The Clippers’ scouting report on RJ Barrett was abundantly clear. Don't let the left-handed guard function along with his most popular hand.
As an alternative, coach Tyronn Lue watched as Barrett, again and again, went left Sunday inside Madison Sq. Backyard. And when he did, it made this sport go sideways for the Clippers.
Barrett scored 28 factors, to go along with 14 rebounds and 6 assists, and his final 4 baskets all stemmed from unimpeded left-handed drives. It was capped by his drive round a display till he acquired to the rim with a bit of greater than 9 minutes remaining within the fourth quarter. Barrett lofted a left-handed floater whereas additionally hitting his defender, Reggie Jackson, arduous sufficient for Jackson to momentarily crumple. Jackson was known as for a foul, and Barrett made the free throw to finish a three-point play. The Knicks’ lead was 13.
The play didn’t extinguish the Clippers’ try to engineer a second consecutive escape out of a straitjacket of their very own making. However in contrast to their 24-point comeback Friday in Philadelphia, the Clippers couldn't come all the best way again. As an alternative they got here again to earth, handed a 110-102 loss behind miscues on the free-throw line and on the glass, the Knicks’ 15 offensive rebounds resulting in 21 second-chance factors, marks that have been considerably higher than the Clippers’ six and 10, respectively.
“We did a foul job on RJ Barrett,” Lue mentioned. “We talked about coming into the sport that we acquired to maintain him off his left hand. He’s too good going to his left. And he acquired there time and time once more.”
Jackson had 26 factors to steer the Clippers (23-25), and Luke Kennard (14 factors) and Brandon Boston Jr. (13) every scored in double figures off the bench. Enjoying in the future after attending a funeral in Philadelphia for a childhood buddy killed in a capturing, amid a stretch through which he acknowledged he had slept little due to the loss of life, Marcus Morris Sr. missed all 9 of his field-goal tries and completed with 4 factors.
Enjoying catch-up shortly turned a math downside. Not solely did the Knicks (23-24) try 12 extra subject objectives than the Clippers, because of that edge in offensive rebounds, however the Clippers missed 10 of their 30 free-throw tries. Final season, when the Clippers set an NBA report for free-throw accuracy, they made lower than 70% of their foul photographs in solely 5 video games. This season, that has occurred already 11 instances.
New York made seven of its first eight three-point makes an attempt, and the Clippers, who've stayed afloat behind their protection regardless of large roster attrition, regretted afterward how simply the Knicks have been allowed to function, a problem capitalized upon by Barrett and others.
“We got here in with the suitable intentions however form of gave simple exercise photographs, rhythm photographs,” Jackson mentioned. “I feel good intent by folks making an attempt to assist however overhelping, not being in place to get again to your personal, so as soon as they discovered that rhythm, it made it arduous.”
For 3½ minutes late within the second quarter, the Clippers lastly made it arduous on the Knicks, scoring 11 unanswered factors. It was a byproduct of their protection, with Lue unleashing ahead Nicolas Batum to blitz Julius Randle when he caught the ball. His double groups led to deflections and fast passes that, for one of many solely stretches of the afternoon, compelled New York to work for its offense.
For Batum, it was a reprisal of the function through which, over the past two weeks, he flustered facilities Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid along with his lengthy arms and 14 seasons’ price of defensive intelligence. On Sunday, he took two fees — one 94 toes away from the basket off an inbounds go.
“He likes to take that problem, and when he’s guarding these guys, he makes these guys work,” Lue mentioned.
The Clippers, who've been outscored by a league-worst 7.9 factors within the second quarter this month, gained that quarter by three factors by capturing 15 share factors above their month-to-month common in second quarters. However ominous indicators lurked within the field rating even amid that push to path by simply 5 at halftime, beginning with the offensive rebounds. The Knicks are among the many finest at punishing opponents there, and it performed out once more. For the sport, New York gained the rebounding competitors by 12.
“We acquired hit from the beginning. Gotta be a staff that hits first, that brings the vitality,” mentioned Ivica Zubac, who recorded his third consecutive double-double with 17 factors and 14 rebounds. “That’s it.”
With the Clippers trailing by solely seven with 5:30 left to play, Barrett grabbed an offensive rebound, then assisted a layup by Randle. On the Knicks’ subsequent possession, after a turnover by Jackson, Barrett assisted on a three-pointer. The lead was again to 12, and the actors who dotted the world’s “celeb row” cutaways on the video board stood to applaud a sport between two groups which have struggled to seek out consistency.
It has been one month since Paul George final took the court docket for the Clippers due to his injured elbow ligament, and they're 6-10, with the NBA’s seventh-worst plus-minus, in that span. Lue has partly gauged progress in that point by analyzing the standard of the photographs his staff is taking and what number of instances the Clippers’ passes change sides of the court docket to drive defenders to maneuver.
“Simply seeing if we're enjoying the suitable method, we proceed to construct good habits on either side of the basketball,” he mentioned. “That’s crucial factor.”
However one of the vital vital issues Sunday was not permitting Barrett to go left. When he did, the Clippers left, taking the lengthy stroll down Madison Sq. Backyard’s ramp with out the rally that when felt inside their grasp.
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