Shorthanded Clippers Win a Thriller Against Wizards 113-112

You can breathe now Clipper Nation. The Clippers won a roller-coaster of a game today against the Wizards. A game in which the Clippers started down 13-0, then found themselves up 14, then found themselves down again. The most memorable moments of today’s game were: Lou Williams game winning 3, and the bizarre shot clock situation that proceeded it.

With 1.2 seconds on the clock, the Wizards in-bounded the ball and couldn’t get a shot off. The entire arena celebrated as if the Clippers had won the game. After much confusion, the officials decided the clock started too early, and put 1.1 seconds back on the clock. Luckily for the Clippers, Marcin Gortat missed the potential game winning shot after that sequence.

NBA Official Bill Spooner said this about the situation: “We had a clock malfunction, early start. The crew actually incorrectly reset the shot-clock to 1.1, we should have reset it to 0.1 The reason is, on an early start, we timed the possession, the lost time. The only time we was 0.1. So we should have inbounded the ball at the point of interruption, which is what we did, but it should have been at 0.1 instead of 1.1.”

Otto Porter led the way for the Wizards, posting: 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. However, Bradley Beal was the second-half hero for Washington. Despite only scoring 2 points in the first half, Beal put up 23 points in the second half.

The Clippers were once again led by the phenomenal play of Lou Williams. Lou posted: 35 points (11/20 shooting), 8 assists, and a game winner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_r3eY-6kB4

First Half Cushion

I mentioned in the pre-game that the Clippers needed a cushion to escape this game. In the 3rd quarter they were up 66-52, and that was the cushion they needed to survive the Wizards’ offensive onslaught. The Clippers are playing so many young players, that a defensive collapse is bound to happen.

Bradley Beal scores 16 PTS in Q3 for the @WashWizards! #DCFamily pic.twitter.com/aQe2FmuMNu

— NBA (@NBA) December 9, 2017

So when Bradley Beal erupted for 16 points in the 3rd quarter, the Clippers were still up 85-81.

Fourth Quarter Heroics

The Clippers seemed all but done with 1:01 left, as they were down 105-109 and Tomas Satoransky was at the free throw line to shoot two free throws. Satoransky miraculously missed both shots, and the Clippers proceeded to hit big shot after big shot in the final minute. Within one minute, the Clippers went on an 8-3 run.

It was complete madness. This game essentially came down to the fourth quarter grit of the Clippers, and the clutch shots of Austin Rivers & Lou Williams.

The Final Clip: The Wizards out-rebounded the Clippers 44 to 33, and out-assisted them 33 to 22. Despite that, the Clippers showed true tenacity and found a way to win.