In the final game of their most recent NBA game, the Los Angeles Clippers lost 106-113 to the Milwaukee Bucks. The course of the game was full of twists and turns, with the Clippers leading by 10 points in the first quarter and the Bucks closing the gap in the second quarter. In the third quarter, as a whole, the Clippers had the upper hand. However, James Harden scored 10 straight points in a key moment in the final quarter, but the Bucks then responded with a 15-0 offensive wave. At the critical moment, the Clippers lost their offensive power and ultimately lost the game. In terms of stats, James Harden played and contributed 29 points, four rebounds, eight assists and three turnovers. Kawhi Leonard contributed 16 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals. Paul George had a great performance, finishing with 29 points, five rebounds, two steals and three turnovers. Ikai Zubac contributed six points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two turnovers. There was also the performance of Nikola Theis, who had seven points and six rebounds, and Midax Mann who contributed four points and three rebounds.
After this game, the Clippers ended their previous two-game winning streak and are still in fourth place in the West. In fact, in the course of this season, the shortcomings of the Clippers have been exposed, that is, the weakness of the interior strength. Including the game against the Bucks, the Clippers' interior couldn't withstand Lillard and Portanos' breakaways. Of course, to find the reason for the loss, we can see that the Clippers suffered four main losses: First, they were affected by two consecutive games. The Clippers held the lead for most of the game and even stretched the margin to double digits, but going into the second half of the game, it was clear that the Clippers were not in good shape, their offense suddenly lost momentum, and the defense could not stop the Bucks' counterattack. It's not just an excuse for losing, in fact, the Clippers really didn't get the rhythm right in the final quarter, and James Harden could even be seen panting during the timeout.
Second, the Clippers couldn't defend Lillard's scoring. With Antetokounmpo (Yannis Antetokounmpo) and Middleton (Chris Middleton) both absent, Lillard continued to score throughout the game. At the same time, the Bucks have home-court advantage, and the referees favor them to some extent. Especially at the end of the third quarter of the game, Lillard kept scoring free throws and disrupted the Clippers' rhythm. In contrast, Kawhi Leonard didn't get much support for the referee's decision, and the referee chose to ignore it even when it was a clear foul. In addition to not being able to stop Lillard, the Clippers couldn't stop Portanos' performance. In the final quarter of the game, Portanos suddenly exploded, contributing 14 points and looking overwhelmed when the Clippers faced the Bucks. The third reason for the loss was that Kawhi Leonard made just 6 of 19 shots from the field, and the Clippers have been trying to defend the small card closely, but his performance has also been problematic.
For example, in one round in the final quarter, Leonard made a turnover, the Bucks made a fast break, and then Leonard broke through to a layup and was blocked by Rover's hat, and in another round, Portanos singled Leonard for a jumper. Throughout the final quarter of the game, Leonard's performance felt like he was cranky, unable to attack or defend, and in this game, he was only 316% shooting. Perhaps, the fatigue of back-to-back games is also a reason for this. The last reason for the loss was about Tyronn Lue's tactical issues. In the final quarter, Coach Lu used a five-man lineup for a long time, which led to Portanos finding his attacking rhythm. The coach of the Bucks in the game was Mike Budenholzer, but he showed very wisdom in terms of personnel. When the Clippers played Ikai Zubac, the Bucks put on a space-oriented frontcourt, and when the Clippers switched to a small lineup, the Bucks set up a two-tower lineup.
To sum up, the problem comes down to the lack of strength on the inside of the Clippers. Zubac is too slow to go out and defend, which is a shortcoming for the Clippers. Theis did well, but unfortunately Coach Lu gave him too little playing time. As for Marcus Morris, he is simply unreliable. In addition, Tyronn Lue also has a problem that Harden was very hot in the first half of the game, scoring 10 points in a row at one point, but in the second half, Coach Lu decided to let Leonard take over the game, and Harden passed the ball more. However, the Clippers players on the court did not share this tactic, and they wanted Harden to continue playing. This has led to disagreements between coaches and players over their tactics. To put it another way, if they continue to keep Harden on fire in the final quarter, the Clippers probably won't lose this game. It can be said that Tyronn Lue did not properly analyze the situation on the field, and he is also to blame for the loss.
Leonard was frustrated in an interview after the match, saying: "Tonight's reversal shouldn't have happened, we need to improve our execution and focus more after the timeout. The loss was blamed on me, and I had a hard time shooting on the offensive end. From these words, it can be seen that Leonard has a sense of responsibility for the loss and shows a strong sense of responsibility. Next, Leonard continued: "We have to forget about this defeat as soon as possible, there are many games in a season, we can't get into one defeat, the next game should be what we need to focus on now. ”
James Harden was also interviewed about the Clippers' use of a five-man lineup in the final quarter, Harden said: "We knew what we had to do, there were a lot of openings on the court, but we were a little confused about the small lineup, like who should cover and so on. It's our own responsibility, we need to fight for rebounds and maybe we shouldn't use a small lineup. Harden made it clear that he didn't think the Clippers should use a small lineup in the final quarter, clearly questioning Tyronn Lue's decision. Actually, it's not just about this game, Harden has made similar remarks in previous losses to the Thunder. That's when he thought Theis should get more playing time. This has to say that Taryn Lue's related issues are confusing. Harden's reminder is already in place that the five-man lineup doesn't work for all opponents. Thankfully, Anis Antetokounmpo didn't play today, otherwise the Clippers would have been in a more difficult position. Finally, the Clippers will play the Rockets on the road next, then the Bulls and continue at home against the Bucks. Hopefully, Leonard will be able to recover soon, and hopefully, Tyronn Lue will give Theis more opportunities to play.