The Clippers got their revenge against Philadelphia in a thriller Wednesday night in the City of Brotherly Love.
In a pool report with Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Crew Chief Kevin Scott admitted to getting the final play call wrong, “On the last play on the floor, in real time the crew interpreted that play as the defender jumping vertically. However, in post-game video review we did observe some slight drift to his left by the defender George, and a foul should have been ruled.”
So, the Clippers take the blessing and the win.
Turning point: Like Sunday’s game between the two teams, the Sixers caught an early double-digit lead in the second quarter, 36-21. By halftime the Clippers were able to cut away at the deficit and trail by just four points, 50-46.
LA then jumped out of the brak with a spark lit underneath them. They took the 56-55 lead in the third thanks to a Paul George three-pointer, the team’s first lead over Philadelphia in 7 quarters so far this season.
The Sixers went on a scoring run to wrap up the third with a 79-75 lead. LA trailed within three with just 4:19 left in the game. Some exchanged made shots and free throws made it an even closer game with the Clippers leading 105-104 with 23 seconds to play.
Philadelphia had a chance to score at the buzzer, but Kelly Oubre couldn’t get the shot off and the Clippers walked away with the win.
What it means: Wednesday’s win moves LA to 45-27 on the season and keeps them at the fourth-seed spot in the Western Conference standings. The team has just 10 games left in the regular season to climb higher in those rankings.
Hits: Kawhi Leonard was certainly the difference maker in Wednesday’s action. The Clippers star made two dire three-pointers late in the game, followed by a block at the rim on the final possession to lead. Harden also got his revenge, finishing with 16 points and 14 assists in 39 minutes in his return as a Clipper. His 14 assists resulted in 38 points.
Misses: The first half stats were not kind to LA. Despite just six combined points from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers trailed by just four at halftime. In the first two quarters the team shot just 39% from the field, and were outscored 15-5 in the second chance points category.
Stat of the game: Aside from the rough start, Wednesday night was the tenth time this season all five starters scored in double-digits for the Clippers.
Leonard and George also came up big late in the game after combining for 18 points on 6-for-25 shooting through the first three quarters. The duo then combined for 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting in the fourth.
Up next: The Clippers will continue on the road with Orlando as their next stop. The team will take on the Magic Friday before traveling to Charlotte and Sacramento. Bouts with the Hornets and Kings will take March 31 and April 2, respectively.
