The high-level competitors the Clippers confronted this week allowed them to gauge themselves towards a few of the NBA’s finest groups.
The Clippers have confirmed they will go toe-to-toe with elite groups they usually’ve executed so with out coach Tyronn Lue, who has missed 5 of the final seven video games due to again ache.
And the Clippers displayed their grit once more Friday in a 128-108 blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies on the Intuit Dome.
The seventh-seeded Clippers not solely moved to 2½ video games behind the fifth-place Grizzlies with their fifth consecutive win, however additionally they swept the season sequence 3-0. The Clippers (40-30) are only one recreation behind sixth-place Golden State.
James Harden led the Clippers with 30 factors and 9 assists. He was 5 for 10 from three-point vary, giving him 202 on the season. He joined JJ Redick and Paul George as the one gamers in franchise historical past to make no less than 200 threes in a season.
Kawhi Leonard had a double-double with 23 factors and 10 rebounds. Ivica Zubac additionally had a double-double with 17 factors and 10 rebounds.
Norman Powell obtained again within the groove, scoring 14 factors. Powell, who was one for 2 from three-point vary, has made 448 three-pointers with the Clippers, pushing him previous Lou Williams for seventh on the group’s all-time checklist.
With Lue at residence, Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw was on the helm. The Clippers are 5-1 beneath his steering.
Earlier than the sport, Shaw was requested how being answerable for a group is totally different from being an assistant.
“A lot less sleep,” Shaw mentioned, laughing.
Shaw mentioned “making the final decision” is the largest distinction between the roles.
“I’m more aware of everything that’s happening,” he mentioned. “As an assistant coach, we’re always giving ideas to Ty and obviously he has to make the final decision. So, the biggest is just being in that situation where now the other assistants are giving me a bunch of suggestions and at the same time I might have something on my mind and then trying to juggle what they are telling me, but keep the point that I want to make or a specific thing that I want to do. Just trying to balance that. But other than that, it’s just basketball and it’s just coaching and it’s just trying to keep everything balanced.”
Shaw led the Clippers to a formidable win Tuesday night time over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the perfect document within the NBA.
On Sunday in Inglewood, the Clippers meet an Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder group that has the perfect document (58-12), and Shaw might be prepared.
Assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy missed his second straight recreation coping with a household medical challenge. He received’t return to the Clippers for no less than a few weeks, the group mentioned.
