The LA Clippers ruined the opening of the Warriors’ new stadium in their 141-122 victory and set several records, both individual and team, along the way.
After the opening night victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, Clipper Nation was feeling pretty good about themselves. Yes, fans tried to temper their overreactions but the performance showed us what we all thought was possible. The LA Clippers are good.
Still, we weren’t fully sure what to expect when the team traveled to Chase Center for its inaugural regular-season game. The Warriors have haunted the Clips (and the rest of the league) for the past few seasons but have a whole new look. Opinions on their potential level of success have varied from sneaky playoff contender to lottery team. Not only did the Clippers make them look like the latter, but they also shattered records in the process.
Individual
Two players set individual records for the Clippers, both of which were surprising in their own right.
Kawhi Leonard dropped a career-high nine assists, part of his outstanding 21 point performance in as many minutes.
Leonard has never been labeled a playmaker, but with one of the knocks on the Clippers being that they lack a primary playmaker, he seems to have stepped his game up. He already seems to have a good rapport with Ivica Zubac, feeding him several times in the pick-and-roll. Leonard also hit Montrezl Harrell.
At this rate, we may see Kawhi get his first career triple-double, assuming the game is close enough for Doc Rivers to keep him on the court.
The other individual record-breaker was Patrick Patterson. Pat Pat had himself a game, hitting a career-high six three-pointers. His twenty points were big in putting the game out of reach. The nine-year veteran averages just 6.9 points per game and has never been any sort of volume three-point shooter.
With Kawhi and others drawing the defense in though, Patterson will get open looks when he is on the court. It will remain to be seen how his minutes change when Paul George returns from injury, but his performance in the first two games has been very promising.
Team Record
As a team, the LA Clippers tied a franchise-high for points scored in a single quarter. Their 46 point outburst in the third quarter sealed the game and allowed for Kawhi to rest in the fourth.
What makes this outburst even better is the fact that it was an even attack. The scoring breakdown was as follows:
- Landry Shamet – 11 points
- Kawhi Leonard – 10 points
- Patrick Patterson – 9 points
- Ivica Zubac – 8 points
- Montrezl Harrell – 4 points
- Lou Williams – 2 points
- Maurice Harkless – 2 points
The balanced attack kept the Warriors guessing and it still blows my mind to think that this team will be adding Paul George in a few weeks. I’m not saying we will see this record shattered later in this season, but I wouldn’t bet against it. This team has been talked about a lot for their defense, but the offense could be a real powerhouse.
With a team this deep, don’t be surprised to see more records shattered as the year continues. The Clippers face one of the weaker teams in the West, the Phoenix Suns, on Saturday, so more record-breaking could just be right around the corner.