Perhaps some 12 months sooner or later the Los Angeles Clippers may have everybody 100% for the playoffs. It without a doubt does not appear to be that is the 12 months.
Kawhi Leonard performed within the Clippers’ 101-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Sport 3 in their first-round collection on Friday, however seemed nowhere just about 100%. He neglected Sport 1 with a knee harm and was once thought to be questionable for Sport 3.
The general outcome was once 9 issues on 4-of-7 capturing with 9 rebounds, two assists, 4 turnovers and a minus-4 score at the court docket. He did not glance anything else like his standard dominant self on protection, both.
That wasn’t all of the reason the Clippers misplaced convincingly in Dallas, however it is certainly essentially the most regarding storyline because the group strikes ahead down 2-1. It is a acquainted storyline as neatly, as he neglected a lot or the entire Clippers’ playoff runs in 2023, 2022, 2021.
It was once a crisis recreation for the Clippers, total. After maintaining the Mavericks to just 8 issues in 1 / 4 in Sport 1, Los Angeles yielded an unacceptable quantity of simple baskets to Dallas on Friday. It is not even like Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving had been cooking them. Each had off nights, combining to shoot 15-of-42 from the sphere. Dončić additionally neglected time within the first part with an obvious harm.
In the meantime, the Clippers offense was once merely a multitude with 18 turnovers at the night time. Take out Ivica Zubac’s 8-of-11 capturing line they usually had been 24-of-59 (40.6%) from the sphere.
And we have not even talked in regards to the ugliest a part of the sport.
Russell Westbrook, P.J. Washington ejected in fourth quarter
With the sport all however out of achieve, Russell Westbrook performed silly video games and received silly prizes.
As Dončić ran previous him on protection, Westbrook reached out and yanked him again by means of the precise arm. It was once obviously now not a basketball play, and Westbrook made it worse when he shoved Dončić away as the 2 exchanged phrases.
It had already been a extremely chippy recreation — those groups have a combative historical past over the last few years — and it culminated in P.J. Washington strolling up and shoving Westbrook within the again. Westbrook grew to become round and were given him again, then was once escorted clear of the scene.
Westbrook and Washington had been each issued two technical fouls, resulting in computerized ejections. Westbrook completed the sport 0-for-7 from the sphere with one level.
He will have an much more antagonistic crowd looking ahead to him in Sport 4 on Sunday, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT in Dallas (ABC).