Tag: CLIPPERS
Cavs defeat Clippers to win third straight
The Cleveland Cavaliers won their third straight game on Wednesday night as they defeated the Clippers 92-79.
Here is the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Clippers.
The Great for the Cavaliers:
-Collin Sexton was sensational on Wednesday night. He was everywhere! Sexton was 12/20 from the field with 26 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Also, he had a game-high +17 rating on the night.
The fourth-year guard had some big-time dunks as well, including this one below:
“Buckle up, buttercup.” 😈@betwayusa | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/socya0XOWe
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 28, 2021
After five games, Sexton is the team’s leading scorer with 20.4 points per game on 52% shooting from the field.
–Defense: The Cavs held the Clippers to 79 points, which is the third straight game they held a team below 90. In addition, according to Elias Sports, Cleveland held each of their last three opponents to under 410FG%, Atlanta(384 FG%), Denver(407 FG%), and the Clippers(356 FG%). The last time that happened for this team was in 2014.
-Rookie Evan Mobley keeps getting it done. The California native had the second double-double of his career against the Clippers. He had 12 points and snatched 10 rebounds. Also, Mobley was outstanding on defense as he added two blocks. After five games, Mobley is averaging 14 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks a contest on 75% shooting from the floor.
-Darius Garland also was good for Cleveland. He poured in 16 points and six assists.
-Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love continue to be vital for Cleveland off the pine. Rubio, who is fifth in the league in assists(39), had 15 points and three assists in 28 minutes; Love had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
Rebounding: Cleveland crushed the Clippers on the glass(57-36) and added 19 second-chance points while holding Los Angeles to three second-chance points.
The Not so Great for the Cavaliers:
Turnovers: Cleveland had 20 turnovers on Wednesday night, which would cost you a game on most nights. Fortunately for this team, they were stellar on defense and all areas of the game.
Bottom Line:
Cleveland has won three straight, all against playoff teams last season, including two on the road. Furthermore, two of the teams they’ve beaten(Hawks and Clippers) made it to the conference finals a year ago. The Cavaliers are defending very well right now and getting contributions from everybody who touches the floor.
What’s Next:
Cleveland stays in Los Angeles to battle old friend LeBron James and the Lakers on Friday night. However, James may not play. The four-time MVP has missed the last two games for the Lakers with an ankle injury, so it should be interesting to see if he’ll be back to face the Cavaliers.
Best of the Rest:
Nicolas Batum and Reggie Jackson led the Clippers with 16 points apiece, and Paul George added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Sexton, Mobley, and Garland talk win over Clippers:
Clippers’ Frank on Mann: ‘We want him to be a big part of our future’
The Los Angeles Clippers have signed Terance Mann to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced on Tuesday.
According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, it’s a two-year, $22 million contract extension.
Last season, Mann set career highs in points (7.0), rebounds (3.6), assists (1.6), and FG% (50.9). The second-year G/F also appeared in 19 playoff games in 2021, averaging 7.6 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 51.9% from the field.
In Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, Mann became the first player in franchise history to score at least 20 points in a postseason quarter, finishing with 39 and sparking the Clippers to their first conference finals appearance.
“Terance personifies many of the qualities we value,” said Lawrence Frank, Clippers president of basketball operations. “He is a giving teammate and an unrelenting worker who improves himself and those around him every day. In only two seasons, we’ve watched him grow from a second-round pick to a key contributor on a playoff team. We want him to be a big part of our future, and we’re glad he wants the same. We’re thrilled for Terance and excited for what’s to come.”
Originally selected by the Clippers with the 48th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the 24-year-old Mann owns career averages of 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 108 appearances.
Batum returns to Clippers on two-year deal
The Los Angeles Clippers have officially re-signed free agent Nicolas Batum, the team announced on Friday.
According to reports, it’s a two-year deal.
“Nico is a terrific player, a selfless teammate and a consummate professional, who lifts us in a lot of different ways,” said Clippers president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank. “He fits in perfectly from the beginning, and we’re grateful he’s chosen to return.”
Last season, the 32-year-old Batum averaged 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 40.4 percent. During the Clippers’ run to the 2021 Western Conference Finals, Batum averaged 8.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 29.2 minutes.
Before joining the Clippers last season, the 13-year veteran spent time with Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets
This summer, the Lisieux, France native helped lead the French team to a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Batum’s versatility as a defender was very valuable for the Clippers last season. At times, he played center for Los Angeles in the playoffs and was very effective doing it. Bringing him back was an important move for the Clippers.
Clips’ Leonard has surgery to repair partially torn ACL
Clippers F Kawhi Leonard underwent surgery to repair a partial tear of his right ACL, the team announced on Tuesday.
According to the team, the surgery was a success, and there is no timetable for his return.
Leonard, 30, injured his knee against the Jazz in Game 4 of their second-round series and would miss the rest of the playoffs.
The nine-year veteran can opt out of his contract this summer and become a free agent.
This season, Leonard, who signed with the Clippers in 2019 after winning a championship with the Toronto Raptors, averaged 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.
Suns’ Paul: ‘I just kept thinking, if we do what we’re supposed to do, I get the last laugh’
Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul has made it to the NBA Finals! Paul scored 31 of his game-high 41 points in the second half, including 19 points in the fourth quarter, as the Suns defeated the Clippers 130-103 in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals at Staples Center on Wednesday night. With the win, Phoenix will make the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Paul’s 31 points in the second half is the most he’s scored in the second half in his career(regular season and playoffs).
In addition, the 36-year-old Paul, who scored 37 points in a series-clinching win against the Nuggets in the second round, became the oldest player in postseason history with 35 points in consecutive close-out games within a postseason, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The 16-year veteran struggled with his shot in the team’s Game 5 loss against the Clippers, but Suns head coach Monty Williams knew that Paul could have a breakout performance in this series, and it came at the right time.
“I’ve told you guys from the jump I wanted to stay out of his way,” Williams said postgame. “There were questions about his production before tonight, and in my heart, I felt like it was a matter of time. I didn’t know it was going to be like that, but that’s who Chris(Paul) is. He was tired, and he was still making those kinds of plays — getting to the basket, the threes, orchestrating everything.”
Paul, who spent six seasons with the Clippers, broke Los Angeles with his performance in the second half, and the Suns knew that when Patrick Beverley shoved Paul in the back after a Clippers’ timeout in the fourth quarter. Beverley would get ejected, and Phoenix continued to pour it on.
“Over the years, people talk junk to me, and a lot of times I usually say something back, but I done changed a little,” Paul said. “A little. A little. And I just kept thinking, if we do what we’re supposed to do, I get the last laugh. So you stay the course long enough, you break ’em, and that’s what we did.”
Jae Crowder, who scored 19 points in Game 6, added on Beverley’s shove: “They broke. We know we broke them. There’s no better sign of defeat than knowing that moment, that moment where it’s like competition meets and we just — you can’t do anything else to help your team overcome that situation. He just broke. That’s what we were trying to reach.”
Paul, who was traded to the Suns by the Thunder last offseason, getting to this point was not easy. He’s suffered untimely injuries in past years during the playoffs and had untimely injuries this postseason(shoulder, COVID), but according to Paul, he knew his chance to make it to the Finals would come.
When asked if he ever thought this moment would not happen, Paul said the following:
“No. No. I ain’t built like that. It’s just get to work,” he said. “Get to work. What was it, Game 3, I find out I tore some ligaments in my hand. I said, oh, here we go. But you just — I got an unbelievable team around me.”
Not many people had the Suns in the NBA Finals, but guess what? They’re here, and with home-court advantage in the Finals, injury issues with both the Hawks and Bucks, and based on the way they’re playing, Phoenix has an excellent chance to win a championship.
Watch below as Paul talks making NBA Finals:
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Clippers sign Yogi Ferrell to 10-day contract
The LA Clippers signed Yogi Ferrell to a 10-day contract, the team announced on Monday.
Ferrell, 27, appeared in two games for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, averaging 9.5 points. 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals. The 6-foot-0 guard also appeared in 14 games for the Salt Lake City Stars of the G League this season.
The four-year veteran holds NBA career averages of 7.8 points, 2.3 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 251 career appearances with the Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and Cavaliers. A native of Indianapolis, Ind.,
Ferrell earned a spot on the 2016-17 All-Rookie Second Team, and in February 2017, became just the second undrafted rookie to win Rookie of the Month honors in his first professional season.
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Spurs drop third straight after loss to Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers(29-16) are a very talented team, and they have a lot of guys who can make shots, which they did on Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs(22-19).
Los Angeles shot 51%(17-33) from three-point range. Ex-Spur Kawhi Leonard led the way for Los Angeles with a game-high 25 points, and Marcus Morris, who hit five three-pointers, had 20 points as the Clippers defeated the Spurs 134-101 in the first game of their two-game set at AT&T Center.
Los Angeles has now won three straight. The Spurs dropped their third straight at home and their third consecutive game overall.
The Clippers had six guys in double figures on Wednesday night.
DeMar DeRozan led the way for the Spurs with 19 points.
Fortunately for the Spurs, they have an opportunity to avenge this loss on Thursday night as San Antonio plays the third game of their nine-game homestand against the Clippers.
The Clippers were in control of this game from the start and never trailed in this one. Los Angeles led by as much as 35 points in this contest.
When asked what San Antonio can do better to defeat the Clippers on Thursday, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said this:
“We have to do whatever we did tonight a little bit better,” he said.
Spurs Dejounte Murray added: “We were more focused on the obvious two, Kawhi and Paul George. We have to know who’s who on the floor and what they are capable of.”
The first two games of this homestand have been a disappointment for San Antonio, and with this loss, the Spurs dropped to 8th in the Western Conference.
After this poor performance, It should be interesting to see San Antonio’s response on Thursday night.
Carlisle on Luka: ‘Sometimes you simply run out of adjectives to describe how good he is’
The Dallas Mavericks(21-18) were looking to avenge Monday’s loss to the Clippers(26-16) on Wednesday night, and behind their All-Star guard Luka Doncic, Dallas defeated the Clippers at home 105-89 in the second of their two-game set with Los Angeles.
Doncic was 16-28 from the field, including 6-11 from three-point range. He also had nine assists, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Doncic has now scored 40-plus against the Clippers on three occasions (incl. playoffs), his most against any team.
It was like a playoff game at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night, which Doncic discussed after the game.
“They’re a really good defensive team,” Doncic said about the Clippers. “The past two games were like playoffs.”
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle ran out of words to describe the greatness of Doncic.
“Luka [Dončić] was spectacular,” Carlisle said. “Sometimes, you simply run out of adjectives to describe how good he is. But he was exceptionally good tonight, and we needed every point, every rebound, every assist, and defensively, he was terrific as well.”
Maxi Kleber, who had 12 points for Dallas on Wednesday night, has a lot of confidence when Doncic shoots the basketball.
“Sometimes, when I am on the court, it feels the same way,” he said. “You see him attack the guys, and he takes an easy step back; that looks so simple for him, but every time he shoots it, you think that is cash. He creates a little bit of space, and he doesn’t need much, and he shoots it, and every time the ball goes up, I think it is a basket. Today he just did incredible things. He was scoring on every possession, it felt like. He is a very rare and special talent. I think that was Luka Magic everybody has been seeing all year long here.”
Dallas now travels to Portland to face the Blazers in a two-game set starting on Friday, and according to Josh Richardson, Dallas will be ready.
“It’s my first year in the Western Conference,” he said. “Seeing all these tough opponents every night is tough. It’s a grind. But I think we have the players and the depth to fight through that and to be able to go out and battle.”
Notes:
Paul George led the Clippers with 28 points (5-8 3FG), 7 rebounds and 5 assists in 41 minutes.
Kawhi Leonard had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for the Clippers. Leonard has scored 20+ points in 21 of his last 22 games.
