Getty James Harden reacts to a hard foul by Paul George.
The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers made an early entry for the game of the year on Tuesday. The Nets and Clippers gave fans a show during a 124-120 shootout. The game came down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The two heavyweights traded big baskets in the final minutes but the firepower of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden was just too much for the Clippers to contain in crunch time. The Clippers are still sitting comfortably as the top seed in the Western Conference but their star shooting guard Paul George was still not happy about the loss. Specifically the officiating.
Paul George Was Upset With the Officiating in the Loss
“I absolutely think it was disrespectful I had one free throw attempt today,” George told the media over Zoom after the loss via Tom Azarly of Clutch Points. The amount of plays I initiated or created contact, and to get sent to the line one time. Definitely plays I’m gonna have sent in.”
“I absolutely think it was disrespectful I had one free throw attempt today. The amount of plays I initiated or created contact, and to get sent to the line one time. Definitely plays I’m gonna have sent in.”
– Paul George after Clippers’ loss to Nets.
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By the numbers, the Clippers did not really “earn” the generosity of the referee’s whistle in the loss. While the Clippers did shoot just 17 free throws to the Nets 26 they also shot 36 three-pointers to the Nets 31 three-point attempts. Paul George shot 10 of those 36 attempts and was just 3-7 from beyond the arc. While George’s frustrations are understandable, Brooklyn was clearly the more aggressive team during the game.
The Nets and Clippers Stars Showed up
The stars were out on Tuesday as Brooklyn’s “big three” of Durant, Irving, and Harden combined for 90 points on the night. Harden also messed around and got a triple-double. It is his fourth time doing so since joining the Nets. PG and Kawhi Leonard also showed up big albeit in a losing effort. Leonard had an insane stat line of 33 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. PG poured in 26 points of his own including a big three that cut the Nets lead to just one in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.
Brooklyn’s Bench Is Still a Problem
The Clippers led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter but did what the Nets have been notorious for this season. They took their foot off the gas and as a result, the Nets players were able to get hot. While the win over the red-hot Clippers was impressive, the Nets bench is still concerning. Clippers sixth man Marcus Morris Sr. outscored the Nets bench 16-14 by himself. Help could be on the way for Brooklyn’s second unit. Iman Shumpert and Norvel Pelle will finally be available when Brooklyn takes on the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
The Nets have a chance to be the number one seed in the Eastern Conference At the end of the weekend. They have a big back-to-back coming up against the Raptors and Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers. If they can claim the top seed in the conference and maintain it heading into the all-star break it could be a big morale booster heading into the second half of the season.
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