Kawhi Leonard and Lou Williams dazzle as the Clippers squeak out another close win
Los Angeles-- On Wednesday night, the Clippers needed a big play from their superstar, and he delivered with a game-clinching block. There was no emotion from him, he's been doing this his whole life, so nothing new here.
Down by five points with a minute to go, the Los Angeles Clippers needed a miraculous comeback.
Leonard drove right on Houston’s P.J. Tucker, pivoted to find room and lofted an 18-foot, go-ahead jumper with 15.4 seconds remaining at Staples Center to all but seal a second consecutive wild victory, 122-119, that featured a 10-2 Clippers run in the final minute.
Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Lou Williams combined to outscore the Houston Rockets 10-2 the rest of the way.
“All Kawhi needs is an inch,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
The victory pushed the Clippers (11-5) to 10-1 at home for the first time in franchise history.
Harden scored 37 points, one-off his league-leading average, with 12 assists, and Rockets teammate Russell Westbrook added 22 points in his first game against former Oklahoma City teammate Paul George, who had 19 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
Leonard scored 24 points, with none bigger than the jump shot over Tucker.
"We made shots, got stops, we played with confidence," said Williams, who led the Clippers with 26 points -- all in the second half.
"We fight hard. We leave it all out there on the court," Montrezl Harrell said. "We never feel like we're out of a game."
The Rockets (11-5) scored on three consecutive possessions with fewer than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but the streak was snapped after JaMychal Green got a piece of an attempted put-back by Rockets center Clint Capela with 37 seconds to play and the Clippers trailing by two.
The ball, like it was on a magnet, found the hands of Leonard, who pushed ahead and found Lou Williams in the corner for a go-ahead three-pointer with 30 seconds left to play.
Have to give credit where it's due, whether you want to admit it or not. This team knows how to win nailbiters.
But for some reason, officials did not see Rivers attempting to call a time out, standing nearly at mid-court, and Houston coaches were furious he was not assessed a technical foul.
Let’s be clear though, referee’s are not going to decide a game on a technical foul in the dying seconds of a game. It’s a bad look.
Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said, "We had three officials and nobody saw him out there so it is what it is. The whole team saw him out there. Everyone saw him out there. That was a big play."
The Clippers and Rockets previously had battled once this season, but when Westbrook started the Clippers’ first offensive possession by stalking George at the top of the three-point arc, it was the first time they’d met since their two-year run together in Oklahoma City ended in July after a pair of shocking trades.
Only 16 months before, the dynamic duo inhaled a celebratory cigars together at a house party in Oklahoma City after George agreed to stay with the Thunder as part of a four-year contract.
But of course, that fell through.
Yet one season in his contract, Oklahoma City had crashed out of the playoffs to the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, and George was being recruited by Leonard to contemplate joining the Clippers.
As free agency opened last July, the Thunder learned George desire to be traded. They complied, and weeks later dealt Westbrook to Houston too, for a hard franchise restart, which the city of Oklahoma City isn’t used to.
But George reiterated numerous times of his fond memories of playing alongside Westbrook.
“He puts his ego to the side,” George said. “He allowed me to be myself, he allowed me to be comfortable. And I had one of the best career [years] I had while playing alongside him.”
Clippers: Host New Orleans on Sunday to conclude a stretch of five straight home games.