Clippers, now ‘tougher defensively,’ prepare for upstart Hornets
Still surging while on a recent revival, the Los Angeles Clippers return home to Inglewood, Calif., to face another team feeling optimistic from a recent sign of success.
With nine victories in their past 11 games, the Clippers have been getting a glimpse of their potential and now face a test Monday from the Charlotte Hornets, who are coming off a season-best 150-point night.
While Kawhi Leonard has been the primary offensive focus of late, Los Angeles' defense has also fueled the resurgence. It was evident in a 98-92 victory over the short-handed Detroit Pistons on Saturday when Leonard scored 26 points and John Collins had 25.
Leonard has averaged 32.5 points and 7.5 rebounds over the team's 9-2 run, up from his 27.8 points and 6.4 rebounds on the season.
The Clippers trailed the Pistons by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter before pulling even at 92-92 with exactly two minutes remaining. Los Angeles outscored Detroit 28-8 over the final 9:21 in a surge that started with a 12-0 run.
"We got tougher defensively," Los Angeles head coach Tyronn Lue said. "We didn't allow them to score easy baskets. ... It allowed us to get out in transition, which was better for us. Just our mindset, to get down 14, 16 points to keep fighting and competing, that's what I like to see."
It was the fourth time the Clippers have held an opponent below 100 points over the past 11 games. But when they faced the Boston Celtics on Jan. 3, they were torched for 146 points, including 50 from Jaylen Brown.
The Hornets' 150-95 road victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday included multiple franchise marks, like the second-largest margin of victory in team history, while tying the record for the most double-digit scorers with nine.
The 150 points and 53 made field goals were season highs, as were the 78 bench points and the 57-point lead they held in the fourth quarter. Charlotte ended up making 24 3-pointers on 59 attempts (40.7%).
Tre Mann scored a team-best 20 points, all in the fourth quarter, while Brandon Miller scored 18 points and LaMelo Ball had 17, going 5 of 11 from 3-point range. Charlotte has just 14 victories, but half have come since Dec. 14.
"It was amazing to set the tone," said Collin Sexton, who scored 15 points off the bench. "It was one of those feelings that you could tell that everything we talked about during shootaround and everything we talked about in practice really showed."
Grant Williams returned with nine points and eight rebounds in 14 minutes after last playing in November of the previous season while recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus injury.
"It starts with the communication we had on defense to tighten up that side of the ball fully, especially against a talented team like the L.A. Clippers with Kawhi and James (Harden)," Williams said of the current five-game road trip.
Charlotte has held four of its last five opponents below 100 points.
The Clippers earned a 131-116 road victory over the Hornets on Nov. 22 for Los Angeles' only win in a stretch of nine games. Harden scored 55 points to set the franchise record, with Leonard matching it Dec. 28 against the Pistons.