Game ID: 22300600
Brooklyn Nets @ LA Clippers
Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 3:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 24 25 35 41 125BKN 27 34 38 15 114
BKN @ LAC ScoutingBKN @ LAC 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 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 20 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 1/07, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 1/01 after 4, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Plumlee back 1/05 after 27, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/01 after 2, 5 min since (46% of 10)
LAC availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 21 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 1/07, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/05 after 27, 6 min since (42% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 22 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 2 since 1/10, returns tonight: 16 min (111% of 14)
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 1/07, out tonight
LAC availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 23 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 5 since 1/07, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 16 min since (111% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/21 · 4 days' restOUT Zubac missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 24 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 6 since 1/07, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 22 min since (155% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 3 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 25 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 7 since 1/07, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 20 min since (138% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/26 · 2 days' restOUT Zubac missed 4 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 26 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 8 since 1/07, returns tonight: 2 min (12% of 14)
OUT Boston missed 4 since 1/14, returns tonight: 2 min (16% of 10)
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 20 min since (138% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/27 · back-to-backOUT Zubac missed 5 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 27 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 21 min since (145% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 2 min since (12% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 2 min since (16% of 10)
LAC availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 6 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 28 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 6 min since (43% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 6 min since (59% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 22 min over the last 5
BKN availability going into 1/11 · 3 days' restOUT Simmons missed 30 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 6 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 2 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 6 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Walker IV back 1/05 after 17, 6 min since (34% of 17)
BACK Brooks back 1/02 after 2, 5 min since (52% of 10)
BKN availability going into 1/15 · 3 days' restOUT Simmons missed 31 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 7 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 3 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 7 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Walker IV back 1/05 after 17, 12 min since (70% of 17)
BACK Brooks back 1/02 after 2, 5 min since (52% of 10)
NEW Smith Jr. 19 to 24 min over the last 4
BKN availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 32 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 8 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 4 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 2 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 8 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Walker IV back 1/05 after 17, 11 min since (66% of 17)
NEW Bridges 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Smith Jr. 19 to 27 min over the last 4
BKN availability going into 1/19 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 33 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 9 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 5 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 3 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 9 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Walker IV back 1/05 after 17, 13 min since (74% of 17)
NEW Bridges 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Claxton 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Smith Jr. 19 to 25 min over the last 5
BKN availability going into 1/21 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 34 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 10 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 6 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 4 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 10 since 12/29, out tonight
NEW Claxton 30 to 35 min over the last 5
BKN availability going into 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 35 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 11 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 7 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 5 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 11 since 12/29, out tonight
BKN availability going into 1/25 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 36 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 12 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 8 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 6 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 12 since 12/29, out tonight
NEW Claxton 30 to 35 min over the last 5
BKN availability going into 1/27 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 37 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 13 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 9 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 7 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Watford missed 2 since 1/23, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 13 since 12/29, out tonight
BKN availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 38 since 11/08, returns tonight: 18 min (76% of 24)
OUT Clowney missed 14 since 12/29, returns tonight: 4 min (22% of 16)
OUT Wilson missed 10 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Sharpe missed 8 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Watford missed 3 since 1/23, returns tonight: 4 min (26% of 14)
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 14 since 12/29, out tonight
NEW Claxton 30 to 36 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 4-1 over their last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 115, shooting 54 percent and 47 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 29 and Leonard at 22 a game. Without Zubac (2 straight), Tucker (24 straight). 4 days' rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Bridges at 26 and Thomas at 20 a game. Without Simmons (34 straight), Clowney (10 straight), Wilson (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 47 percent from three to Brooklyn's 33 and the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-2 a night and Brooklyn minus-3. Call it the Clippers 119, Brooklyn 112.
1/10 vs TOR 126-120 — LAC notes
LAC won 126-120. LAC shot 53% (49 of 93) to TOR's 55%, 15 of 34 from three. LAC turned it over 7 times to TOR's 14. George led with 29 (12 of 22, 5 of 9 from three); Leonard added 29, Harden 14. The hinge was Q4, 35-28: LAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 6. George was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/12 @ MEM 128-119 — LAC notes
LAC won 128-119. LAC shot 55% (49 of 89) to MEM's 43%, 15 of 31 from three, and got to the line 20 times to MEM's 27. George led with 37 (12 of 18, 7 of 10 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Leonard added 22, Coffey 13. The hinge was Q2, 42-27: LAC came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 23. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/14 @ MIN 105-109 — LAC notes
LAC lost 105-109. LAC took 16 more shots (83 to 67), but shot 43% to MIN's 57%, 17 of 39 from three, and got to the line 18 times to MIN's 31. LAC turned it over 11 times to MIN's 17. Leonard led with 26 (9 of 19, 2 of 3 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Powell added 24, George 16. Q2 was theirs, 26-17, the deficit cut from 10 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 92-79 against them. Leonard's -13 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/16 vs OKC 128-117 — LAC notes
LAC won 128-117. LAC shot 54% (47 of 87) to OKC's 51%, 20 of 43 from three. George led with 38 (15 of 24, 6 of 12 from three); Harden added 16, Leonard 16. The hinge was Q3, 34-28: a lead of 4 became 10. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
1/21 vs BKN 125-114 — LAC notes
LAC won 125-114. LAC shot 51% (42 of 83) to BKN's 49%, 13 of 26 from three, and went to the line 33 times to BKN's 16 — 28 points from the stripe to their 12. Harden led with 24 (6 of 11, 3 of 6 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Westbrook added 23, Leonard 21. The hinge was Q4, 41-15: LAC came in trailing by 15 and left it ahead by 11. LAC trailed 49-61 at the half and won the second half 76-53. Westbrook was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/23 vs LAL — 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 122 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 46 from three, 21 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 23 a game. Without Zubac (3 straight), Tucker (25 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Russell at 27 and James at 26 a game. Without Vincent (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 46 percent from three to the Lakers' 39 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 13 times a game to the Clippers' 10. Call it the Clippers 120, the Lakers 114.
1/26 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Barrett at 23 and Barnes at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Poeltl (8 straight), Freeman-Liberty (3 straight). 3 days' rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 53 percent and 48 from three, 21 free throws a game; George at 24 and Leonard at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Zubac (4 straight), Tucker (26 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 48 percent from three to Toronto's 32 and the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-0 a night and Toronto minus-5. Call it the Clippers 116, Toronto 113, Toronto keeping it close.
1/27 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Porziņģis at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 113, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Zubac (5 straight), Tucker (27 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 105 a night to the Clippers' 113. Call it Boston 118, the Clippers 112.
1/29 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Allen at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Garland (18 straight), Eva. Mobley (22 straight). 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Zubac (6 straight), Tucker (28 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 103 a night to the Clippers' 110. Call it Cleveland 115, the Clippers 113, the Clippers keeping it close.
1/11 @ CLE 102-111 — BKN notes
BKN lost 102-111. BKN shot 45% (37 of 82) to CLE's 39%, 8 of 27 from three, and got to the line 28 times to CLE's 43. BKN turned it over 16 times to CLE's 11, and CLE turned those into 11 steals. Bridges led with 26 (6 of 18, 2 of 6 from three, 12 of 13 at the line); Thomas added 26, Walker IV 20. Q4 was theirs, 42-33, the deficit cut from 18 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 78-60 against them. Dinwiddie's -20 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/15 vs MIA 95-96 — BKN notes
BKN lost 95-96 in 1 overtime. BKN took 12 more shots (99 to 87), but shot 34% to MIA's 38%, 12 of 55 from three, and got to the line 16 times to MIA's 25. Bridges led with 26 (10 of 23, 2 of 10 from three); Thomas added 23, O'Neale 15. Q2 was theirs, 23-15, but the other 4 periods went 81-72 against them. They led by as many as 16.
1/17 @ POR 103-105 — BKN notes
BKN lost 103-105. BKN shot 48% (35 of 73) to POR's 49%, 15 of 38 from three, and went to the line 27 times to POR's 14 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. Bridges led with 21 (7 of 18, 3 of 9 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Dinwiddie added 19, Johnson 13. Q3 was theirs, 31-23, but the other 3 periods went 82-72 against them. They led by as many as 11. Smith Jr.'s -14 in 14 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/19 @ LAL 130-112 — BKN notes
BKN won 130-112. BKN shot 53% (50 of 95) to LAL's 44%, 19 of 47 from three, and got to the line 14 times to LAL's 24. BKN turned it over 8 times to LAL's 14. Thomas led with 33 (13 of 18, 4 of 7 from three); Claxton added 22, Dinwiddie 19. The hinge was Q3, 38-22: BKN came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 10, and the lead reached 23. BKN trailed 62-68 at the half and won the second half 68-44. Finney-Smith was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
1/21 @ LAC 114-125 — BKN notes
BKN lost 114-125. BKN shot 49% (44 of 90) to LAC's 51%, 14 of 39 from three, and got to the line 16 times to LAC's 33. Bridges led with 26 (9 of 17, 4 of 7 from three); Thomas added 20, Dinwiddie 16. Q2 was theirs, 34-25, but the other 3 periods went 100-80 against them. They led by as many as 18. Thomas's -19 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/23 vs NYK — 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 109 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Bridges at 23 and Thomas at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Simmons (35 straight), Clowney (11 straight), Wilson (7 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 99, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Brunson at 36 and Randle at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Robinson (22 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-12 a night and Brooklyn minus-6 and the turnovers, New York giving it away 16 times a game to Brooklyn's 11. Call it New York 112, Brooklyn 109, Brooklyn keeping it close.
1/25 vs MIN — 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 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 16 free throws a game; Bridges at 25 and Thomas at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Simmons (36 straight), Clowney (12 straight), Wilson (8 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Towns at 30 and Edwards at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Conley (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and Brooklyn minus-5 and the line, where Minnesota takes 25 free throws a game to Brooklyn's 16. Call it Brooklyn 113, Minnesota 111, Minnesota keeping it close.
1/27 vs HOU — 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 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 16 free throws a game; Bridges at 24 and Thomas at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Simmons (37 straight), Clowney (13 straight), Wilson (9 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and Ja. Green at 21 a game. Without Smith Jr. (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the defense, Brooklyn allowing 109 a night to Houston's 118 and the line, where Houston takes 23 free throws a game to Brooklyn's 16. Call it Brooklyn 115, Houston 113, Houston keeping it close.
1/29 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Thomas at 26 and Bridges at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Simmons (38 straight), Clowney (14 straight), Wilson (10 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 129, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Markkanen at 24 and Sexton at 23 a game. Without Hendricks (7 straight), Horton-Tucker (2 straight), Juzang (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the defense, Brooklyn allowing 109 a night to Utah's 129 and the glass, where Utah has been plus-3 a night and Brooklyn minus-7. Call it Brooklyn 119, Utah 116, Utah keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BKNCJ C. Johnson
CT C. Thomas
DF D. Finney-Smith
DS D. Smith Jr.
LW L. Walker IV
MB M. Bridges
NC N. Claxton
RO R. O'Neale
SD S. Dinwiddie
TW T. Watford
LACAC A. Coffey
DT D. Theis
JH J. Harden
KL K. Leonard
MP M. Plumlee
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
RW R. Westbrook
TM T. Mann
BKN/LAC 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
Leonard scores 14 points in 5 minutes, Clippers overcome 18-point deficit to stun Nets 125-114
LOS ANGELES -- — After getting outhustled and outshot for three quarters, the Los Angeles Clippers turned into a team possessed.
Kawhi Leonard scored 14 of his 21 points in the final five minutes and the Clippers overcame an 18-point deficit with a game-ending 22-0 run to beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-114 on Sunday.
After getting outscored 16-0 to start the game, the Clippers were in catch-up mode.
“They came out and punched us in the mouth and in that fourth quarter we played Clipper basketball, got some stops and the rest is history,” said James Harden , who had 24 points and 10 assists.
The Clippers took their first lead on Leonard’s basket with 2:50 remaining. Their stunning run ended with Leonard’s 3-pointer from the corner to win for the 10th time in 12 games.
“He finally caught his rhythm,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “He’d been under the weather and wasn’t able to practice yesterday and we didn’t know if he was going to be able to go today.”
Russell Westbrook added 23 points off the bench to go with energy that picked up his lethargic teammates.
Leonard and Paul George struggled for most of the game. They combined for 11 of 32 from the floor. George finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
“That was first of a kind, with a slow start and then get red-hot at the end,” George said. “We're going to always compete to the very end. Great thing about this group is we don't ever believe that we're down and out of it.”
Mikal Bridges scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half to lead the Nets, who were coming off an 18-point win over LeBron James and the Lakers on Friday night.
“Just got to be better for the whole 48,” Bridges said. “Definitely not fun.”
Down 18 points, the Clippers closed the game on a 39-10 run, scoring 22 in a row to cap it. The crowd roared as they scored nearly every time down the floor.
“It was like a party,” Harden said. “The energy was on hundred. That right there is home-court advantage.”
The Nets, who were 14 of 39 from 3-point range, couldn't make a basket during the Clippers' turnaround. They were held to 15 points in the fourth.
“We were stuck, didn’t know what to do or how to break it,” Bridges said.
Playing their first game in five days — with an early tipoff, too — the Clippers were out of it from the opening tip.
After the Nets led 16-0, the Clippers answered with an 18-2 run, including 10 in a row, to tie it at 18. But they trailed until Leonard's late heroics.
The Nets led 61-49 at halftime and were ahead 99-84 after three.
Nic Claxton went the extra inches to retrieve the ball with three minutes left. It got stuck behind the backboard and he was summoned to help as one of the taller players on the floor. Using a mop handle, he at first indicated it was too high for him. On the second try, he dislodged the ball, earning a hug from Leonard.