Hoops Habit
Fansided

Los Angeles Clippers: 3 Takeaways From Comeback Win

By Cameron Stewart

March 2, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) is congratulated by forward Wesley Johnson (33) and center DeAndre Jordan (6) after drawing a foul against Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
March 2, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) is congratulated by forward Wesley Johnson (33) and center DeAndre Jordan (6) after drawing a foul against Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next

The Los Angeles Clippers came back from being down 22 points to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game with playoff intensity. The game taught us a few things that we can take into consideration going forward.

March 2, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) moves to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and guard Dion Waiters (3) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
March 2, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) moves to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and guard Dion Waiters (3) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

You can be forgiven if you turned off the matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night at halftime when the Thunder had a 20-point lead over the Clippers. You could even be forgiven if you decided to turn the game off and went to bed at the start of the fourth quarter, when the Thunder held an 85-68 advantage.

But if you did, you missed out on one helluva finish.

The Clippers made a miraculous fourth quarter finish and won 103-98 against the Thunder that brings the Clippers within 1.5 games of the Thunder for the third-best record in the Western Conference.

The shots that weren’t falling for the Clippers for the first three quarters started falling and the shots that the role players from the Thunder who started out so hot had turned cold. DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul took command of the game and refused to let the Clippers squander an opportunity to gain some ground in the playoff race.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Los Angeles Clippers

Jordan was spectacular, scoring 20 points and 18 rebounds while knocking down key free throws down the stretch that gave his team and the home crowd a burst of energy. Chris Paul played great in a matchup against Russell Westbrook, totaling 21 points and 13 assists and being the very best version of himself when the game got tight.

The Thunder faltered a lead once again, less than a week after losing what might have been the game of the year in similar, heartbreaking fashion against the Golden State Warriors.

While much of the talk in the aftermath have focused in on the Thunder’s side of things, there are a few important notes from the Clippers’ perspective that we can take away from this game.

Next: The Clippers Are Second-Tier Contenders

Home/LA Clippers