Clippers Pace the Pacers in the Face

The Los Angeles Clippers (38-18) got their 6th win in a row tonight against the Indiana Pacers (25-28) 126-115 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Well that was quick. After getting their last 6 game win streak snapped by a pair of losses, the Clippers have once again rattled off 6 wins in a row. This win did not come as hard as the last one did, but it was a competitive one for sure. The Pacers being the home team came to play and kept the game pretty close throughout, only allowing LAC to gain as much as a 14 point lead.

They were only able to create a 6 point lead for themselves though, and even with some good games from Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, and Domantas Sabonis who scored 29, 26, and 20 points respectively, they could not keep pace with the superior Clippers team. Even with Kawhi Leonard sitting out for the second game in a row, it being on the road, and the Pacers playing well, this game was never really in doubt.

STAR OF THE GAME

Paul George with his 36 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals. This is his 4th game in a row with at least 30 points. Before these past 4 games, Paul was in a bit of a lull due to his nagging foot soreness. He seems to have that under control, because he is once again playing at a MVP level. Paul loves to play against the team that drafted him and averages the most points against them than any other team that he faces. He makes Indy regret trading him every time he returns. Tonight was no different as he was filling up the stat sheet, shooting the lights outs by making 13 out of 25 from the field including 4 out of 7 from 3, and being far and away the best player out on the court.

BIGGEST CONCERN

Health, health, health. Kawhi sat out for the second game in a row due to foot soreness. All of you out there know who imperative it is for the Clippers to be healthy going into the playoffs, so I am not going to go into a deep dive into the reasons why once again. Kawhi is traveling with the team on this road trip, so that is promising. He is their best player, so his health is the most important. Without him the Clippers have absolutely NO chance of winning it all. So it is understandable that they would sit him if he is in pain as to not further exacerbate any sort of injury he may have. Even if it is a minor one. His absence has been noticeable on the defensive end; but even so, the team seems to be doing all right without him for the moment. However, they are going to need him back soon. Real soon.

SURPRISE CONTRIBUTION

Nicolas Batum and his 14 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a whopping 5 blocks. Nic has been a stat stuffer throughout his career and he stuffed that sheet once again tonight. The 5 blocks is what was surprising though. He started a block party by himself as he alone got as many blocks as the entire Pacers team. Batum was the Clippers savior tonight as he was rejecting shots at the rim when it seemed Indiana was for sure going to score. He was sending them back in the halfcourt after defensive breakdowns, on the fast break, and even out on the perimeter. He has been apparently been practicing blocking shots against his 5 year old. As funny as that sounds, it seems to be paying off for him.