Two days after their quiet victory against the Wizards, the Clippers won against an opponent in the east, much more tough, the Bucks (127-117). This victory, the Californians owe it to the attacking genius of James Harden (40 points) which signed one of the most accomplished matches of his season.
Beside him, Norman Powell (33 points) was of a decisive activity in “scoring”, while Kawhi Leonard was also precious during his appearances. It was necessary to respond to the big outings of the Giannis Antetokounmpo tandem (36 points and 13 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) which spent a good part of their evening with free throws.
During the first three quarters of the meeting, the two teams continued to respond. At the top of a small point at the break (58-59), visitors have never really given the impression of being able to detach themselves to the score. Still untenable in his penetrations, Giannis has done enormous damage in his attacks on the circle in the third, the Clippers have always found a way to respond.
A third high-level quarter
In particular because of the traditional sequences in insulation of James Harden, to finish in “step-back” 3-point or with a “floater” of which Gary Trent Jr. should make some nightmares. As a perfect lieutenant tonight, Norman Powell also displayed a beautiful variety to score, while the “Roles Players” shared the rest.
At the end of a remarkable third quarter of a address (almost 70% for the two teams), the Clippers had taken up the smallest of the advantages (94-93). The rocking occurred in the following minutes, when the locals decided to raise their tone in defense, like this key possession where Derrick Jones Jr. muzzled a transparent Khddleton Khris in this match.
This defensive gesture occurred at the heart of a 12-0 devoted by the locals (112-100). Giannis Anttokounmpo tried to shake his troop, the Bucks never managed to contain the Harden-Powell pair in the second half.
-What to remember
– The James Harden jewelry. Third outing of the season at 40 points or more for the bearded man who was impressive with ease this night and limited the waste to the maximum, varying between outdoor shots and penetrations. Note his 12/12 on the free throw line and his excellent ratio with 9 assists for a single lost ball.
– The clippers no longer lose with Kawhi Leonard. Six victories and only one defeat. This is Clippers’ record when “The Klaw” is in shorts this season. This night, he was still limited to 24 minutes of play, signing one of his most complete matches of his very short season (18 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds). He notably feasted with a high class gesture in the third, chaining dribble in the back to eliminate Damian Lillard before finishing on a “backward lay-up” in front of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
– 100% on free throws. The Californians signed a perfect 28/28 on the repair line. This is the second time this season that the Clippers, 12th in the League in this register with 79% success, finished 100% from the free throw line. The Bucks also finished with a very high percentage with their duo of strong men who obtained more throws than the entire Clippers team!
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How to read the stats? Min = minutes; Shots = successful shots / tempted shots; 3pts = 3-point / 3-point attempted; LF = Successful free throws / tempted free throws; O = offensive rebound; D = defensive rebound; T = total rebounds; PD = assists; FTE: Personal faults; Int = interceptions; BP = lost bullets; CT: against; +/- = Differential points when the player is on the field; Pts = points; EVAL: evaluation of the player calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
