LA Clippers choke away 24 point lead in loss to Wizards

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WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 20: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the LA Clippers shoots the ball against the Washington Wizards on November 20, 2018 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Why Doc? Why?

Let’s look at these stats:

Player A: 0/8 FG, 5 REB, 5 AST, 4 PF
Player B: 2/3 FG, 1 REB, 3 TO, 3 PF

Would you play either of these guys in the clutch if you had seen this type of performance out of them through the game? No.

Player A was Danilo Gallinari last night while Player B was Avery Bradley.

Gallo did miss Monday night’s game due to an illness, so he deserves a little slack. His game looked off and he only scored three points which all came from the line.

Bradley I guess was left out for defensive purposes, but John Wall scored 30 points while Bradley Beal put in 27. Doesn’t sound like he defended too well, right?

Somehow, Doc left both players in as the Wizards cut the lead down.

Now, I’m not an NBA coach. My 6th grade level parks and rec team only went 4-4 in my lone season of coaching. But, if you have two guys who aren’t scoring and aren’t defending particularly well either, why are you playing them?

Mike Scott, who has been shooting the lights out, was 3/4 from deep and is just as capable of a defender as Gallo. Patrick Beverley can defend like Bradley, but at least looked a little better on offense if not only due to his five assists.

I get that Doc wants to trust his guys, but there are times where that trust extends a bit too far. Off nights happen and he needs get better about realizing when that is and adjust accordingly.

The Clippers host Memphis on Friday as they look to bounce back from this embarrassing defeat.

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