Spurs vs. Clippers: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

Staring at a possible 0-2 deficit in what could be his final playoff series, Tim Duncan came to fight. It turns out the old man still has something left in the tank. 

Duncan had 28 points and 11 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard added 23 points, as the San Antonio Spurs pulled away in overtime to earn a 111-107 win over the host Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The best-of-seven series is now tied 1-1 heading back to San Antonio. 

The Spurs shot 6-of-9 in a scorching 17-point overtime, taking advantage of defensive lapses in the Clippers' gassed starting lineup. Patty Mills, playing for an injured Tony Parker (Achilles), scored a team-high eight points in the overtime frame on his way to 18 overall. Duncan added four points, as he became the third-oldest player in NBA history with a 20-point, 10-rebound playoff game, per the Spurs' Jordan Howenstine:

Billed as by far the best first-round matchup, the Clippers and Spurs have not disappointed. The teams battled back and forth throughout the contest, trading mini-runs that at times seemed on the precipice of swinging the result. San Antonio led by four after one quarter and five at the break, but the Clippers continually battled back and showed a toughness many doubted they had.      

When San Antonio opened the fourth with an 11-4 run to go up by double digits, highlighted by a scintillating Leonard turnaround jumper that sent J.J. Redick sprawling to the ground, it appeared the game was over. But the Clippers answered right back with a 9-0 run, chipping away at the lead amid a sea of San Antonio turnovers. 

Part of the reason for that—and a storyline that will follow both teams going into Game 3—is the free-throw shooting of DeAndre Jordan. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate went to the line 17 times, making only six attempts. Gregg Popovich's team continually fouled Jordan throughout the fourth quarter to halt the Clippers offense, a move most expected coming into the series. 

"I wouldn't be shocked to see it more," Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters of the Hack-a-Jordan strategy. "When the Spurs have done it, they've been pretty successful at it because they've done it for so long. They're probably the best at doing it."

The result was a plodding fourth quarter saved only by the frantic, turnover-filled final seconds. Marco Belinelli and Blake Griffin traded critical turnovers in the last minute, the latter resulting in two Mills made free throws to tie the game at 94-94. Chris Paul then missed a potential game-winner as time expired. 

Griffin would later blame himself for the defeat, per Los Angeles Daily News writer Mark Medina:

Paul and Griffin, late-game flubs aside, were once again sensational. They combined for 50 points and almost single-handedly held the Clippers offense afloat at times. Griffin's 29-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist evening made him the second Clipper in history to put up a postseason triple-double, per ESPN Stats & Info. Jordan finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds despite the poor free-throw shooting.

That said, the real stars of the evening were Leonard and Duncan.

Leonard, who has increasingly embraced his role as a two-way superstar since returning from injury in mid-January, has been a high-efficiency monster in this series. He split his scoring almost evenly between the two halves, got progressively better at reading the Clippers' double-teams and attacked his defensive assignments with ferocity. If last year's Finals were Leonard's coming-out party, then he's certainly doing his best now to prove that wasn't a fluke.

“I don’t know that he can be underrated, being the MVP of the world championship,” Rivers said, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “But I think he’s underrated.”

In those moments when the 23-year-old Leonard shows his youth, Duncan remains the constant. 

Duncan, whom the Clippers held in check for 11 points in Game 1, came out red-hot from the opening tap. He made each of his first six shots en route to a 16-point first half, dominating both Griffin and Jordan with a series of short jumpers. It was a stark contrast to the first meeting between these teams, where the Clippers' athletic bigs rendered Duncan a secondary fixture in the offense. Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal noted these stats:

In Game 2, Duncan was as active as he's been all season—even athletically. His fourth-quarter sprawl into the first row of photographers was perhaps the best evidence yet that he's not ready for this series to spark the whole retirement conversation. Quixem Ramirez of The University Star (Texas State) retweeted a Boris Diaw quote from ESPN's Ramona Shelburne:

“We’ve been in this situation several times before in our run together,” general manager R.C. Buford recently told Grantland's Zach Lowe. “None of us look beyond where we are right now.”

Where the Spurs are right now is in a 1-1 tie heading back home for two games. In other words, right where they want to be. 

Unfortunately, it remains to be seen whether the full cavalry will make it back in time for Friday night. Parker, who managed just one point on 0-of-6 shooting in 30 minutes, is suffering through tightness in his Achilles and wasn't seen after the five-minute mark in the fourth quarter. While Mills and Cory Joseph can approximate some of the production, San Antonio isn't going anywhere if Parker keeps scoring 11 points in two-game stretches.

For now, though, the Spurs can hold their heads high knowing they got done what they needed to in Los Angeles. It's up to Duncan and Co. to prove they didn't empty the tank to do so.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter