The LA Clippers 125-119 win over the New York Knicks today marked their second straight and tenth of their last eleven games. It wasn’t a typical win for the team, which was missing two of their starters in Patrick Beverley and Nicolas Batum. In their place, Reggie Jackson and Patrick Patterson earned the starts.
The Clippers, who came into the game boasting the best five-man lineup in the league in their starting lineup, were going to have to make due without two key members. Against a young New York Knicks team, that could have proved problematic.
Luckily, both Reggie Jackson and Patrick Patterson are always ready for the LA Clippers.
Patterson, who is generally the 12th man on the roster, came in and was perfect from the field on five attempts, three of which were from deep. He scored 13 points, grabbed three rebounds, and even blocked a shot in 20 minutes.
Patterson has been given the nickname of “Just Add Water” by the coaching staff this year, due to his ability to always come in and be ready instantly. He was asked after the game just how he was sable to stay ready and the answer was incredibly simple:
"“I still love the game. I still have an extreme passion for this game.”"
Jackson, who has started the past several games for the Clips, was equally impressive. He had 18 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out three assists. Jackson, who has caught some flack in the past from Clipper Nation for his shot choices, was calm and efficient, connecting on 50% of his 12 attempts from the field.
For Jackson, it wasn’t just a today thing. Jackson has scored in double-digits the last five games for the Clippers, having started in four of them. Prior to that, Jackson had almost completely fallen out of the rotation. While that had to be a tough thing to swallow, the veteran point guard continued to stay ready and showed that maybe he should continue to get minutes when the whole team is healthy.
With production like this from reserve guys, it’s easy to see why the LA Clippers are one of the more feared teams in the league. Once they are healthy, the sky is the limit.