Los Angeles Clippers: How a team with no All-Stars is tied for 1st in the West

Late-game finishing

From the games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards all the way up until the recent comeback win over the Grizzlies, this team has consistently found itself in tight contests and, more often than not, the Clippers have come out on top.

While Lou Williams has proven once again that he’s one of the best at delivering in the fourth quarter (two game-winners and third in fourth quarter points with 7.5 per game), the Los Angeles Clippers have proven to be a team that can close out games for the most part — save a recent blown lead to the Wizards for their second meeting.

The Clips are currently ranked second overall in fourth quarter points per game at 29.1, behind only the Sacramento Kings. They have rallied multiple comebacks in the clutch, including the aforementioned victory over the Grizzlies.

Down 55-42 at the end of the first half, L.A. put together 59 points over the next two quarters. A series of buckets and defensive stops with some clutch free throws from Gallinari that would force the game into overtime. Eventually, they would come out with the win on an Avery Bradley strip to stop an attempted 3-pointer from Garrett Temple.

While Williams would score eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined, it was a complete team effort. From the 3:57 mark and onward, there were a multitude of defensive stops and clutch buckets resulting from unselfish play on both ends of the floor, which eventually led to a win.

It was not only Williams that shined, but a lot of offensive and defensive prowess from Harrell on unselfish and smart feeds from the likes of Harris and Bradley.