The Los Angeles Clippers continue to roll, beating the Charlotte Hornets 117-109 at the Intuit Dome on Monday. This was a back-and-forth game for much of the night with over 20 lead changes, but the Clippers were able to pull away in the fourth quarter to improve to 16-23.
Neither the Clippers nor the Hornets shot well in the first half here, with the hosts taking a 45-43 lead into halftime. They both then exploded after the break, with 41 points each in the third quarter. The Clippers managed to keep that up for much of the fourth as well and have now extended their winning streak to three games.
Kawhi Leonard: A+
Game Stats: 35 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 TOV, 11-19 FG, 5-9 3PT, 8-9 FT, 31 MIN
Kawhi Leonard didn’t have the greatest of starts against the Hornets, as he made just one of his first four shots. It looked like Leonard might not have enough gas left in the tank as this was the Clippers’ third game in four nights, but he came alive in the third quarter.
Leonard had 19 points on 6-8 shooting from the field in the quarter to get that Clippers offense going. It was some excellent shot-making in what is turning out to be the best scoring season of his career.
James Harden: A
Game Stats: 32 PTS, 4 REB, 10 AST, 4 STL, 1 TOV, 11-28 FG, 3-11 3PT, 7-8 FT, 38 MIN
James Harden struggled massively in the first half here, as he was 4-14 from the field at halftime. The shots did start falling for Harden in the third quarter, but it was in the fourth that he really made his mark in this game.
With the Clippers leading 102-100 with just over six minutes remaining in the contest, Harden took over. He went on a personal 8-1 run to help create some much-needed separation, and the hosts never looked back from then on.
Harden also made a bit of history in this one. He passed Shaquille O’Neal for ninth place on the all-time scoring list with a three-pointer in the third quarter.
Jordan Miller: B
Game Stats: 14 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 6-11 FG, 2-6 3PT, 27 MIN
Jordan Miller’s stat line at halftime would have made you think that this grade wouldn’t be on the cards. He had zeroes across the board, but was much better in the second.
We have seen flashes of excellence from Miller as a scorer, and he was on it in the second half. He had 10 points in the fourth quarter and made some good defensive plays as well.
Brook Lopez: B
Game Stats: 9 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 TOV, 3-6 FG, 3-6 3PT, 20 MIN
Brook Lopez had struggled to hit threes lately and was hesitant to let it fly at times against the Hornets. Lopez had gone 2-18 (11.1%) from beyond the arc in his last four games, but the shots were falling for him here. He also defended the rim well, and head coach Tyronn Lue went with him instead of Ivica Zubac in the fourth quarter.
Nicolas Batum: B
Game Stats: 7 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 1 TOV, 2-2 FG, 2-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, 22 MIN
Nicolas Batum was one of the few Clippers who had a good first half. Batum drilled both of his threes when no one else on either team seemed capable of making one. We saw some good defensive plays from the Frenchman as well.
Ivica Zubac: B
Game Stats: 9 PTS, 11 REB, 2 AST, 4-6 FG, 1-2 FT, 27 MIN
Ivica Zubac came close to recording his third double-double in six games since returning from injury, but Lue decided against playing him in that fourth quarter. Zubac did great work on the glass here, accounting for close to a third of the Clippers’ total rebounds in this game (37) despite his limited minutes.
Kobe Sanders: B-
Game Stats: 8 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 3-10 FG, 2-7 3PT, 23 MIN
Shots haven’t been falling for Kobe Sanders since he dropped 20 points against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 5. Following this poor shooting night against the Hornets, he is now 5-21 (23.8%) from the field in his last four games. Still, he did make some good hustle plays here and was a net positive.
John Collins: C
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 1 TOV, 1-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, 30 MIN
John Collins has been on a tear lately, but he had a surprisingly quiet night against the Hornets. Collins dropped a season-high 25 points against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, but wasn’t really involved in the offense here. Despite this, though, he did have a game-high plus-minus of +16. No one else on the Clippers was even in double digits.
Kris Dunn: D
Game Stats: 2 REB, 0-6 FG, 0-6 3PT, 21 MIN
Kris Dunn has shot the ball well from deep this season, but we unfortunately saw the old version here. Dunn could not make a three-pointer and even airballed on a couple of occasions. It was no surprise then that Lue didn’t have him out there for too long in the second half. Dunn played eight minutes in the third but didn’t get any game time in the fourth.
