OCEANSIDE, Calif. – In the second game of the season, the San Diego Clippers (2-0) rematched against the Rip City Remix (0-2) at Frontwave Arena and come out victorious in the effort 137-121.
New additions Jordan Miller and Kobe Brown saw the start for head coach Paul Hewitt, who opted to leave in Cam Christie, RayJ Dennis and Tosan Evbuomwan as the other three starters.
“It was great. I owe it to my teammates, guys were just finding me, and we were playing together, sometimes it just kinda happens," said Brown, who finished with 30 points, tying his career high.
He shot 5-for-7 from the 3 point line, 9-for-14 on field goals and also had five steals.
“Tonight was my night and shots were falling, but like I said, I definitely owe it all to my teammates, finding me in the action,” Brown said.
Kai Jones was unavailable for the second game in a row.
Similar to the first game in their baseball series with the Remix, the first quarter saw the Clips fall into an early deficit, down 12-6 just over four minutes into the first. Miller, who is one of their two-way players, scored four of the first six San Diego points.
“(For the two-way players) It’s an 82 game season, and you never know when someone may go down. You have to be ready and in shape so that if your number is called you’re ready to go,” Miller said.
A baseline drive by Trentyn Flowers, who scored 20 points last game, gave the Clips’ a burst of energy. Combined with Elijah Harkless’s electric behind-the-back crossover that found Braxton Key for the two-handed jam, the team went on a 14-5 run to head into the second quarter, still down 32-28.
What seemed to be a trend developing for this team was a slow first quarter start, but eventually finding their rhythm.
“I felt we accomplished a lot today, getting Kobe (Brown) and Jordan (Miller) some runs today. It was nice to see those guys get out, and find our rhythm in the second half,” Hewitt said.
Brown, also a two-way player for the organization, led the way for San Diego with 14 points heading into halftime with the score tied at 62 all. Miller also had 12 points through that point.
In golf, people like to claim whether they shoot better in the front nine or back nine. Similarly, in these two games, the Clippers are starting the trend of being a back nine team, really turning up the intensity in the second half.
Whatever schemes Hewitt drew up, worked. A quick 10-3 run to start the third forced four turnovers, and Rip City had to call timeout to talk things over.
Brown picked up right where he left off in the first half, scoring two straight 3-pointers and hitting his free throw at the stripe to give him eight quick points. He finished the third quarter with 14 of his 30 points coming in that period.
“I’m glad (Brown) had 30 tonight, I keep telling him to be aggressive," Miller said. "I thought he did a good showing, and I hope this is a good confidence booster for him, not that he needs it, but just to let him know it’s okay to be selfish sometimes.”
The Clippers took over in the third, thanks to Brown’s hot shooting and had a 97-83 lead with just over five minutes left in the period.
That lead would come close to being erased, with Portland going on a 17-8 run to end the quarter. A Harkless fast break dunk got the fourth quarter started and the crowd ecstatic.
While the Remix tried to mount a comeback, the Clippers were able to hold on and snag the win, with seven players in double-figures for the second straight game.
Bryce McGowens finished with 24 points for Rip City and Henri Drell contributed 20 points.
Brown, Christie, and Miller combined for 70 points. “We’re trying to get those guys as many minutes on the court as possible, especially for a young man like Cam (Christie),” Hewitt said.
He continued, specifically noting about Christie, “It’s his first year playing professional basketball, and it’s a different style. It’s faster, and more physical. One of the things he’s really been working on is learning to get open, doing a better job of using screens, and running the floor.
“For Kobe and Jordan, they played well at this level before. They did a great job last year, this is more about just trying to keep their timing up,” said Hewitt.
Up next on the schedule is another baseball series, this time against the Valley Suns. The game is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. and will be played at Frontwave Arena.