Spurs vs Clippers: San Antonio was playing against a title contender on the second night of a back-to-back, and it certainly felt like it.
Thursday night in Los Angeles, the San Antonio Spurs (14-35) were destroyed 138-100 by the Los Angeles Clippers, dropping to 0-4 all-time against the Clippers. On the second night of a back-to-back, San Antonio was playing a title contender while feeling a little beat up. Kawhi Leonard dominated his former team, scoring 27 points and dishing out 7 assists in the victory. With 35 points and 7 assists, Paul George added some highlight-reel moments.
It happened late in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Clippers’ game against the San Antonio Spurs, if anyone needed any more evidence of how assured Paul George and the team are feeling. Following a poor pass by Stanley Johnson, George stole the ball from Zach Collins, dribbled down the court, and threw down a windmill dunk to give the Clippers a 20-point lead.
At the end of the first quarter, Kawhi’s three and and-1 helped the Clippers gain a commanding 41-25 lead. The remainder of the game, which was a rout the entire time, saw the Spurs never cut their deficit to under ten points. Four other Spurs scored in double figures, including Keldon Johnson, who led the team with 19 points. Isaiah Roby scored 12 points off the bench with a pair of triples on a night when several players were injured.
George, who is averaging 22.4 points after missing five games earlier this month due to right hamstring soreness, said, “My body has been feeling pretty good, and I have been working really hard to stay healthy and keep it that way.” “At this point, everything is sort of fitting together. We’re in good health and working out our rotations. It was George’s fifth game with at least 35 points this season. The Clippers recorded their largest winning margin since 2021 thanks to his 14 of 19 field goal shooting, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. Since 2013, they have won a game by at least 38 points 11 times.
Jeremy Sochan, who tweaked his quad in the loss to the Lakers the previous night, was replaced in the starting lineup by Keita Bates-Diop, who scored 13 points. Romeo Langford was absent, so Malaki Branham took his place and contributed 5 points and 3 assists.
The Spurs’ appearance of Blake Wesley was a promising development. The rookie, who had been recovering from an injury for a few months, played 16 minutes off the bench. Although he only had 5 points, he showed he still had explosive leaping ability by cutting in for a dunk.
San Antonio lost for the 18th time in its last 23 away games and has now lost 10 straight. The Spurs have lost at least 10 straight road games in a season for the fifth time in franchise history. The 1985–86 campaign saw them endure a 12-game road losing streak, which was a season-high.
They have a 22-game overall away losing streak, which began in the 1988–89 season and continued into the following year.
San Antonio lost for the 23rd time in a row on the road and has now dropped 10 straight games. For the fifth time in team history, the Spurs have lost at least 10 consecutive road games in a season. They experienced a 12-game road losing streak, a season-high, in the 1985–86 season.
Overall, they have lost 22 straight games away, a streak that started in the 1988–89 season and continued into the following year.
The Spurs’ 14 turnovers led to 26 points for the Clippers, who shot over 58% from the field and 47% from beyond the arc. The next matchup for San Antonio is on Saturday against the Suns. The Spurs recently lost to the Lakers by a score of 113–104. Jeremy Sochan contributed 14 points, while Keldon Johnson led the team with 25 points and five rebounds.
Doug McDermott scored nine points in the defeat, while Zach Collins finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. “The guys played themselves silly. Even though they were making youthful errors with eight minutes left in the game and a two-point lead, we were unable to convert. Gregg Popovich said, “They [the Lakers] made three threes in a row and made it an 11-point game.
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