One rebound in each game, two different outcomes. One grab led to a crushing loss. The other was an uplifting victory for the Clippers, who came away with a split in their first two games of a challenging stretch.
On Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs, seconds were ticking off the clock and Kawhi Leonard had the ball in his hands and an opportunity to win the game.
But with 20 seconds left, his 3-point attempt from 28 feet fell short and the Spurs grabbed the rebound, which led to a breakaway dunk by Victor Wembanayama for a one-point lead that eventually led to a 116-112 victory.
The scenarios were weirdly similar the following night.
The Clippers were holding a precarious one-point lead over the Memphis Grizzlies with eight seconds remaining. Leonard missed a 3-point look but unlike the previous night, the rebound went to teammate Bennedict Mathurin, who was fouled and made two free throws to help secure a 123-120 victory.
“Pretty much the same outcome from last night,” Leonard said during an on-court interview with FanDuel Sports Network. “Me being that one, shooting a 3 short. But we got the rebound this time and we were able to get some free throws and seal the game.”
The victory came after a tough 22½-hour turnaround on the second night of a back-to-back. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he saw fatigue in his players from the tip-off, which led to early substitutions and constant searching for the right combinations.
“Guys were fatigued,” Lue said. “We had a tough loss last night, but we just kept being positive in the huddle, just telling the guys to keep making the push, keep making the run. It starts with our defense, and we were able to get some stops, get out in transition and score some baskets.”
The Clippers (31-32) overcame a 19-point deficit to win for the fourth time in five games as they continue a brutal stretch of five games in eight days. They kick off a homestand against the New York Knicks (41-24) on Monday night.
And the Clippers are going to need everyone to step up again if they hope to improve their position for a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament (seeds 7-10). They are currently one game behind eighth-place Golden State (32-31) but 5½ games back of seventh-place Phoenix (37-27) and just one game ahead of 10th-place Portland (31-34).
“Everybody contributed in every way,” Lue said of the Clippers’ play against the Grizzlies.
Leonard led with 28 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Darius Garland had 21 points, four rebounds and six assists in his first start for the Clippers.
But it wasn’t just the stars who played a significant role. Mathurin finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Derrick Jones Jr. had 16 points and Jordan Miller 14 points.
But it might have been Isaiah Jackson who made the biggest splash with 12 points, 12 rebounds and two steals. Lue took notice of the 6-foot-8 power forward, who came to the Clippers in the trade with the Indiana Pacers.
“Just how he plays hard. He plays hard and competes,” Lue said. “He’s a guy that can switch and guard the basketball, offensive rebound, runs the floor, and can get behind the defense on pick-and-rolls. Tonight, like I said, it was just a game for him, and we needed his athleticism and his ability to switch. He did a good job for us.”
KNICKS AT CLIPPERS
When: Monday, 7 p.m.
Where: Intuit Dome
TV/Radio: FDSN SoCal, Peacock, 570 AM, 1330 AM
