LOS ANGELES — Clippers win, on three.
No. 1 – With 31.2 seconds left in the Clippers’ 115-109 victory, the Clippers swung the ball to Nicolas Batum for a go-ahead 3-pointer gave his team a 111-109 lead.
No. 2 – With the 6-foot-7 Amir Coffey defending the 7-foot-2 Kristaps Porzingis, he missed a 10-footer for the tie with 17.7 seconds remaining.
No. 3 – Reggie Jackson rebounded the miss and charged downcourt before drawing a foul with 12.3 seconds left, stepping to the free-throw line for the first time in Wednesday’s victory – notable not just because he extended the lead to 113-109, but because it gave the crowd of 15,282 an opportunity to chant “Reg-gie, Reg-gie.” As a result, members of the Clippers’ entertainment team tossed packages of promotional PB&J Bites into the crowd, a gesture meant to thank fans for their support of Jackson.
With the victory at Crytpo.com Arena, the Clippers (35-33) snapped a two-game losing streak – and extended their home winning streak against the Wizards to 14 games, a new franchise record.
“A total team effort, man, we needed this win because of the last two games,” Clippers Coach Tyronn Lue said. “This was a good win for us.”
It was closely contested throughout, with 10 ties and 20 lead changes. Neither team led by more than 10 points, when a 16-5 spurt in the third period put the Wizards ahead, 85-75. But then a mid-range jumper from Marcus Morris Sr. and back-to-back 3-pointers from Luke Kennard got the Clippers back within two points.
With 9:38 to play, they pulled back ahead, 92-91, and the teeter-totter ride continued.
The game finally tilted the hosts’ way in the final two minutes, when they took advantage of some some miscommunication between new teammates, Porzingis missing Kyle Kuzma with a pass to give the ball back to the Clippers, who trailed 109-106 with two minutes left,
Following a timeout, Morris drew a shooting foul and made both free throws – at that point, just the Clippers’ eighth and ninth of the night – to bring them within 109-108 with 1:03 left.
After Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s shot was short, the shot clock expired on Washington, giving the Clippers the ball (after a review to ensure his shot didn’t hit the rim) with 39 seconds left.
The next time down, Jackson swung a pass to Terance Mann, who zipped it to Batum, who buried the back-breaking shot – the best thing that happened to the Frenchman all day. He’d otherwise had a frustrating Wednesday, he said, with car trouble on the way to drop his son at school and his beloved Paris Saint Germain Football Club losing 3-1 in dramatic fashion to Real Madrid.
“I had a rough day today, I was not in a good mood,” said Batum, who finished with eight points. “That’s the only positive note I had today.”
When it was over, the Clippers had ended the game on an 11-0 run and held Washington scoreless over the last 2:37.
Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said before tipoff he hadn’t gotten over the “terrible feeling” Washington experienced after the Clippers’ 35-point comeback on Jan. 25, when Luke Kennard scored seven points in the final nine seconds to punctuate the second-largest rally in NBA history.
Kennard found new ways to get to Washington on Wednesday, when he not only buried shots from deep – finishing 4 for 7 from behind the arc – but attacked the rim once and hitting a couple of jumpers inside the arc. He shot 7 for 12 overall for 19 points.
“I feel like I’m getting a few more midrange shots recently,” said Kennard, who finished second in the 3-point shootout during the NBA’s All-Star weekend. “And I’ve kind of put that in my mind: Teams are starting to run you off the line more. So taking one dribble in and shooting that midrange. They like that shot, you know, we’re not against that shot. So if it’s there, they want us to take it.”
For his part, Jackson needed only one quarter to outdo his entire five-point scoring output in Tuesday’s loss at Golden State. On Wednesday, he scored eight of his game-high 31 points in the opening quarter, but his only two free throws came in the final few seconds, with the game — and the fans’ snacks — in the balance.
Jackson credited his brother for the assist on the idea to distribute small baggies of peanut butter and jelly bites.
“I wanted to do something for the fans, but my brother was the mastermind,” Jackson said. “We wanted to figure out a way to give back. We had a few other ideas, a few of them would’ve been a little bit messier, so after shooting through them a lot and talking with the team, I think my PR team and my brother did a great job.”
So too did Morris, on the court. He added 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting, plus eight rebounds and four assists. Ivica Zubac chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein scored four points and three blocks that were reflective of his stubborn defensive verticality all game.
After starting the previous 10 games, Mann came off the bench Wednesday and, despite feeling ill, chipped in with nine points, nine rebounds and three assists – including the one that set up Batum’s big 3.
The Clippers’ veteran leaders, Jackson, Morris and Batum, logged 40, 35 and 33 minutes, respectively, continuing to carry an outsized load for a Clippers team that is missing its injured All-Stars Kawhi Leonard (ACL) and Paul George (elbow), as well as recently acquired standouts Norman Powell (foot) and Robert Covington (personal).
“We’re trying to do something special,” Lue said. “And we gotta stay afloat. (Jackson) understands that and Marcus understands that and Nico understands that. And this is one of those games where we needed (big minutes) and then hopefully we can get a couple games where we can get it down. But not tonight.”
The Clippers were on a two-game skid following Tuesday’s 112-97 road loss, when Batum scored 17 points but the remaining four starters combined for just 27 while the team shot a season-worst 35.5% – and 29.4% through three quarters.
Porzingis led Washington (29-35) with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting in his second game with his new team. In his Wizards’ debut in a victory over Indiana on Sunday, he had 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a 3-for-4 showing from 3-point range.
The Clippers went into halftime with a 57-55 lead following a competitive first half in which the teams changed leads 10 times and were tied seven times.
Morris led L.A. at the break with 18 points on 7 for 9 shooting (2-2 from 3), plus seven rebounds and an assist.
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