LA Clippers bounce back with victory over New York Knicks but defense remains a concern
Monday 6 January 2020 07:38, UK
Paul George, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams’ combined offensive effort was enough to carry the LA Clippers to victory over the New York Knicks but their team defense remains a concern.
A day after a 26-point loss to Memphis, the Clippers had at least three players score at least 30 points for the first time in franchise history.
Harrell scored 34 points while George and Williams added 32 apiece as the Clippers bounced back from an ugly 140-114 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies with a 135-132 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time two players have scored 30 points off the bench in a regulation NBA game since the 1970-71 season.
"Montrezl and Lou were fantastic. History is good. Someone has to make it," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
"We saw Lou and Montrezl lead the way. Watching that from the bench, it got us motivated. We knew the job we had to do," said George, who posted his seventh 30-point game this season. He was 9-of-14 from the field, including 5-of-6 on three-pointers, in 32 minutes.
Both teams shot 54 per cent or more from the floor in a game that will not go down as a defensive masterpiece.
"You can win games with bad offense and good defense," Rivers said. "Tonight, people can say either the offense was phenomenal or both teams struggled defensively. The players will say one thing, but the coaches will say the other."
Rivers might be surprised that George agreed with him.
"We still allow too many points. We have got to get better on defense. That was the emphasis coming into today," George said. "It is an area we have got to improve. Tonight, our offense got us over the hump."
Speaking on NBA TV's Gametime, analyst Sam Mitchell voiced his own concerns about the Clippers' defensive worries.
"They gave up 132 points [to the Knicks] one day after giving up 140 to the Grizzlies, said Mitchell. "Doc Rivers said it [on Saturday night], this team is not a championship team right now.
"When you think about this Clippers team, you think defense, right? After [giving up] 140 and 132 points, you better think again!
"This is the concerning thing: Paul George, Kawhi Leonard (who , Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams. Those five guys play 'D'. And if they can't get stops…
"We have been saying the Clippers are the best team in the West even though they haven't played like it. But it is time to start saying they have got to earn the right to be called that.
"Doc Rivers is trying to tell these guys, 'it don't work like that'. In the Western Conference, if you catch a hot Houston Rockets team in the playoffs and you think you can just flip that switch on, you may be in trouble."
