LA Clippers Takeaway #3: They Weathered a Good Run
When the LA Clippers were up 20 at the end of the first half, don’t pretend you weren’t still a little worried. I was, and everybody I saw on social media was as well.
It’s the curse of a Clippers fan to never feel comfortable, no matter how big the lead is, and that proved yet again to be a valid concern. The Suns outscored the Clippers by 13 in the third quarter and the final quarter started with the Clips holding onto a 7 point lead.
And it didn’t stop narrowing. A minute and forty seconds into the fourth quarter, the lead was down to 1 at 90-89.
Clippers fans could feel the game slipping away, and it felt like one of those classic “our shots stopped falling, and they couldn’t miss” sort of losses. But this year’s Clippers aren’t last year’s Clippers.
The Suns would never be able to actually get the lead. Paul George scored a couple buckets, Kawhi found his way to the line, and Serge made two huge 3s to help push the lead. Then, when the Suns started threatening again and brought it back to within 3 with 30 seconds left, PG dished it to an open Batum for the dagger three, and the game was over.
Would it have been nice to see the Clippers hang on to the big lead throughout the whole game? Sure, of course it would. But wins like these are a nice reminder that we’re dealing with a new look Clippers team, one that isn’t going to crumble when the opponent goes on a big scoring run.
And thanks to their withstanding of this Suns run, the Clippers sit atop the Western Conference standings. Be sure to follow along with Clipperholics as the team tries to hold onto this top spot.