In the NBA, you take the wins you get. After all, you wouldn't want to take anything for granted. With that in mind, the LA Clippers should be thanking their preferred dieties or lucky stars after last night's contest.
They beat the Philadelphia 76ers by a final score of 108-107. A one-point win is always a stroke of extrodinary luck. Still, last night's contest was especially fortuitous for the Clippers.
LA Clippers win in controversial fashion
On the final possession of this game, Kelly Oubre Jr. made a drive to the rim. He was blocked by Kawhi Leonard to seal the game for the Clippers. The problem?
He was also fouled by Paul George.
Nick Nurse was incredulous. He protested the call to no avail. There's no denying it - the Clippers got away with one in this case.
CLIPPERS-SIXERS ENDING WAS WILD 🤯
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 28, 2024
Sixers were NOT happy. pic.twitter.com/qNeBgpnXWS
Should we discredit their win as a result?
LA Clippers spark furious comeback
Absolutely not.
Sure, the Clippers got lucky on that last possession. There was no luck involved in coming back from a 15-point deficit. The Sixers dominated the first quarter 30-18. From that point, the LA Clippers were fighting an uphill battle.
That fight was led by Kawhi Leonard. He had a difficult first half, but still finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Leonard's two-way dominance led the Clippers in their comeback efforts.
Otherwise, the Clippers were led by a balanced effort. They had seven players score in double digits.
Was any particular Clipper responsible for that?
LA Clippers star receives chilly reception
Well, James Harden had 14 assists. That helped his teammates get involved. Harden played the role of distributor to perfection in this contest.
The Philadelphia 76ers' fans didn't appreciate it. Fair enough - Harden forced his way out of the City of Brotherly Love at the beginning of the season.
Initially, the boo's seemed to be getting to Harden. He had a slow start to this contest. Once he found his rhythm, he couldn't be stopped.
LA Clippers needed this - badly
There's been a lot of anxiety about the Clippers lately. The question of their identity seemingly will not cease. Perhaps they found themselves last night.
We know - we said this before. Still, we knew there were caveats in beating the tanking Portland Trail Blazers. By contrast, the Sixers are a competitive team with playoff aspirations. This was a big win for the Clippers. Sure, it was controversial:
They'll take it anyway.