In difficulty to stay in balance, without Paul George or Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers received for this “MLK Day” from the Pacers in free fall. Collective and skilful, Amir Coffey and his teammates had the best start, already pointing to +13 (40-27) at the end of the first quarter.
The replacements for Rick Carlisle, thanks to Chris Duarte and Goga Bitadze, picked up at half-time (68-59) but Los Angeles recovered the gap in the third quarter, thanks to a Nicolas Batum who gained confidence.
The French even caught fire in the fourth quarter, and it was necessary to resist Pacers who pounded the paint to chain the baskets and return to a small possession in the last 30 seconds! But an incomprehensible omission on Reggie Jackson, who also provided throws, prevented any hold-up.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Nicolas Batum’s 32 points in the second half. The French winger runs on confidence, and he racked up a bunch of that when he started putting his shots in the third quarter. And since the Pacers always gave him so much space, he punished them repeatedly, scoring 32 points in the second half after scoring none in the first. He had not scored so many points since November 2015…
– Strength against skill. The barbed wire was not really out in this game. The Clippers took the opportunity to shift their shooters (32 assists for an 18/36 3-pointer) when the Pacers insisted on the paint (64 points scored, against 42 for Los Angeles). A real opposition of styles.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Nicholas Batum. It’s nice to see the Frenchman so confident. However, it had started badly for the Frenchman with a voiceless first half but his second period was a treat. However, he did not force, always preferring to serve a better placed teammate, even if he had a very hot hand.
✅ The Clippers’ good ball circulation. After the match, Nicolas Batum preferred to focus on good ball circulation and the general altruism of his team, rather than on his own performance. We understand that as Tyronn Lue’s men have been looking for the right shot almost all evening. Even if they were helped by a largely guilty Pacers defense, between absences and missed rotations…
✅ ⛔ Domantas Sabonis. His line of stats is more than correct at first glance (19 points at 7/14 shooting, 11 rebounds and 7 assists) but the Lithuanian has long been hampered by Ivica Zubac, having difficulty approaching the circle, and especially his exits from the ball created very few opportunities. They even caused problematic ball losses for his team, at decisive moments.
THE FOLLOWING
LA Clippers (22-23) : Nicolas Batum and his troupe will be in Denver on Wednesday evening
Indiana (15-29) : appointment Wednesday evening, still in Los Angeles, this time against the Lakers
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