Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball in the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Staples Center, November 7, 2019. /VCG Photo
The Los Angeles Clippers avoided their second loss in a row as they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 107-101 at the Staples Center on Thursday. Though Kawhi Leonard returned for the Clippers and scored 18 points in the fourth quarter alone, the team showed a few worrying signs that could really use some help, namely Paul George.
This should have been an easy win for the Clippers which had the chance of making it a blowout in the first half. Their young center Ivica Zubac was almost unstoppable in the contest with Hassan Whiteside by grabbing more offensive rebounds and even showing some impressive footwork under the rim. When the Trail Blazers replaced Whiteside with Skal Labissiere, the Haiti big man was simply too thin to stop anyone of the Clippers in the paint.
Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball in the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Staples Center, November 7, 2019.
When head coach Doc Rivers sent his most powerful offensive squad – Leonard + Lou Williams + Montrezl Harrell – in the second quarter, the game seemed to be only minutes away from a forgone conclusion.
However, that did not happen, mainly because of the disappointing shooting of the Clippers which made only on 3-pointer in the first two quarters. Having survived the most dangerous period, Portland began to launch a counterstrike via efforts of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
Moreover, a very confusing decision by coach Rivers in defense also backfired. He put Landry Shamet, a 1.93-meter-tall guard who lacks athleticism to mark Lillard and had 1.85-meter Patrick Beverly to cover 1.91-meter McCollum. As a result, Lillard kept evading Shamet to either attack the basket or pull up in the middle range; McCollum took full use of his height advantage by shooting over Beverley's head.
Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers poses triple threat in the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Staples Center, November 7, 2019. /VCG Photo
A 36-23 run in the third quarter did not seem enough as the Trail Blazers surprisingly watched second-year guard Anfernee Simons shoot down 15 points in Q4. Fortunately for the Clippers, Leonard who was only 3/13 in the first three quarters found his touch back to make six field goals plus six free throws to deliver the 900th win to Rivers in his coaching career.
The Clippers had quite a lot to learn from this close game and one of them was how to balance their squad on the court. Williams and Harrell are two necessary pieces of the team's best squad but Harrell's size means he cannot protect the rim and Williams is one of the worst defenders of the league. When Leonard bricks a lot, the Clippers will have to rely on the screen plays between Williams and Harrell, which will expose the biggest defensive weakness. The good news is, George is set to come back next week and he should be able to offer a solution to the team.
Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic share Heat's win over Suns
Goran Dragic (L) and Jimmy Butler (R) both make great contributions in the team's game against the Phoenix Suns af the Talking Stick Resort Arena, November 7, 2019. /VCG Photo
The Miami Heat claimed an easy win of 124-108 over the Phoenix Suns at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. The visiting team did everything right: Jimmy Butler carried his teammates by making nine of 10 shots and 10 free throws to get 30 points in the first two quarters. When he calmed down in the second half, Goran Dragic stood out to continue to dominate the game with 20 points. The Heat's young big man Bam Adebayo again showed his passing ability by delivering six assists in addition to 15 points+ 10 rebounds.
By contrast, the Suns failed to turn the game into what they preferred. Aaron Baynes was a good surprise offensively to score the team's highest 23 points but, unlike Deandre Ayton, he is not fast enough to cover the 3-point line from where Myers Leonard and Kelly Olynyk together buried three shots. It's not much, but threatening enough to scare Baynes out of the paint.
Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns shoots in the game against the Miami Heat at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, November 7, 2019. /VCG Photo
Devin Booker has developed good orchestrating ability in the last two seasons but he did not do well in his major duty: scoring. The 23-year-old only took 16 attempts in Thursday's game, fewer than 17 by Baynes. When Booker cannot turn his firepower into points, it's hard for the Suns to win.
The other disappointment about this game was the contest between Booker and Miami's Tyler Herro. Both were selected with the No. 13 picks in the draft and have shown outstanding scoring ability soon after they entered the NBA. Booker's 70-point performance aside, Herro shot down Miami's highest 29 points in the team's game against the Atlanta Hawks on October 29. He buried three 3-pointers, earned 16 free throws and made 12 of them.
Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat and Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns are both selected with the No. 13 pick in the NBA Draft. /VCG Photo
In his pregame interview with NBA.com, Herro said: "I'm definitely excited (to play Booker). He was my favorite growing up, looking up to him. Playing him for the first time will be crazy, but I'm definitely excited." Many actually expected him to model his game after Booker. As for Mr. 70-point, Phoenix's head coach Monty Williams saw parallels between him and Brandon Roy.
In fact, as the No. 13 selects, both Booker and Herro can dream bigger after the Charlotte Hornets selected a high-school guard from Lower Merion and sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1996 NBA Draft.
Other games on Thursday included (home teams in bold)
Boston Celtics 108-87 Charlotte Hornets
Oklahoma City Thunder 112-121 San Antonio Spurs