Game ID: 22300343
New York Knicks @ LA Clippers
Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 10:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 35 42 37 30 144NYK 33 33 32 24 122
LAC vs NYK ScoutingLAC vs NYK Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAC availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Coffey missed 2 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 4 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 14 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 12/02, out tonight
LAC availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 3 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 5 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 15 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 12/02, out tonight
LAC availability going into 12/12 · back-to-backOUT Coffey missed 4 since 12/02, returns tonight: 9 min (43% of 21)
OUT Tucker missed 6 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 16 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 12/02, returns tonight: 9 min (64% of 14)
LAC availability going into 12/14 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 7 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 17 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 9 min since (43% of 21)
BACK Hyland back 12/12 after 4, 9 min since (64% of 14)
LAC availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 8 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 18 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 12/11, returns tonight: 5 min (50% of 10)
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 19 min since (93% of 21)
BACK Hyland back 12/12 after 4, 9 min since (64% of 14)
LAC availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 9 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 19 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 18 min since (89% of 21)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 5 min since (50% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 10 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 20 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 18 min since (89% of 21)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 6 min since (55% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Tucker missed 11 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 21 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 12/14, returns tonight: 10 min (71% of 14)
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 23 min since (109% of 21)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 6 min since (55% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 12 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 22 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 12/21 after 4, 10 min since (71% of 14)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 9 min since (91% of 10)
NEW Coffey 21 to 27 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/08 · 2 days' restOUT Fournier missed 8 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK McBride back 11/28 after 2, 2 min since (9% of 21)
BACK Sims back 11/28 after 2, 2 min since (18% of 12)
NEW Robinson 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Fournier missed 9 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK McBride back 11/28 after 2, 2 min since (9% of 21)
BACK Sims back 11/28 after 2, 2 min since (18% of 12)
NYK availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Fournier missed 10 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/05 after 2, 6 min since (31% of 21)
BACK Sims back 12/05 after 2, 12 min since (97% of 12)
NYK availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 11 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/05 after 2, 6 min since (31% of 21)
BACK Sims back 12/05 after 2, 14 min since (114% of 12)
NYK availability going into 12/16 · back-to-backOUT Robinson missed 3 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 12 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/05 after 2, 5 min since (23% of 21)
BACK Sims back 12/05 after 2, 15 min since (121% of 12)
NYK availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 4 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 13 since 11/18, out tonight
NEW Sims 12 to 19 min over the last 4
NYK availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 5 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 14 since 11/18, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 31 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/23 · 2 days' restOUT Robinson missed 6 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 15 since 11/18, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 7 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 16 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 2 since 12/20, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 30 and Harden at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Tucker (8 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 130, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 29 free throws a game; Randle at 30 and Brunson at 28 a game. Without Robinson (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 109 a night to New York's 130. Call it the Clippers 121, New York 112.
12/08 @ UTA 117-103 — LAC notes
LAC won 117-103. LAC shot 49% (43 of 88) to UTA's 45%, 15 of 34 from three. Leonard led with 41 (14 of 23, 6 of 8 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); George added 20, Zubac 18. The hinge was Q2, 27-20: a lead of 6 became 13, and the lead reached 18. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
12/11 vs POR 132-127 — LAC notes
LAC won 132-127. LAC shot 55% (49 of 89) to POR's 48%, 13 of 34 from three. Leonard led with 34 (11 of 19, 3 of 8 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); George added 20, Harden 20. The hinge was Q1, 43-32: from level to 11 ahead. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
12/12 vs SAC 119-99 — LAC notes
LAC won 119-99. LAC shot 52% (44 of 84) to SAC's 42%, 11 of 29 from three. The glass went 49-38 for them. Leonard led with 31 (11 of 14, 2 of 3 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Harden added 15, Powell 15. The hinge was Q2, 38-24: a lead of 8 became 22, and the lead reached 33. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/14 vs GSW 121-113 — LAC notes
LAC won 121-113. LAC shot 51% (41 of 81) to GSW's 43%, 13 of 32 from three, and went to the line 30 times to GSW's 19 — 26 points from the stripe to their 17. Harden led with 28 (6 of 12, 5 of 6 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Leonard added 27, Powell 21. The hinge was Q2, 40-28: a lead of 1 became 13, and the lead reached 16. Powell was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
12/16 vs NYK 144-122 — LAC notes
LAC won 144-122. LAC shot 57% (50 of 88) to NYK's 47%, 16 of 33 from three, and went to the line 34 times to NYK's 26 — 28 points from the stripe to their 23. Leonard led with 36 (12 of 16, 5 of 6 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); George added 25, Powell 16. The hinge was Q2, 42-33: a lead of 2 became 11, and the lead reached 32. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
12/18 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 129, shooting 49 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Haliburton at 20 and Turner at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Nembhard (4 straight), Smith (8 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 113, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 26 free throws a game; Leonard at 34 and George at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Tucker (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 113 a night to Indiana's 129 and the arc, the Clippers at 42 percent from three to Indiana's 32. Call it the Clippers 123, Indiana 120, Indiana keeping it close.
12/20 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Dončić at 37 and Hardaway Jr. at 19 a game. Without Irving (5 straight), Green (8 straight), Kleber (18 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 118, shooting 55 percent and 43 from three, 26 free throws a game; Leonard at 31 and Harden at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Tucker (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-4 a night and Dallas minus-2 and the arc, the Clippers at 43 percent from three to Dallas's 37. Call it the Clippers 121, Dallas 117, Dallas keeping it close.
12/21 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 120, shooting 49 percent and 32 from three, 27 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 114, shooting 55 percent and 43 from three, 27 free throws a game; Leonard at 30 and Harden at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 6 a night. Without Tucker (11 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-6 a night and OKC minus-5 and the arc, the Clippers at 43 percent from three to OKC's 32. Call it OKC 120, the Clippers 118, the Clippers keeping it close.
12/23 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 121, shooting 54 percent and 43 from three, 25 free throws a game; Leonard at 30 and George at 25 a game. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Tucker (12 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brown at 25 and Tatum at 24 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 25 free throws a game to Boston's 18 and the defense, Boston allowing 113 a night to the Clippers' 121. Call it the Clippers 119, Boston 118, Boston keeping it close.
12/08 @ BOS 123-133 — NYK notes
NYK lost 123-133. NYK shot 50% (44 of 88) to BOS's 53%, 15 of 37 from three, and went to the line 27 times to BOS's 21 — 20 points from the stripe to their 18. NYK turned it over 13 times to BOS's 7, and BOS turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 44-34 for them. Brunson led with 23 (8 of 17, 0 of 5 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Barrett added 23, Randle 20. Q4 was theirs, 28-24, the deficit cut from 14 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 109-95 against them. Brunson's -21 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/11 vs TOR 136-130 — NYK notes
NYK won 136-130. NYK shot 60% (52 of 86) to TOR's 49%, 17 of 29 from three, and got to the line 23 times to TOR's 30. NYK turned it over 15 times to TOR's 10, and TOR turned those into 12 steals. Randle led with 34 (14 of 21, 1 of 3 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Barrett added 27, Brunson 21. The hinge was Q2, 31-25: from level to 6 ahead. Grimes was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
12/13 @ UTA 113-117 — NYK notes
NYK lost 113-117. NYK shot 44% (41 of 94) to UTA's 44%, 9 of 39 from three, and went to the line 32 times to UTA's 21 — 22 points from the stripe to their 15. NYK turned it over 8 times to UTA's 15. Randle led with 32 (14 of 23, 2 of 6 from three); Brunson added 23, DiVincenzo 21. Q1 was theirs, 31-22, but the other 3 periods went 95-82 against them. They led by as many as 10. Grimes's -27 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/15 @ PHX 139-122 — NYK notes
NYK won 139-122. NYK shot 60% (49 of 82) to PHX's 52%, 17 of 29 from three, and went to the line 28 times to PHX's 21 — 24 points from the stripe to their 17. Brunson led with 50 (17 of 23, 9 of 9 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Randle added 23, Barrett 21. The hinge was Q4, 42-23: NYK came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 17, and the lead reached 20. NYK trailed 63-68 at the half and won the second half 76-54. Hart was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
12/16 @ LAC 122-144 — NYK notes
NYK lost 122-144. NYK shot 47% (44 of 94) to LAC's 57%, 11 of 35 from three, and got to the line 26 times to LAC's 34. Brunson led with 22 (7 of 17, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Randle added 22, Barrett 18. Q1 was theirs, 33-35, but the other 3 periods went 109-89 against them. Barrett's -30 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/18 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 29 and James at 29 a game. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Vincent (22 straight). 2 days' rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 129, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brunson at 28 and Randle at 26 a game. Without Robinson (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 113 a night to New York's 129. Call it the Lakers 120, New York 116, New York keeping it close.
12/20 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Thomas at 26 and Bridges at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Simmons (19 straight), Smith Jr. (6 straight), Walker IV (8 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 124, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and Randle at 28 a game. Without Robinson (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-2 a night and Brooklyn minus-5 and the line, where New York takes 26 free throws a game to Brooklyn's 20. Call it New York 119, Brooklyn 117, Brooklyn keeping it close.
12/23 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brunson at 28 and Randle at 26 a game. Without Robinson (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Milwaukee comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 33 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 32 and Lillard at 31 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Crowder (19 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the line, where Milwaukee takes 33 free throws a game to New York's 27. Call it New York 121, Milwaukee 120, Milwaukee keeping it close.
12/25 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 121, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 31 and Randle at 25 a game. Without Robinson (7 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Lillard at 31 and Antetokounmpo at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Crowder (20 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Milwaukee has been plus-8 a night and New York plus-1 and the defense, Milwaukee allowing 115 a night to New York's 121. Call it Milwaukee 121, New York 119, New York keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Boston
BJ Boston Jr.
DT D. Theis
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
JM J. Miller
JP J. Primo
KB K. Brown
KL K. Leonard
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
RW R. Westbrook
TM T. Mann
XM X. Moon
NYKDD D. DiVincenzo
DJ D. Jeffries
IH I. Hartenstein
IQ I. Quickley
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
JR J. Randle
JS J. Sims
MM M. McBride
QG Q. Grimes
RA R. Arcidiacono
RB R. Barrett
TG T. Gibson
LAC/NYK the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Clippers throttle Knicks 144-122 for their NBA-best 7th straight victory
LOS ANGELES -- — A month ago, the Los Angeles Clippers were in a six-game skid. They've certainly got things figured out now.
Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points and Paul George added 25 in a 144-122 rout of the New York Knicks on Saturday night for their NBA-best seventh straight victory.
The Clippers were one game into their losing streak when they lost to the Knicks in New York on the same night James Harden made his LA debut after being traded from Philadelphia.
“We still got to continue to keep getting better,” coach Tyronn Lue said, “but the progress is being made.”
The difference now is the Clippers are getting used to Harden and he's learned their habits and preferences.
“Just clicking with everybody on the team,” Leonard said. “We're in a good rhythm right now. There's some minor things we still need to get better at.”
The Clippers used a 42-point second quarter to lead 77-66 at the break.
Leonard hit a 3-pointer that launched a personal 8-0 run early in the third and later he and George combined to make three straight 3-pointers in building a 22-point lead.
Leonard has scored 169 points in 177 minutes on 65% shooting.
“I'm focused on something bigger than that stretch,” Leonard said, hinting at the Clippers' NBA title hopes.
George was back in the lineup after missing a game because of a sore hip. He overcame a slow start in the first half when he had six points.
New York's Jalen Brunson followed up his career-high, 50-point effort in Phoenix on Friday night with 22 points. Julius Randle added 22. RJ Barrett and Donte DiVincenzo had 18 points each, with DiVincenzo making five 3-pointers.
The Knicks narrowly avoided giving up their most points since 1990.
“Right now no one is playing great defense,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We got to fix that as a group.”
Brunson, who was 9 of 9 from 3-point range against the Suns, was just 2 of 5.
Leonard and George took over in the third. They combined to score 30 of LA’s 37 points, with the Clippers taking a 114-98 lead going into the fourth.
The Clippers lost 111-87 in New York on Nov. 6 when Harden made his debut after being traded by Philadelphia. He's settled in and the Clippers have adjusted to his playmaking that has been on display during their streak. Harden had 10 points and 12 assists.
Josh Hart was ejected after picking up two quick technicals for comments to the ref early in the second. Russell Westbrook waved goodbye as Hart walked off. Randle also had words with the ref at the end of the period and received a tech.
“The game was being called tight and we got frustrated with that,” Thibodeau said. “We can’t let that get us sidetracked.”
Trailing 58-56, the Clippers closed on a 21-8 run to lead 77-66 going into the break. They ran off 13 straight points, hitting consecutive 3-pointers by Harden and by Terance Mann , who had two.
The Clippers attempted 30 free throws, which were the most any team has attempted in a first half this season. They made 26, with Leonard hitting all of his six.
PRIMO DEBUTS
Josh Primo made his Clippers debut with two points and one block in the game's final five minutes.
The guard was waived by San Antonio on in October 2022 after being accused by the Spurs' former team psychologist of exposing himself to her multiple times during their private sessions. The district attorney's office in Texas declined to bring charges, citing a lack of evidence.
In September, the Clippers signed Primo to a two-way contract.