4th in the NBA in opponents PPG. They led the NBA in steals.
Man, you are clueless. I have serious doubts you watched the 2012-2013 team play. Your past comments suggest you don’t even watch the 2016 team play.
Doc doesn’t stagger Blake and Chris. He doesn’t even stagger them in the Playoffs. The Warriors, Spurs, and Cavs stagger the minutes of their best players in the Playoffs. Doc usually has 4 or 5 bench players on the floor at the same time.
During those minutes the scoring onus is put on Jamal and one other bench player. It’s been Bledsoe in the past. It’s been Austin recently. This year it would be Speights.
The plus/minus for the Clippers bench in the Playoffs has been horrendous every year. The Clippers had the best bench in the NBA in 2012-2013. That bench started falling apart in March. They shit the bed in the Playoffs. Jamal was abysmal in the Playoffs that year.
The Clippers sure are off to a good start record-wise, one of the four best records in the entire league. It’s mostly about Griffin and Paul, as was expected. I’m not going to be surprised if Griffin has an MVP season.
There are the regular weak spots and those weak spots make me wary about how the record will hold up over the season.
When Redick and Crawford are hitting , the Clippers do well, but those two are way too inconsistent.
I like Speights, and Felton is doing OK so far.
Austin Rivers seems to be the weakest link, especially against good teams. In the last three games, all against better teams, he has shot a combined 7-27 from the field and 1-9 from three range.
It’s great when Luc contributes on offense.
It’d be even better if he contributed more than 1.8 rebounds per game. He’s 6’8” and weighs 230.
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