Late Game Heroics Lead Clippers Over Spurs

By Connor Aylward
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Updated: April 3, 2018

Tuesday night was set up to be the most important game of the season for the Los Angeles Clippers. With the San Antonio Spurs coming to town, Los Angeles needed to get a win in order to hold on to their playoff hopes.

From the outset it seemed the team didn’t notice the importance of the game. The Clippers made only 6 filed goals in the opening quarter while turning the ball over 7 times. Showing little energy and trailing by 14 by the time the quarter ended, the playoff picture was not looking great for the Clippers.

Luckily, Tobias Harris decided it was time to step up. Knocking in 10 points in the second, Harris finished the first half with 17 points and 2 steals. Throughout the contest Harris remained the only Clippers player consistently hitting his shots, finishing with a team-high 31 points and 9 rebounds.

After trailing by as many as 18 in the quarter, Los Angeles went on a 13-0 run with time winding down and managed to trail by just 7 at the half.

The Clippers used that momentum to get off to a strong start in the second half. After clawing their way back into the game, the team got their first lead with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter.

The @LAClippers have tied it up! 👀 pic.twitter.com/sSpbOcc1Vy

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 4, 2018

With every run the Clippers went on, the Spurs would counter with one of their own. Led by LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio extended their lead in the third quarter as Aldridge put up 11 points in the quarter alone. Aldridge terrorized the Clippers defense all night with his patented post fade-aways and managed to put up a team-high 35 points along with 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Trailing by 11 to start the final quarter, Los Angeles needed to find some rhythm on the offensive end. After starting off cold, the NBA’s leader in fourth quarter scoring Lou Williams started to heat up. Williams stellar shooting in the quarter spurred a run that put the Clippers back into the game and even helped the team tie it up. Scoring 15 in the fourth alone, Williams finished the game with 22 points off the bench. Getting the majority of those points when his team needed it most.

The lead boomeranged back and forth in the final minute with clutch shots coming from both sides. A huge 3 from Austin Rivers and some key free throws by Williams down the stretch would help Los Angeles close this one out and come away with a 113-110 victory. This is the biggest win of the season for the Clippers as it keeps them in the playoff race with the season winding down.

With another Western Conference playoff team coming up next, the schedule isn’t getting any easier for the Clippers. The team will head to Utah to take on the Jazz in what is sure to be a battle Thursday night.

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