The LA Clippers obliterated the Washington Wizards at Staples Center on Sunday night, never trailing and cruising to a 136-104 victory.
The LA Clippers cruised to another easy victory on Sunday night, toppling the defensively-flawed Washington Wizards by a final score of 136-104. It was the second straight game in which the LA Clippers scored more than 130 points, just two nights after scoring 133 in Houston.
However, it wasn’t just the offense that was working so well for the Clippers. LA won last night’s game with defense, above anything else. The Wizards entered the game with a top-10 offense and were held to just 104 points, their lowest-scoring outing of the year.
Once again, it was LA’s starting guards that kept Washington in check. Against Bradley Beal and John Wall, the top guard duo the Clippers have seen all season long, Avery Bradley and Patrick Beverley allowed just 38 combined points. And while that may still seem like a lot, it’s roughly eight points less than Wall and Beal were averaging prior to Sunday night’s game.
LA now sits at 4-2 through the first six games of the season, all of which were played against projected playoff teams. Obviously it’s still very early in the year, but this is a great benchmark for the Clippers. A team that many anticipated would win about 35 games, Los Angeles is already proving its worth against some of the West’s elite.
It won’t get any easier from here though, so it’s vital that the team stays focused. The Clippers will travel to Oklahoma City on Tuesday, almost two weeks after beating them in Los Angeles. This time, though, the Thunder will have Russell Westbrook — a colossal assignment for any guard, regardless of talent.
We’ve got plenty of time to worry about that, though. For now, let’s focus on what we learned from last night’s game.