Los Angeles, CA (News4usOnline) – The Clippers are sandwiched right in the middle of what will go down as one of the tightest Western Conference finishes in NBA history. After a strong showing during their back-to-back set against the Dallas Mavericks, LA controls its own destiny when it comes to clinching a playoff birth.
A slow start did not stop the Clippers from blowing out Dallas on Friday, April 4. The Clippers defeated Dallas, 114-91. They were scoreless for nearly two and a half minutes of game time, but LA brought their patented defensive intensity and found a way to keep pace with the rest of the Western Conference.
Ivica Zubac dominated on the glass, taking advantage of the absence of Anthony Davis, grabbing 11 rebounds in the first half.
“The number one goal is to get to the playoffs,” said Tyronn Lue. “We are getting healthy, and guys are back to their normal form. The way we have been playing as of late, when we get into the playoffs, I like our chances.”
Six players scored at least 12 points for LA, which has been the recipe for success during their recent 11-2 stretch. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 20 points and only had to play 24 minutes, getting rest once the game got out of hand.
Saturday presented a new challenge as Davis returned for the Mavericks during the second leg of the back-to-back; the Clippers responded with an even larger margin of victory. Davis led Dallas, scoring 27 points, but Leonard, Zubac, and James Harden combined to score 83 points, resulting in a dominant 135-104 win.
The Clippers remain in a dead heat with five other teams in the West, all competing for four guaranteed spots in the playoffs. With every other team in the race also winning over the weekend, they will probably end up in the play-in if they do not win three out of their last four games of the regular season.
“Once you start the playoffs, it is a whole different season,” said Lue. “Going to the playoffs and playing well is our main goal. We know a lot of teams are jumbled up right now, so we just have to take care of business one game at a time and try to separate ourselves as best we can.”
Houston and Golden State, two teams bunched up with the Clippers in the standings, remain as two of the last four opponents on the schedule. If they can win both of those, and clinch at least the sixth seed, confidence will be very high heading into the first round.
“The last ten games we have played have basically been playoff games; we have to win all of them to solidify our playoff spot, and guys understand that. So going into the playoffs, we will have had these games for like our last 15, so it should be good for us to have that intensity and understand that every night is important,” said Lue.
This is a team with lots of veteran players who have years of playoff experience.
If Leonard keeps playing the way he has, LA will be in good shape. At times, he is still the player who won two Finals MVPs earlier in his career, and that version of Leonard is capable of being the best player in a series no matter who they face.
Featured Image: Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Clippers forward Ben Simmons and guard Bogdan Bogdanovic have kept the team afloat as the NBA regular season winds down with the postseason looming. Photo credit: Melinda Meijer/News4usOnline
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.
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