Los Angeles Clippers Show Promising Signs In Win Over Chicago Bulls
The Los Angeles Clippers showed promising signs on defense in the second half of their win against the Chicago Bulls. It was a solid performance after a disappointing post All-Star break stretch.
The Los Angeles Clippers were in a bit of a rut prior to their game against the Chicago Bulls. They had lost four of their first five games after the All-Star break, including a disappointing loss to the Milwaukee Bucks the night before.
The Clippers struggled to defend during that stretch. They allowed more than 110 points to all but one opponent, and they gave up 105 to them. Despite the return of an elite defender in Chris Paul, Los Angeles had trouble keeping their opponents off the board.
That trend of poor defense continued in the first half of their game against the Bulls. Chicago started out hot and continued to put up points. They led 61-55 entering the second half.
Everything changed in the second half for the Clippers. They allowed just 30 points in the second half, including 12 in the third quarter. After a few games marked by concerning defensive effort and awareness, they kept the Bulls in check with smart rotations and great effort. If the Clippers want to reclaim the fourth seed in the West, they will need to maintain that effort level over the next few weeks.
Post-New Orleans Blues
The Clippers were likely to struggle after the All-Star break due to a brutal first few games. They played the Golden State Warriors in Oakland in their first game after the break. They played the San Antonio Spurs in their next game, and the Houston Rockets one game after that.
While those games were all probable losses, dropping all three games to the top teams in the West was a troubling sign. Even their win against the Charlotte Hornets was rife with concerns. Although the game did go to overtime, they should not be allowing a non-playoff team in the East to score 121 points.
These defensive issues led to a damaging loss to the Bucks on Friday. One game after allowing the Rockets to score 70 points in the first half, they allowed the Bucks to put up 66 in the first two quarters. The Clippers were not putting in enough defensive effort, either physically or verbally through their communication:
Both Paul and J.J. Redick jog back on the first play, leaving Malcolm Brogdon with days to shoot from the corner. On the next play, Giannis beats Blake Griffin off the dribble rather easily, and DeAndre Jordan just lets him fly in for the dunk.
As with their loss to the Rockets, the Clippers got off to a slow start on defense and were not able to recover. With a game against Chicago the next night, this Bucks loss could have been a huge blow to their confidence and record down the stretch.
First Half in Chicago: More of the Same
The Clippers continued their worrying trend of poor first half defenses against the Bulls. Chicago scored 19 points in the first six and a half minutes of the first quarter. The last three of those 19 points came on an embarrassing defensive breakdown in transition:
It is almost difficult to find anything that the Clippers did correctly on this possession. DeAndre Jordan is on Rajon Rondo because neither guard is in position. Chris Paul is set up on the defensive end but does not cover the leaking Dwyane Wade. He half-heartedly goes for the steal instead of at least running out towards Wade.
After Rondo passes the ball, Jordan joins the two other Clippers in the paint that are guarding Robin Lopez. Both Jordan and Redick look at Wade on the wing but do not even bother to close out. While Luc Mbah a Moute deserves credit for sticking with Jimmy Butler, the rest of the Clippers make poor defensive choices on this play.
Shutting down the paint should be a priority against a Bulls team that cannot shoot from deep. However, Robin Lopez should not be getting triple-teamed when Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler are on the floor. These kinds of defensive mistakes typified the struggles that the Clippers have had recently on that end of the floor.
Second Half: The Turnaround
Doc Rivers must have given an incredible halftime speech because the Clippers were a dramatically better defensive team in the second half. They managed to hold the Bulls to less than half of their first half scoring total in the second.
The Bulls did make a number of careless turnovers in the second, which clearly hurt their cause. However, the main factor in the turnaround was a stellar defensive effort by Los Angeles. One key sequence from the third quarter showed just how stark the difference was:
Instead of laying off him as he had in the play from the first half, J.J. Redick is all over Dwyane Wade here. DeAndre Jordan comes over to help and forces a miss. Jimmy Butler slips past Blake Griffin to tap the ball out. As soon as Rajon Rondo gets the ball, Redick points over to the open Bobby Portis. Griffin then closes out to the arc to force a Portis miss.
The team operates as a unit defensively on this play in a promising way. Redick holds his ground well on Wade and is quick to point out Portis as he swings open. Chris Paul tries to check Robin Lopez and makes a valiant effort on the rebound.
While abandoning Jimmy Butler in the corner afterward may not have been the wisest move, he does manage to snare the second rebound before Rondo knocks it away. Mbah a Moute switches onto Lopez at just the right time to allow Griffin to make the close out. Every Clippers player does their job on this play, and it results in a key stop as they built momentum in the third quarter.
Moving Forward
The Clippers were an elite defensive team to start the season. They allowed just 98.8 points per game through their first 20 games. Although their defense has fallen off since then, they have demonstrated that ability to stop people in the past.
The Clippers had a rough first five games after the All-Star break. Their game against the Bulls was on track to be another disappointment. However, Los Angeles righted the ship and allowed fewer than 100 points for the first time since the break.
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The Clippers are still only one game behind the Utah Jazz for the fourth seed in the West. If they can build on their strong defensive performance in the second half against Chicago, they are as good a bet as any to emerge from the seeding battle between the fourth and seventh seed in the West.