Getty The Clippers' defense has been a big part of the team's turnaround.
A week ago, it looked like the Clippers were wallowing in their old familiar NBA rut. After a promising blowout win against the Hornets, the Clippers were following up with a dud against the Hawks, down 22 points in the third quarter at home against a mediocre East team. Typical, it seemed, for a team that had not put together back-to-back wins in more than a month.
We know what happened from there: Led by bench players Luke Kennard and Terance Mann, the Clippers rallied to come back and win the game by nine points. They have not lost since, winning four more in a row by double-digits, including Monday’s drubbing of the Bucks by 24 points.
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Whatever it was that clicked in for the Clippers, it happened in that Hawks win.
“Down 22 changed everything,” wing Nic Batum said on Monday. “I mean, something was born that night. Coach took all the starters out and we came back and rallied up and win the game. Kawhi (Leonard), PG (Paul George) and Mook (Marcus Morris) finished the game. I think something changed that night.”
Clippers Have Dominated Since Atlanta Win
Well, maybe everything changed. Start with the defense, which should be a strong suit for the Clippers, but for much of the year, L.A. was only so-so. Before the Atlanta game, according to NBA stats, the Clippers were 14th in defensive efficiency. They have been eighth in the NBA going back to March 22, the date of the Hawks win.
The same can be said for the offense, which was already good but is humming with special efficiency now. The Clippers are scoring 124.6 points per 100 possessions, tops in the league in the past eight days, up from 116.6 points per 100 possessions, which was second.
Their rebounding is up. Their turnovers are down. It all leads to some dominating performances—during their six-game winning streak, L.A. is winning by an average of 19.4 points per game. The numbers are impressive:
| Off. Efficiency (NBA Rank) | Def. Efficiency (NBA Rank) | Rebound% (NBA Rank) | Turnover% (NBA Rank) | |
| Before Hawks W | 116.6 (2) | 111.3 (14) | 51.5 (10) | 13.3 (4) |
| After Hawks W | 124.6 (1) | 106.7 (8) | 53.6 (3) | 10.3 (2) |
Three of the individual keys have been plyers who have seen their roles fluctuate throughout the year. Mann has been getting regular minutes lately and has responded with 15.0 points (on 53.6% shooting) and 7.6 rebounds in his last five appearances. Kennard is scoring 11.0 points per game in that span, making—and this is not a typo—70.6% of his 3-pointers.
Point guard Reggie Jackson, too, has been effective offensively, scoring 14.4 points on 51.0% shooting in his last five.
The Clippers, of course, have been playing shorthanded, with point guard Patrick Beverley (knee) and center Serge Ibaka (back) injured. Beverley has been out since March 14 and Ibaka has been out since the 15th. George missed the game against Milwaukee. Newly acquired point guard Rajon Rondo has yet to play for the Clippers as he, too, battles injury.
Given the chemistry this team has put together recently, there is some danger in bringing back injured guys and adding Rondo. Mann might play less. Kennard might see a reduced role, too. Jackson almost certainly will see his time cut when both Beverley and Rondo are on board.
But Leonard tried to keep things in perspective. He told reporters the key to keeping up the Clippers’ recent success would be continuing the attention to detail.
“Tomorrow presents a different challenge,” he added. “Just gotta come in locked in, wanting to play hard, focused on what we want to accomplish as a team, and keep moving forward.”