Knicks get routed by Clippers, allowing 144 points
Julius Randle loses control of the ball during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers. Credit: AP/Ashley Landis
LOS ANGELES — There would be no historic performance this time. There would be no comeback. Instead, one night after the Knicks rode Jalen Brunson's 50-point game to a win in Phoenix, they crashed to Earth at the hands of the rapidly improving Los Angeles Clippers.
Coach Tom Thibodeau pulled the plug as early as he might ever have done it, removing the starters and clearing the bench with more than six minutes left in the game. The joy of a night earlier was replaced by the Knicks' stars sitting on the bench with towels draped over their shoulders waiting for the final buzzer.
Unlike when the Knicks beat them shortly after they obtained James Harden, the Clippers have found a groove and are emerging as a legitimate title contender. It was all on display as they beat the Knicks, 144-122, at crypto.com Arena on Saturday night.
Only the early exit by the starters may have saved the Knicks (14-11) from topping their worst defensive performance of the season (146 vs. Milwaukee). They have allowed an average of 132.0 points in their last six games.
Kawhi Leonard, plagued by injuries and absences in recent years, has played every game and been the leader of the star-heavy squad. He was on this night, scoring 36 points in 30:14, shooting 12-for-16 from the floor and 5-for-6 from three-point range. Paul George added 25 points and Harden had 10 points and 12 assists for the Clippers (15-10).
“Great players always figure it out,” Thibodeau said before the game. “It doesn’t happen in a split-second. Those guys have played together before, so I felt like, OK, this should be or will be a pretty easy transition for them. They’re all high- IQ guys. I think the big thing for them is health.”
Brunson and Julius Randle each had 22 points for the Knicks, but the problem was on the other end of the floor as the Knicks fell behind by as many as 32 points at 141-109.
The Knicks trailed 77-66 at the half — the most points they’d allowed in the first half of any game this season — and much of the damage was done at the free- throw line. The Clippers were 26-for-30 from the line in the half.
While Brunson came back to Earth, shooting 1-for-6 in the first quarter — and misfiring on both of his three-point attempts after going 9-for-9 from outside the three-point line on Friday night — Donte DiVincenzo stepped into the void as the red-hot shooter. He scored 12 points in eight minutes, shooting 4-for-4, all from beyond the arc.
But the task got harder for the Knicks with 9:28 remaining in the second quarter when Josh Hart was ejected, getting a quick hook from referee CJ Washington for comments made to the official that drew two technical fouls. Hart played only eight minutes before being tossed and the Knicks already were struggling with the Clippers around the rim. Ivac Zubac scored 11 first-half points and grabbed six rebounds for the Clippers and Knicks center Jericho Sims was pulled with two fouls after just four minutes.
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Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
