LA Clippers: Six Mid-Season Awards for the Clippers
LA Clippers Best Performance: Paul George’s 39 points against the Phoenix Suns
With the LA Clippers having a great first half of the season, there have been fantastic performances from several players. Arguably, the best performance from a player this season is Paul George’s game against the Phoenix Suns on January 3rd. In the game, George scored 39 points by shooting 15-of-24 from the field as well as 7-of-10 from behind the three-point arc. He also accounted for three total rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block.
This was a game where George and Suns shooting guard Devin Booker had an intense matchup on the court that included some harsh words between the All-Star players. George was +17 in his performance against the Suns while Leonard had his worst performance so far this season by shooting 4-for-21. When Leonard was unable to carry any productivity on the court for the LA Clippers, George stepped up to give the Clips the 112-107 road win.
An honorable mention would be given to Marcus Morris’s huge game in the huge 125-118 home win over the Miami Heat without Leonard or George. Morris scored 32 points shooting 11-for-15 on field goals and 6-for-8 from behind the three-point arc.
LA Clippers Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
This category was the toughest decision to make as there were three legitimate candidates for the award. Those three players are Marcus Morris, Ivica Zubac, and Lou Williams. In his 16th season in the league, Williams is still playing at a high-caliber level.
So far this season, Williams is averaging 12.5 points per game on a 42.2% field-goal percentage and a 39.8% three-point shooting percentage. He had a late start to the season with some inefficiencies on the offensive side of the ball. In the last 14 games, Williams has averaged 17.2 points per game. Lou Williams is one of the most productive offensive players for the LA Clippers whenever he comes off the bench. At 34 years old, he is still putting up numbers that are surpassing much younger players.
He has only missed three games in the first half this season with the Clippers. In the 35 games played this season, he has accounted for at least 11 points in 20 games. The majority of the games with less than 11 points were in the early portion of the season where he struggled the most. One of his best performances of the season was when he accounted for 30 points and 10 assists in the 128-111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 14th.