LA Clippers lose to the Indiana Pacers at home, Golden State up next- December 2016
The LA Clippers came in confident vs. the Indiana Pacers and jumped out to a huge lead in the first quarter. The Pacers had star forward Paul George back for the first time after an injury and he was kept at bay by defensive wizard Luc Mbah a Moute early. The Clippers got sloppy and let Indiana hang in and they clawed their way back to take a lead in the 3rd quarter. Rodney Stuckey was unstoppable and the Pacers played clutch down the stretch as the final was 111-102.
The Pacers had 7 players in double figures for the well balanced effect. Indiana ended up shooting 49%. The difference in the game was the bench play and that Indiana had 9 turnovers compared to 20 for the Pacers. The Clippers record fell to 16-6 and Indiana improved to 10-10. Coach Rivers was not happy with the team’s performance after they let the lead get away early. The Pacers played smarter and harder for the victory.
Blake Griffin led the way with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Chris Paul added 18 points and 11 assists but the team shot 44% from the field and they were 10-30 from 3 point range. Only Jamal Crawford was effective off the bench with 14 points so the team needs others off the bench to pick it up. Up next is the toughest test vs. Golden State on Wednesday at the Staples Center.
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