San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers showed signs of rust on Thursday after a week off, but the Clippers shook it off in the second half and survived a slew of missed free throws in the 119-115 home win.
Wily veteran Tim Duncan led all scorers, and Tony Parker looked refreshed for San Antonio, but Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan each posted massive double-doubles in the L.A. victory. A 38-point third quarter pushed the Clippers into the lead, and they held on down the stretch.
The Spurs seemed as if they refused to go to the free-throw line, and their first trip came with one minute, 22 seconds left in the second quarter. They shot 29 fewer foul shots than the Clippers, but they nearly made that disparity moot by hitting 83 percent at the line to just 52 percent for the Clips.
| Chris Paul | A |
| J.J. Redick | B- |
| Matt Barnes | B- |
| Spencer Hawes | C |
| DeAndre Jordan | A- |
| Rest of Team | B |
| Tony Parker | A- |
| Danny Green | C- |
| Kawhi Leonard | C- |
| Tim Duncan | A |
| Aron Baynes | B+ |
| Rest of Team | B |
Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Paul, Point Guard
Chris Paul had eight points and six assists in the first quarter, so you knew then that he was headed for a big night. He finished up with 22 points and 16 assists, but two buckets in particular helped secure the win.
With just over a minute remaining, Paul nailed a jump shot from the foul line that extended the lead to three points. He did exactly the same thing with only eight seconds remaining. In between those baskets, he kicked out to Jamal Crawford for a momentous three-pointer.
Without Paul's clutch play, the persistent Spurs likely would have tied it up or taken the lead, but CP3 piloted the team to another W.
Grade: A
DeAndre Jordan, Center
OK, DeAndre Jordan is not Wilt Chamberlain, but he sure can rack up huge numbers of rebounds to go with his knack for paint scoring. He scored 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go with 18 rebounds, three steals and a block. Jordan tried 28 free throws, making just 10.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich went with the hack-a-Jordan strategy, and the Clippers center hit halftime just 4-of-14 shooting from the charity stripe. But that strategy evaporated in the third quarter, when Jordan dropped a dozen points and the Clippers found their energy. Hack-a-Jordan returned in the fourth quarter, with crowd microphones picking up a handful of hecklers shouting hoarsely on each free-throw attempt.
Jordan also tried to dunk over Tim Duncan late in the first half, and instead, DJ clattered into a heap on the floor after failing to clear Timmy's head or shoulders. He seemed shaken up by the fall, but he managed to split the ensuing foul shots:
Then Jordan literally threw it down on Marco Belinelli in the third quarter, soaring over the reserve guard and firing the basketball through the cylinder from a few feet away like he was scoring a goal in water polo:
Grade: A-
J.J. Redick, Shooting Guard
J.J. Redick struggled to find the mark from downtown, missing four of five, but he still scored 15 points thanks to some hustle on the fast break and deft midrange shooting. He took a backseat to Crawford on this night, but at least he found himself a nice spot by the window.
Grade: B-
Matt Barnes, Small Forward
Matt Barnes had a spectacularly flubbed slam dunk in the first quarter, flashing across the paint and bricking his point-blank attempt with authority. That's what happens when you give an NBAer a week off.
Barnes finished with double-digit scoring, and he's a versatile veteran who slots nicely into the starting lineup and offers effective production off the bench as well. Unfortunately for the Clippers, he's probably better served coming off the bench.
Grade: B-
Spencer Hawes, Power Forward
Spencer Hawes picked up his fifth foul with 10 minutes left in the game, which didn't help the Clippers' short-handed frontcourt. It didn't matter in the end, but seven points represents an underwhelming line from Hawes in a starting role with Blake Griffin (elbow) sidelined, especially in comparison to the scoring produced by the Spurs' bigs.
Grade: C
Rest of Team
Jamal Crawford nailed the pivotal shot of the game, drilling a three-pointer from the corner off another assist from Paul, which stretched the Clippers' lead to four points with just 33 seconds left.
He tallied 26 points on the evening, not to mention five assists, but he truly saved the Clippers' bacon by hitting five of his seven three-point attempts, while the rest of the team made only three out of 12.
Aside from Crawford, the Clippers' second unit presents a significant dropoff from the starting five, but the team chose not to get in on a flurry of trade activity at Thursday's deadline.
Glen Davis had an energetic stretch in the third quarter that included stuffing Tiago Splitter emphatically, and he drew an ovation from the crowd when heading to the bench. He scored 10 points, and three of his six boards were offensive.
Hedo Turkoglu is a key part of the current eight-man rotation, which suggests the Clips perhaps should have bolstered the bench with a deadline trade of some kind. He made two free throws, which is actually saying something for a team that shot just 52 percent from the line.
Basically, Crawford is the whole bench.
Grade: B
San Antonio Spurs
Tim Duncan, Power Forward
Tim Duncan saved his best for last, scoring 12 of his 30 points in the final eight minutes of the game. It's unfortunate that didn't suffice, and neither did his 11 rebounds, as the Spurs offense simply couldn't compensate for Kawhi Leonard's no-show.
"The Big Fundamental" actually sank a three-pointer in the first quarter, and he connected on numerous 18-footers as well. Duncan also passed Alex English for 16th place on the all-time scoring list during the third quarter.
Grade: A
Kawhi Leonard, Small Forward
Kawhi Leonard started ice-cold and missed his first eight shots. He was never able to heat up the scoring touch, finishing with one measly field goal on 11 shots.
Leonard is a player whose offensive game thrives on confidence, and after missing nine of his first 10 shots, he attempted only one more field goal after halftime. He still played energetic defense and collected six rebounds and six assists, but this was an utter clunker of a night from the Spurs' only star under the age of 32.
Grade: C-
Tony Parker, Point Guard
Tony Parker has not been Tony Parker this season, but he showed potency in the first half, hitting the break with 15 points and seven dimes. By the time it was over, he was up to 21 and 13. Welcome back, Tony.
And it couldn't have come at a better time.
While the Spurs didn't get the win tonight, perhaps Parker will draw confidence from this outing, and he'll need to trust his legs to maintain his energy on offense.
Grade: A-
Danny Green, Shooting Guard
The Clippers did a good job of restricting easy opportunities on the perimeter for Danny Green. He remained efficient and scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting. Green also played some solid defense late in the fourth quarter, with a stretch of on-ball pressure at the timeline that helped disrupt the Clippers.
Grade: C
Aron Baynes, Center
Aron Baynes did New Zealand proud with his strong night as Leonard struggled. He scored 14, but he also picked up a fifth foul with five minutes left, forcing Popovich to go smaller with Manu Ginobili in the lineup.
Grade: B
Rest of Team
Manu Ginobili was quiet and efficient with 10 points on four shots plus six dimes off the bench, but he did contribute to the bevy of turnovers committed by the second unit. Ginobili coughed it up five times as the second unit lost 12 of the team's 17 turnovers.
Tiago Splitter put in a solid effort as the Spurs' bigs excelled. He scored 11 points in under 16 minutes, and he actually got to the line more times (six) than any other Spur.
Marco Belinelli likes shooting, and he did some of that to get his points. He was one of three Spurs bench players to score in double figures, matching Splitter's 11.
Boris Diaw made a shot-clock-beating three-pointer, and he did little else.
Grade: B
Coming Up Next
The Spurs finish up a brutal back-to-back when they visit the Golden State Warriors on Friday. The Clippers stay put and bring in the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
