The San Antonio Spurs blew out the Los Angeles Clippers Friday, winning 100-73 to take a 2-1 series lead while grabbing control of the first-round series. Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Spurs, who looked every bit like the defending NBA champions.
Clippers vs. Spurs final score, NBA playoffs 2015: 3 thing we learned as the Spurs grabbed hold of the series
The San Antonio Spurs blew out the Los Angeles Clippers to grab a 2-1 lead and control of the series.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
The Spurs led 46-38 at the half, but it felt like it could have been a much bigger lead. They missed a lot of open shots in the first half, shooting just 43.9 percent. The Clippers were much worse -- they shot just 34.1 percent in the first half.
The second half was the Kawhi Leonard show, he scored 13 of the Spurs’ first 15 points in the third quarter to give the Spurs a 16-point lead and San Antonio never relented. They led 70-49 after holding the Clippers to 11 points in the third -- the lowest for the team this season. The blowout continued in the fourth as the Clippers never got close.
Leonard led the Spurs with 32 points, and Boris Diaw added 15 off the bench. Meanwhile, Tim Duncan had just four points and seven rebounds and Tony Parker added only six points and three assists.
Chris Paul had one of the worst playoff games of his career with just seven points and four assists. Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Here’s three things we learned Friday night.
1. Kawhi Leonard reaffirmed that this isn’t just his team in the future, it’s his team now
Leonard had 16 points in the first half, and he didn’t slow in the second. On the day he accepted his Defensive Player of the Year trophy, Leonard took over on the court. He ended with 32 points on 13-of-18 shooting with four rebounds and an assist. The Spurs veterans happily let Leonard lead the way. It’s easy to step aside when the young gun can do this:
2. The Clippers have a knack for giving away playoff games
In the first round of the 2014 playoffs, the Clippers won a seven-game series over the Golden State Warriors. They got rocked by 21 in Game 4 of that series. The Spurs led by as many 13 in the first half and it looked like the Clippers would fold, but then it seemed like they weren't going to fold. Even after horrible shooting in the first half, they were only down eight. Then Leonard took over in the third quarter and the Clippers gave in. One of their worst offensive performances of the season came at an unfortunate time. The Spurs defense stymied the Clippers -- they rotated Leonard and Danny Green on Chris Paul -- and the Clippers couldn't respond.
3. The Spurs can put this thing away on Sunday
San Antonio knows they can bury the Clippers on Sunday, but they know it’s not going to be this easy. It’s a must-win game for the Clippers, who could take back their home-court advantage with a win in Game 4. But the Clippers need to be worried, they had no answer for the Spurs. As poorly as the Clippers played in the first half, the Spurs weren’t that much better. Sure, they led by eight, but it should have been more. They hit 43.9 percent of their shots in the first quarter, but they missed a good amount of open looks. Right now, the Clippers don’t have an answer for the Spurs. If they don’t find one by Sunday, this series could be over.
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