The high-level competition the Clippers faced this week allowed them to gauge themselves against some of the NBA’s best teams.
The Clippers have proven they can go toe-to-toe with elite teams and they’ve done so without coach Tyronn Lue, who has missed five of the last seven games because of back pain.
And the Clippers displayed their grit again Friday in a 128-108 blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies at the Intuit Dome.
The seventh-seeded Clippers not only moved to 2½ games behind the fifth-place Grizzlies with their fifth consecutive win, but they also swept the season series 3-0. The Clippers (40-30) are just one game behind sixth-place Golden State.
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“We want to focus on ourselves and win as many games as we can,” said Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who had another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. “But at the same time, every night I’m watching the games, watching the teams in front of us, teams that are behind us in the standings, hoping they lose — I’m being a hater. … But now, we’re trying to win as many games as we can, focus on us and see where that takes us.”
James Harden led the Clippers with 30 points and nine assists. He was five for 10 from three-point range, giving him 202 on the season. He joined JJ Redick and Paul George as the only players in franchise history to make at least 200 threes in a season.
Kawhi Leonard had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Norman Powell got back in the groove, scoring 14 points. Powell, who was one for two from three-point range, has made 448 three-pointers with the Clippers, pushing him past Lou Williams for seventh on the team’s all-time list.
“Obviously we’re playing our butts off and finding the rotations, who is playing well and going with that,” Harden said. “We got a full roster. We’ve been waiting on this moment the entire year and now we’re here to where we actually see some good Clipper basketball. So, for us it’s just figuring out who is playing well, what works and what doesn’t work and in the midst of that trying to win games.”
With Lue at home, Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw was at the helm. The Clippers are 5-1 under his guidance.
Before the game, Shaw was asked how being in charge of a team is different from being an assistant.
“A lot less sleep,” Shaw said, laughing.
Shaw led the Clippers to an impressive win Tuesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the best record in the NBA. On Sunday in Inglewood, the Clippers meet an Oklahoma City Thunder team that has the best record (58-12), and Shaw will be ready.
Read more: No coach, no problem as Clippers rise up to beat NBA-leading Cavaliers
“Every game is a must-win for us,” Zubac said. “So, we’re feeling good, we’re playing good. I think we’re in a good rhythm right now and it’s obviously going to be a challenge. I think that’s the best team in the league throughout the whole year. … I don’t know if it’s going to show where we’re at, but it’s going to be a good challenge for us.”
Assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy missed his second straight game dealing with a family medical issue. He won’t return to the Clippers for at least a couple of weeks, the team said.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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