Clipperholics
Fansided

LA Clippers Cruise Past Knicks Ahead of Lakers Matchup

By Ethan Smith

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 11: Landry Shamet #20 of the Los Angeles Clippers has the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game on February 11, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 11: Landry Shamet #20 of the Los Angeles Clippers has the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game on February 11, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The LA Clippers cruised to a 128-107 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday to move to 36-29 on the season.

Well, the LA Clippers took on the Knicks on Sunday, and it wasn’t even close.

The Clippers had no issues with a lackluster Knicks team that is clearly gunning for Zion Williamson, as they came out of the gates with 38 points in the opening quarter.

The story of the game was Landry Shamet, who showed flashes of what he’s made of as he tied a Clippers record for most three’s in a quarter with Caron Butler, hitting six shots from behind the arc in the first quarter.

Shamet would finish with 21 points, which all came from three pointers. 21 points is the second highest mark of his career, with his career high being 29 points when he was still with the Sixers.

Six players scored over 10 points for the Clippers compared to five for the Knicks.

Along with Shamet amazing three-point performance, the Clippers made 19 three pointers, shooting 54% of their shots from beyond the arc. The Clippers shot 49% from the field compared to New York’s 39.8% and dominated in almost every single category except fast break points.

Noah Vonleh led the Knicks in scoring and had a very impressive game against Ivica Zubac, which showed some glaring concerns regarding his post defense. That was about the only negative that came from this matchup, but Zubac will likely fix those issues as he develops.

Another fun note, no Clippers player had a negative plus/minus against the Knicks, even with some players such as Sindarius Thornwell and Tyrone Wallace getting much needed developmental playing time.

The blowout also gave head coach Doc Rivers a chance to rest his quality players ahead of arguably the biggest matchup of the season on Monday against the Lakers, which could potentially give the Clippers a six game lead on the Lakers in the race for the final Western Conference playoff spots.

Ahead of the matchup, the Lakers have a 0.9% chance to make the postseason and those odds would drop again with a loss to the Clippers, so having in-game rest was key for players to be rested and ready to go on Monday night against their bitter rivals.

Next. Clippers March Mailbag. dark

The win over the Knicks was one of the easier victories on the season and the Clippers currently sit at 36-29, with leads on San Antonio, Sacramento and the Lakers in the Western Conference playoff race. The Clippers are in action on Monday night at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT on NBATV or Prime Ticket.

Home/Clippers News