Leonard continued to not play, missing four games in a row. But the Clippers still beat the Cavaliers 120-118 to make it three wins in a row. In the next two games against the Suns, the Clippers have a good margin for error in terms of record, basically standing in the fourth place in the West. The first round against the Mavericks was a certainty, and today's game was also crucial. The Clippers were really broken down at one point, trailing by 26 points. But in the end, the Clippers succeeded in chasing points in the second half.
In the third quarter, the Clippers were 27-18 in a single quarter, and the last quarter was a terrifying 34-20, and George and Wei Shao became the absolute MVPs of the game. According to statistics, the Clippers had a terrifying 130.2 points in offensive efficiency when he was on the floor today. This is also the 12th time that Wei Shao has been on the court this season, and his offensive efficiency of 130+ is the first on the Clippers team. In terms of starting a fast pace, Wei Shao does have a hand. And relying on Wei Shao's rhythmic approach, the Clippers have successfully reversed many times this season.
So far, the Clippers have reversed 14 league-leading spots since the 18-19 season when they are trailing by 20 points. In this game, you can see how terrifying the Clippers are. In the first half, the Cavaliers were all in the game, with Mobley and Allen on the inside 4-5 offensive and defensive lines, Garland and Strus constantly breaking through the Clippers defense. The Cavaliers led by 21 points at 80-59 at halftime. In the second half, the Clippers showed their ability to defend, and the Cavaliers only scored 18 points in a single quarter, and the Clippers were only 12 points away in the third quarter.
In the last quarter, George Wei Shao entered crazy mode, the Clippers were unstoppable from the inside and outside, Mann and Coffey also supported with firepower, and the Clippers directly overtook the Cavaliers. Although Allen played 2+1 on the inside, George hit a desperate shot at a critical moment. The Cavaliers had seven seconds left, Garland held the ball and cut inside for a layup, and George sent the Cavaliers away with a big hat. In the final two rounds, George showed superstar style, and this offense and defense left the Cavaliers with no way to do anything.
In the game, Mobley and Allen scored 20 points and 6 boards, 17 points and 10 boards respectively, Garland scored 28 points, LeVert scored 18 points, Strus scored 20 points and 9 assists, and Okoro scored 11 points. On the Clippers' side, George has 39 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, Wei Shao has 8 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, plus/minus +18, Powell has 14 points, and Mann has 14 points. Harden didn't want to play because of injury problems, but forced the game to move slowly, and finally played 26 minutes to get 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range.
The good news is that Harden's shoulder injury is improving, and the last few games are starting to pick up, but the bad news is that he has a foot injury again. The pre-game injury report revealed that Harden may not play this game, he has a foot injury. So I just played, fortunately this one won, otherwise it would be meaningless for Harden to play with an injury. Now that the Clippers have four games to play, Tyronn Lue said that they are slowly getting better when he talks about the card. In other words, the Clippers can play if they want to now, but the Clippers are more about accumulating energy for the playoffs. Now the Clippers can consider taking turns to rest the Big Three, because Wei Shao has just come back not long ago, and his physical strength is still full.
Tyronn Lue should let the Big Three take turns to rest, and the rest will cooperate with Wei Shao. Like we said before, the Clippers basically locked up the Mavericks in the first round. Pepper vs. Doncic and Irving, while Harden and Westbrook are the key to beating the Mavericks, which is the advantage of the Big Four. Harden's health is deteriorating now, and fortunately, there is Wei Shao around him. Just like when the Rockets equipped Harden with a Paul to use as a refueler, it is obvious that Harden is much easier when Wei Shao comes back recently. After all, there is still a man on the bench who can control the ball, and Harden doesn't need to be too stubborn, go and rest if he is injured, otherwise he will have to take the blame in the playoffs. The current Clippers can finish the final game without you, so why bother with yourself?