NBA scores 2015: DeAndre Jordan overcomes free throw struggles in Clippers win

Jordan struggled greatly from the line as the Spurs intentionally fouled him all during the fourth quarter, but still was the main reason Los Angeles won.

by Tim Cato

Feb 20, 2015, 12:55 PM UTC

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

You’d be hard pressed to find a stranger stat line than DeAndre Jordan’s Thursday performance: 26 points, 18 rebounds and 17 missed free throws.

Gregg Popovich is an ornery old man who dislikes just about everything -- except for things that help his team win. Against the Clippers, it was Hack-a-DeAndre, starting more than eight minutes into the fourth quarter. It worked. Jordan was 6-for-14 from the line in the fourth and forced Doc Rivers to remove him from the game with 4:26 to play until he was near the two-minute mark, where intentional fouling is penalized. It immediately resulted in an easy Spurs layup.

Jordan came near an infamous record -- his 17 missed free throws was perilously close to Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record of 22. Yet in a bizarre way, San Antonio’s strategy was a compliment: it was the only way the Spurs could slow Jordan down on the inside, where he had his way with whatever defender the Spurs tried to match him with.

Even though Duncan was powerless against Jordan's brute strength on offense, he was magnificent going up against him on the other end. Duncan scored 30 points on 12-for-14 shooting to pass Alex English to become the No. 16 all-time NBA scorer, all while grabbing 11 rebounds. Tony Parker was also excellent, with 21 points and 13 assists without a single turnover.

But even with the free-throw shenanigans, the Clippers were nonplussed. The two teams combined to make the final nine shots of the game, with Los Angeles’ four makes being just enough to hold off one last desperate San Antonio surge.

Jordan’s free-throw shooting may be the main takeaway from his game, but it was his other contributions that put the Clippers in a position to win, too.

3 other things we learned

Serge Ibaka's 20-20 game powers undermanned Thunder. Ibaka's 21 points and 22 rebounds was his first 20-20 game of his career and easily led Oklahoma City past Dallas, 104-89, even though they weren't at full strength after dealing Reggie Jackson and Kendrick Perkins at the trade deadline earlier that day. Russell Westbrook was nearly as impressive, scoring 34 points and doing whatever he pleased against inept Dallas perimeter defense. And while he did commit six turnovers, his 10 assists -- including this ridiculous bullet pass -- was more than enough to make up for it.

One concern for the Thunder -- Kevin Durant's health. After starting 3-for-3 from the field, Durant finished 1-for-11 and limped considerably down the stretch before finally subbing out with the game well in hand for the Thunder. While Oklahoma City isn't concerned about him missing time, Durant fading down the stretch is an obvious concern for the Thunder when they aren't blowing the opposing team out.

Durant doesn't look anywhere near healthy. Just shouted to Brooks "I can't move." Not sure what exactly the context was. But he's limping.
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) February 20, 2015

The Mavericks didn't take their All-Star break seriously, or something. Although the bench did attempt a mild comeback in the fourth quarter, Dallas never even trailed by single digits in the second half. Ibaka's 22 rebounds was the fourth time they've allowed an opponent to grab 20 or more rebounds while the offense didn't break 40 points until several minutes into the third quarter. Rajon Rondo returned after missing six games before the break with facial fractures, but he played horribly, shooting 2-for-9 from the field, visibly hurting the Mavericks' offense with his inability to make outside shots. Dallas should hope newly acquired Amar'e Stoudemire can make a big difference in his debut on Sunday, because the team performance Thursday was completely uninspired.

Play of the Night

This is a THUNK, we’ve decided -- a throw-in dunk. Yes, Jordan’s not quite at the rim, and, yes, it’s more of a toss through the hoop. Don’t care. Still awesome.