The Los Angeles Clippers could not have dreamed for a greater lead-in to their conflict with the host Portland Path Blazers on Thursday night time.
The Clippers despatched statisticians scurrying by the report books in an emphatic opening leg of a back-to-back set on Wednesday, demolishing the Brooklyn Nets 126-67 in Inglewood, Calif.
Los Angeles’ 59-point margin of victory was the most important by any workforce this season, and the best in Clippers historical past, surpassing the earlier mark in a 50-point win over the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder in April 2022.
After the rating was tied at 21 on the finish of the primary quarter on Wednesday, Los Angeles outscored Brooklyn 37-14 and 44-16 throughout the center two durations.
The decision already was determined early within the third, permitting the house aspect the chance to seat its starters, all of whom performed lower than 24 minutes.
“We needed to have knowledgeable mindset popping out in that third quarter. And we did that,” Los Angeles coach Tyronn Lue mentioned. “Our guys had been capable of get some relaxation going right into a back-to-back.”
James Harden moved previous Dominique Wilkins into fifteenth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring record with a 21-point, 11-assist night time.
In the meantime, Kawhi Leonard continued his ascent again to peak kind and health with a season-best 23 factors.
“He was actually good,” Lue mentioned. “His tempo, his pressure, how he acquired to his spots, I believed was actually good. Simply preserve stacking lately of feeling good, of trusting it, believing in it. He’d put the work in to get thus far.”
Simply two nights earlier, Portland had a wholly completely different expertise in opposition to Brooklyn, dropping 132-114 at dwelling.
Compounding the defeat, the Blazers’ frontcourt shares took one other hit, with heart Donovan Clingan set to sit down out in opposition to the Clippers after sustaining a gentle left ankle sprain in opposition to the Nets. The workforce mentioned he’d be re-evaluated in per week.
Fellow heart Robert Williams III (sickness) is uncertain, as is ahead Deni Avdija (ankle), whereas Jerami Grant (face) stays sidelined.
Portland coach Chauncey Billups was essential of his aspect’s poor protection, which allowed Brooklyn to skip forward and by no means give up the lead.
“We talked about it, we tried to defend in opposition to it, and we simply did not have pleasure in any respect defensively within the sport,” he mentioned. “There have been a few guys right here and there who fought extraordinarily arduous, however our pleasure wasn’t there on the defensive finish of the ground. We simply did not have sufficient folks pulling the rope in the identical course.”
Second-year playmaker Scoot Henderson was a shining gentle within the disappointing efficiency, scoring a career-high 39 factors, together with 8-of-10 on 3-pointers.
“As basketball gamers, you’ve these nights when it simply seems like all the things you place up goes to go in,” Billups mentioned. “You need to keep in that second for so long as attainable. “All that apart, I used to be simply so completely satisfied to see him ball out like that.”
After his lights-out efficiency, Henderson was extra involved with the Blazers’ lackluster protection.
“I at all times return to what I might have performed higher and what we might have performed higher as a workforce,” he mentioned. “And that was to get the heck again. Too many simple transition factors for them we gave up.”
–Subject Stage Media
