With the 2020-2021 NBA regular season coming down to its final stretch, the Los Angeles Clippers needed to finish their final five games strong. On Mother’s Day, the Clips took on the resurging New York Knicks and their biggest rival this season, matinee games.
Despite a strong start from the Clippers in the first quarter, a lack of consistency on the offensive end of the court snapped a two-game winning streak with a 106-100 loss to the Knicks.
This was a game where Knicks point guard Derrick Rose could not be denied. Rose scored 25 points shooting 64.7% of field-goals (11 of 17) and 66.7% from the three-point arc (2 of 3) while also accounting for eight assists and six rebounds. The Clippers’ defense had a hard time matching the same kind of intensity that Rose was bringing on the offensive side of the ball.
The Clippers’ offense played one of the least efficient games since Kawhi Leonard was out with his foot injury. Los Angeles shot 43% in field goals (37 of 86) and 34.3% from the three-point arc (12 of 35). Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George had some good offensive moments but then had some really cold moments. Leonard scored 29 points shooting 9 of 26 in field goals and 4 of 9 from the three-point arc. George scored 18, shooting 8 of 20 in field goals and 2 of 9 from the three-point arc. Leonard and George combined for 47 points by shooting 37% in field goals and 33.3% from the three-point arc.
With four games left in the regular season, the Clippers will need to use the remaining to develop the chemistry they have missed with the injuries to Leonard and George. The Clippers will also need to create more efficient lineups, use guard Luke Kennard and guard/forward Terance Mann, and make some final tune-ups with their remaining players. This is a team that has a deep roster where they can rely on several players to step up and make an impact.
The Clippers are set to take on their final four games of the season with all of them on the road. Two of those teams, in the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets, have the two worst records in the Western Conference. Los Angeles will take on the Toronto Raptors, who were eliminated from the playoffs last night, and then the Charlotte Hornets, who currently is eighth in the East. The Raptors will be without Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby tonight.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Clippers are currently third place in the Western Conference and have a 70.2% chance of keeping the third seed for the NBA Playoffs. This would be the best-case scenario at this point for the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. With the Western Conference having several great teams creating chaos all season long, the teams with the best matchups in the playoffs, along with health, will be the ones to get to the Western Conference Finals.
The Portland Trail Blazers are currently in sixth place of the Western Conference. They currently have a 64.1% chance to keep the sixth seed for the NBA Playoffs. A first-round matchup between the Clippers versus the Trail Blazers would be a great scenario as they swept Portland this season. The Clippers did take three of five from the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but Lakers star player LeBron James only played in one game versus the Clippers. Even if the Lakers go into a play-in tournament, the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns rather not face the Lakers in a seven-game series in the first round.
The Clippers have a chance to finish strong but they also need to finish the season healthy with no major injuries. They and the Suns are currently the two teams in the Western Conference with some of the healthiest players. Los Angeles could potentially end the season with an overall record of 49-23. If they slip during their four-game road trip, they could fall into the fourth seed where they may have to play a dangerous Denver Nuggets or Dallas Mavericks team.