The LA Clippers are coming off their best win of the season on Friday night. They outlasted the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder, 113-112.
Brook Lopez led the way for the Clippers, finishing with 26 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Darius Garland scored 24 points, grabbed four rebounds, and added seven assists, while Gradey Dick contributed 13 points off the bench.
The Clippers weathered a 40-point night by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a monster double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds from Isaiah Hartenstein.
Darius Garland on Gradey Dick
Speaking to reporters after the game, Darius Garland made a strong statement about the improvement of Gradey Dick in the first four weeks of his debut season for the LA Clippers.
“It’s really good to see his confidence going up, and the minutes are going up as well because he’s playing so well and having confidence in himself,” Garland said via Farbod Esnaashari of RTB Sports. “So it’s really good to see.”
Dick had a slow start to the campaign, but he has scored in double digits in four of his last five games. He’s averaging 7.8 points and 3.0 rebounds on 53.3% shooting from the field and 47.6% from 3-point range.
The Clippers acquired Dick alongside Brandon Ingram and a couple of first-round picks from the Toronto Raptors this offseason as part of the Kawhi Leonard trade.
Clippers This Season
The LA Clippers got off to a strong start this season, beating the Sacramento Kings 121-96 in their opener.
However, things began to unravel very quickly as they lost eight in a row. There were some pretty close games, but they were also blown out multiple times during their skid.
The Clippers broke the streak on November 8 against the New Orleans Pelicans, earning a 139-123 win. They followed it with a rough loss to the Phoenix Suns before a bounce-back game against the Thunder.
Darius Garland has been their best player this season so far. He’s averaging 20.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 6.9 assists in 11 games.
Brook Lopez is having a resurgent season at age 38, while rookie guard Keaton Wagler has found his way into the rotation as a sixth man.
As a team, they are 18th in points per game, scoring 112.3. They are also one of the worst rebounding teams, ranking 28th. They even allow 117.5 points per game, which is a bottom-10 ranking in the league.
Nevertheless, the Clippers are playing without Bradley Beal and Brandon Ingram due to injuries.
Clippers’ Darius Garland Makes Strong Gradey Dick Statement