The Los Angeles Clippers had a disappointing battle during the NBA regular season on Feb. 23, losing 107-129 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first game after the All-Star weekend. Originally seen as a crucial matchup between the Western giants to determine who would occupy the second spot, the game was expected to be a fierce battle for the Kings, but it ended in a big defeat for the Clippers, disgrace the team. After the loss, the Clippers' record slipped to 36-18, widening the gap to the top of the West to 2With 5 wins, the road to catch up is getting more and more bumpy.
Despite the team's poor performance, Leonard, also known as the small card, still showed his superstar style. Although he couldn't turn things around in the game, his stats were still impressive: he shot 9-of-12 from the field, made both free throws from the free-throw line, and scored 20 points, three rebounds and two assists, as well as one steal and two turnovers. Although the plus/minus is -17, it is not easy considering that Leonard does not have enough ball support when he is on the court, and is often relied on when his teammates are unable to open up the situation, and he is still recovering from injury. After all, in a contest at this level, it is unrealistic for Leonard to take on both the scoring and the defensive gate on his own; In order to win such a high-level game, the Big Three must break out collectively, and playing tacit teamwork is the key to victory.
James Harden showed some efficiency, shooting 5-of-9, 3-of-6 from three-point range, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw lineup, contributing 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, but he took relatively few shots in the starting lineup, only one more than Mann. As the team's tactical core, Harden knows that talent alone can't go far in the playoffs, so he tries to lead the game more in the right way. However, in the face of the general sluggish form of his teammates, if Harden's assist count cannot be improved, the Clippers' game rhythm will be in trouble.
During the NBA regular season on Feb. 23, the Los Angeles Clippers had mixed performances. Paul George's performance was not satisfactory, his report card of 6-of-16 shooting and 2-of-6 three-pointers only exchanged for 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. If he wants to earn a max contract and help the Clippers win a championship, George must find a consistent performance as soon as possible.
Although Zubac achieved a double-double - 13 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block, his interior dominance was obviously insufficient, only 5 of 12 shots, and was blocked by opponents 4 times under the basket, leading to a series of counterattacks, showing the Clippers' potential hidden dangers in the center position.
Mann appeared as a starter, but his role seemed to be becoming more and more marginal, and Coach Tyronn Lue was not inclined to use him in crunch time. Although Mann made 2-of-3 three-pointers today, his inefficient overall 3-of-8 shooting allowed him to score just eight points, six rebounds and six assists, with a plus/minus of -14. However, Mann's positivity is still one of the few bright spots.
Powell still maintained a steady outside firepower, shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range to score 19 points, but even so, he was only -22 plus/minus when he was on the court at the same time as Westbrook, relying on his three-pointers to stay the game afloat most of the time.
As for Westbrook, his performance was disastrous, with only 1 of 9 shots from the field, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and only 2 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists and 1 steal. Every time he returns to Oklahoma City, Willis' performance is always worrying. While he was once the hero here, he now urgently needs to put aside the aura of the past and focus on the current performance.