Clippers Lose Heartbreaker to Bucks, 97-96

Blake Griffin couldn’t get the potential game-winner to go in, as the Clippers lose second straight, falling to Bucks 97-96.

Heartbreak.

As a Clippers fan, it’s just something we’ve become accustomed to. The Clippers didn’t deserve to win Wednesday night’s contest, but they sure came close. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Clippers 97-96, dropping the Clippers to three games behind the Utah Jazz. With 14 games remaining, home-court advantage is slowing slipping away.

The Bucks entered Wednesday evening’s contest in the eight seed in the competitive eastern conference, so they were in desperate need of a win. Coming off a tough loss in Utah, the Clippers were in desperate need of a win. Unfortunately, we can’t just give both teams a win and move on, a game has to be played. And in this game, the Bucks outplayed the Clippers.

This game was eerily similar to the last matchup with Milwaukee. The Clippers had a better shooting percentage, more rebounds, and more assists than the Bucks. After allowing 41 points off of turnovers in the last game, the Bucks “only” scored 18 points off of turnovers. Considering that’s less than half of what they had the last time, you’ll take it. Except for the fact that the Clippers scored 1(!!) point off of turnovers tonight. For a team that excels most when on the fast break and in transition, scoring one off of turnovers absolutely cannot happen.

Shooting

What killed the Clippers was the three-point shot. Not only their inability to make it, but also their inability to defend it.
The Clippers finished the night shooting an abysmal 20.8% from beyond the arc. Only able to knock down five of 24 attempts, the Clippers just couldn’t seem to find rhythm from anyone. J.J. Redick went 2/5 for the game, with Blake, CP3, and Jamal each knocking down one of their own. Six Bucks players knocked down a three, including some clutch ones from Matthew Dellavedova, who was three-for-three on the evening.

With 3:40 left in the game, Dellavedova knocked one down from 25 feet, giving the Bucks the five point edge. After a Redick three cut the lead back down to three, the former champion hit another dagger, giving the Bucks the six point lead with just over a minute remaining.

However, the Clippers didn’t quit. A Deandre Jordan and-one would eventually cut the deficit to one with just 30 seconds remaining. After a great defensive stop led to an Antetokounmpo miss, they had life with five seconds remaining, and a chance to steal a victory.

The Clippers almost drew it up to perfection, as Blake Griffin got the ball in the post, and put up a contested shot in the paint, ultimately rattling out of the rim, and giving the Clippers their second loss in three nights.

Effort

As mentioned, the Bucks were by far the better team tonight, getting contributions from everyone that stepped on the court. The Greek Freak had a “quiet” night, as he went for 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, and one block. As mentioned in today’s game preview, the Bucks came into tonight with one of the surprisingly highest scoring benches in the league. Their bench gave them 44 points tonight, which compared to the Clippers 25 (14 from Crawford) ended up playing a vital role. Every player on the Bucks bench had a positive +/-, and three of their reserves scored in double digits.

Aside from nearly winning the game, Blake Griffin had a somewhat quiet night. He finished with 18/7/4. Chris Paul, aka the “Point God” had a game he’d like to soon forget. He finished with as many turnovers as he did points (6), including some crucial miscues down the stretch. Deandre Jordan has the best game of any player in a white jersey, as he finished the game with 22 points, 17 rebounds, 2 blocks, and an impressive 4-5 from the line.

The Clippers (40-28) travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets (32-35) tomorrow evening. However, LA will be without two of their stars.

A back-to-back is never easy, especially flying from LA to Denver. Missing two of their stars, the Clippers will need an all around effort from every player if they have hopes of avoiding losing their third in a row.