GENERAL SYNOPSIS
Both teams offensively were stellar to start the game. Donovan Mittchell was 4/4 and was nailing threes left and right whilst Evan Mobley provided double digit points on the quarter. With how the Cavs offense was clicking you would think they'd be blowing out the Clippers. However on the opposing end the Clippers were a well oiled machine, spreading the ball around and receiving a solid duo of scoring from Paul George and Marcus Morris Sr. The Cavaliers ended up winning the quarter 37-31. In the second quarter players on Cleveland were starting to cool down other than Donovan Mitchell. But players like Kevin Love were also stepping up knocking down 3's efficiently. The Clippers got some good production from Norman Powell and Reggie Jackson. Paul George was great defensively and ultimately the Clippers won the quarter 33-27. In the 3rd quarter the offense was somewhat quiet. Both teams were on each other's pace and the Clippers ended up winning the quarter 23-24. The 4th quarter was a rollercoaster ride as at one point in the quarter Cleveland had a 12 point lead and looked to have sealed the victory. But the Clippers were able to rally back, getting to the foul line constantly and converting and 1's. Some big plays from Reggie Jackson and Norman Powell were able to help propel this team over the hump as they ultimately won the game with a final score of 117-119 following a huge 19-5 run and improving to 6-5 on the year.
IN DEPTH ANALYSIS
An amazing display from the Clippers who were once again without Kawhi Leonard and missing John Wall following last night's game vs Utah. There's a lot of positives so I'll begin with the negatives. Firstly, Marcus Morris who overall had a very good day was not very good from the 3 pt line shooting 4/11. Nail 1 or 2 more of those 3's and the game doesn't get to the point it was at. Norman Powell who had a great day putting up 17 points still needs to be more aggressive. He attacked the basket a lot and did great at that. But he only had 6 shot attempts, although granted he made 5 of them. He should be taking more jump shots and take advantage of his offensive skills. And lastly, this team needs to be more in control of themselves and they HAVE to slow down the pace. The main reason Cleveland was able to have that 12 point advantage in the 4th was because whenever Cleveland nailed a big shot or made an amazing defensive stop. The Clippers were so eager to answer back that they would settle for heavily contested 3 pt shots with 18+ seconds still left on the shot clock and it would result in transition buckets for Cleveland at many times. They have to understand when to keep their cool and slow down the pace just a bit. Try to get open shots, you don't have to use all of the shot clock but you can for sure use more than just 1/4 of the clock. With that out of the way diving into the positives now. Man what a game from Reggie Jackson. Last night against Utah he had some injury problems but today he was aggressive and he was clutch and dropped a very much needed 18 points, 7 assists performance. Norman Powell, who I criticized earlier for not taking enough shots, was still great today because he finished with 17 pts and shot 5/6. You just can't buy that kind of efficiency. Marcus Morris was clutch when needed and was able to give 20 points and stay productive. Paul George was good this game but didn't wow like he did in the first half of last night's game. But they didn't need an insane game from George. He was consistent on defense and came up big when it mattered most. To wrap up the recap from tonight's game I'll end it off with Terrance Mann who was once again efficient and productive. He made some awesome defensive plays that helped turn the tide in the 4th and put up 16 points on 6/9 shooting on the day. Just remember people that this guy isn't supposed to be the full time starter. But if i'm being honest here, I strongly believe if he keeps this up he'll deserve this spot even when Kawhi comes back. Stick Kawhi or George at the power forward and keep Mann at shooting guard because production like this is great to have on your starting 5. The Clippers play against the city rival Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday which should be a very winnable game for them
PREVIEW VS LA LAKERS NOV 9TH 2022
This should be a lopsided affair for the Clippers as talent wise they are far superior to the Lakers. However with Lebron and Anthony Davis on the opposing end they just cannot sleep on this team no matter what. The main thing they need to do to stop the Lakers is clog the paint. The Lakers can't shoot particularly well and don't have much to offer on that end. Make them shoot and throw doubles whenever Lebron or Davis tried something in the paint. With a player like Westbrook on the opposing end they REALLY need to take advantage of turnovers because as much as people love to hate on Westbrook. As easily as he can blow a game for the Lakers he can all the same win a game for the Lakers. He's a good playmaker but also loves to throw that ball around loosely. Pick them off and score. Cause just picking them off won't do anything. The Clippers are a heavy favorite going into this game and they should continue to display high level basketball following this electric win over Cleveland.
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