Clippers make statement win over Cavs

Inglewood, Calif. (News4usOnline) – There was not much defense played by either team in the first half of the Clippers’ 132-119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, but LA buckled down, holding the second-highest-scoring team in the NBA to only 17 fourth-quarter points.

The Clippers were once again without their head coach, Tyronn Lue, which is starting to become a concern, but picking up a win against the team with the best record in the NBA is the confidence boost they needed.

Still, if Lue were there tonight, he would have said he was happy with the win but disappointed in giving up 45 points in the first quarter.

Not a lot is certain right now in Los Angeles. With 13 games left, the Clippers could sneak back inside the top six in the West to secure a spot in the postseason, but they could just as easily fall to the nine-ten play-in game with a poor stretch of games. The first option would be the preferred route.

Bogdan Bogdanovic has helped take a lot of the pressure off James Harden as a scorer and playmaker, which allows this team to hit even higher peaks offensively. Bogdanovic finished with 20 points and seven assists, going a perfect 8-8 from the field (4-4 from 3). Kawhi Leonard (33), Ivica Zubac (28), and Harden (22) all reach the 20-point mark as well.

“He has the ultimate confidence in himself, and I think you can see that with the way he struts around on the floor. He spaces it out and opens it up even more for Kawhi, James, and Zu. Everybody is willing to play off one another, make the pass, and play unselfishly, and it is only going to help us down the line. It makes it hard for teams to scout us because what do you really want to take away?” said fill-in head coach Brian Shaw. “Bogi coming to our team really gave us a shot in the arm.”

One thing no one is questioning is the Clippers’ abilities on the defensive side of the ball, which ranks near the top of the league in all metrics, and they just proved tonight they can turn it on offensively and win a shootout against arguably the best team in the NBA.

Shaw pointed to the guard play of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell as to why this Cavaliers team has been so great this season. Neither of the two All-Stars scored 20 points, and they finished a combined 11-32 from the field. Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. held them in check for most of the night.

CLIPPERS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/oQ0OW8lmYE

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 19, 2025

Dunn, in particular, bothered Garland with constant pressure, forcing Cleveland to run actions that would move Dunn out of the play.

“We gave them a lot of different looks with different guys. I thought we played physical, and overall, we balanced our physicality with well-positioned defense,” said Shaw.

Dunn has been an All-Defensive-level player this season, even if he is only playing 24 minutes a night. He is second in steals in significantly fewer minutes than the others near the top of the leaderboard, and his on-ball defensive abilities are some of the best in the league.

Ben Simmons, in 13 minutes of action, also provided energy on the defensive side of the ball. When Dunn or Simmons are on the court, they are essentially able to take away one of the opposing team’s best players. While they have their limitations on offense, they fit perfectly in the lineup as defensive stoppers next to all the other scorers on the roster.

“Ben gives us a different look. He gives us the ability to switch one through five, he can guard every position, he gives us length out there on the floor, and he has a high basketball IQ,” said Shaw.

In theory, this Clippers team looks really nice on paper with everyone in the lineup, and they just showed on the court that when they play their best basketball, they can beat any team in the league.

With great depth on the roster and Leonard and Harden still playing at a highly effective level, now is as good a time as ever for the Clippers to make a push for their first championship. Other than maybe the Thunder, who have yet to prove anything in the playoffs, the Western Conference is wide open.