Clippers put on defensive effort in win over Hornets

Day after day this season, Charlotte residents have streamed into the Spectrum Middle to ooh and ahh on the LaMelo Present. The Hornets’ second-year level guard has led a proficient troupe with a tantalizing bag of tips — firing three-pointers from effectively previous the arc, tossing up between-the-legs alley-oops, firing extravagant no-look passes.

The hometown circus, nevertheless, was shut down Sunday. A gritty Clippers group marched in, conscious the Hornets would look to freewheel alternatives in transition, and held Charlotte to 33% taking pictures from the ground en path to a 115-90 drubbing.

“They fly up the court docket, and that’s one thing we’ve been battling,” coach Tyronn Lue stated pregame. “Simply bought to remove their straightforward baskets.”

The Clippers largely eradicated alternatives for takeoff on this sport, due to dogged protection in transition that hustled again for deflections and to, fairly actually, cease the Ball.

Within the midst of 1 Clippers run within the second quarter, Ball went into a posh dance routine one-on-one in opposition to ahead Justise Winslow. Out and in he dribbled between his legs, jerking side-to-side till he lastly bought an inch of area and prolonged to the rim for a end — however Winslow spiked his layup try into the stands, getting within the younger star’s face and smirking for a second.

The second was emblematic of a powerful defensive group effort. The Chino Hills native tried his justifiable share of theatrics on this sport — tossing an inbounds cross behind his again within the first half, making an attempt an off-the-backboard lob, pulling deep threes early within the clock — and nonetheless shone with a double-double. However Los Angeles held Ball to 8-of-19 taking pictures and 1-of-6 from deep, not often letting him discover a rhythm that has so usually electrified the Hornets this season.

Regardless of the trouble, the Clippers danced across the Hornets for a lot of the primary three quarters, unable to land a punch sturdy sufficient to open a big lead.

That was, till coach Tyronn Lue subbed in a unit that has shone throughout this highway journey on the finish of the third.

Up only a level with a minute left, an Isiah Hartenstein-Brandon Boston-Eric Bledsoe-Justise Winslow-Amir Coffey mixture went to work, beginning with a Hartenstein rifle cross to the nook that led to a Boston Jr. flush. After Hartenstein met dynamic ahead Miles Bridges on the rim to keep at bay a layup try, Kennard galloped downcourt and stepped again easily for a clear three-pointer. Coffey adopted with a layup to shut out the quarter, and out of the blue the Clippers had been rolling with an eight-point lead.

After months of getting to attach collectively scrapbook lineups, Lue lastly has a near-full rotation to tinker with. It’s been a godsend on this highway journey, significantly as bench mainstays like Winslow and Kennard are peaking on the proper time.

“Getting Luke again to the place he was earlier than he bought COVID, getting Isaiah again from being out with that ankle damage … Justise’s been phenomenal as effectively,” Lue stated earlier than the sport. “Justise is simply pushing the basketball, attacking, attending to the basket, and making the best play too.”

After they signed Winslow within the offseason, the Clippers had been on the lookout for a discount, hoping a participant coming off a hip alternative and a yr the place he’d shot 35% from the ground might rediscover a few of the point-forward magic that after made him an up-and-coming shiny spot on the Miami Warmth.

He’s beginning to rediscover that magic, all proper — however in a barely completely different function. Winslow’s starting to thrive as a small-ball, point-center-type for Tyronn Lue, the 6-foot-6 bruiser snatching rebounds and careening downcourt like a runaway bowling ball to arrange his teammates for transition buckets.

He had maybe his finest sport of the season in opposition to the Hornets, tallying 13 factors and a career-tying three blocks. Because the Clippers opened up an enormous fourth-quarter surge, Winslow was on the heart, bullying his means into the lane for a bevy of floaters.

After an up-and-down stretch, rookie Boston Jr. shone, tying Reggie Jackson with 19 factors because the Clippers’ main scorer. Kennard added 14 factors and three threes to proceed a flame-throwing run from past the arc, even chipping in with a shocking 10 rebounds.

A protracted week and a half of motels and napping on airplanes is nearly over for the Clippers, with only one extra opponent within the Indiana Pacers standing of their means Monday earlier than a return to Los Angeles.

Evans reported from Los Angeles.

❤️ Support Independent Journalism

Your contribution keeps our reporting free, fearless, and accessible to everyone.

Secure via Razorpay • 12 monthly payments • Cancel anytime before next cycle