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New York Knicks guard Alec Burks (18) dribbles past Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, center left, dunks over Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier (13) shoots over Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) dunks past Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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New York Knicks forward Julius Randle, left, shoots past Los Angeles Clippers guard Reggie Jackson (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Reggie Jackson (1) shoots during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) goes up for a dunk and misses over Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett (9) shoots over Los Angeles Clippers guard Reggie Jackson (1) and forward Marcus Morris Sr. (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) looks to pass over Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) grabs a rebound over New York Knicks guard Alec Burks (18) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett, center, shoots over Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket between Los Angeles Clippers guard Reggie Jackson (1) and guard Luke Kennard (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) goes up for a tip-in during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
LOS ANGELES – So, for something different.
An ESPN audience and a crowd of 17,422 saw the NBA’s hottest team lose and the league’s coldest team win Sunday night at Crytpo.com Arena, where the New York Knicks led wire-to-wire in a 116-93 smackdown against the confounded Clippers.
Tyronn Lue’s undermanned squad – now 34-32 – had won an NBA-high five consecutive with Thursday’s 132-111 rout of the Lakers on Thursday.
New York arrived in the midst of its worst stretch of the season, having lost a NBA-worst seven straight games and 14 of its past 16.
“They played well and we played bad, so that combination, you’re gonna get a 30-point blowout,” Lue said. “They was starving for a win … so we knew it was gonna be a tough game; we didn’t play our best game and they played really good.”
Though the Knicks are just 26-38 this season, they’ve had the Clippers’ number. In two games against New York, L.A. never led – including in the Knicks’ wire-to-wire 110-102 win on Jan. 23.
Knicks wing RJ Barrett – who came in averaging 30 points per game over his four outings since he returned from an ankle injury that kept him out of four games – had 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists … in the first half.
The Knicks’ young star finished with 24, leading six New York players in double figures.
And although the Clippers had five players score in double figures, none of them scored more than Amir Coffey, who tallied 16 points. Isaiah Hartenstein (14), Terance Mann (11), Luke Kennard (11) and Reggie Jackson (11) were the others as the Clippers shot just 33 for 88 (37.5%) from the floor.
A game after recording a plus-44 in the victory against the Lakers last week, the Clippers were outscored by 33 points in the 27 minutes Jackson played Sunday. He, Marcus Morris Sr. and Nicolas Batum combined ot shoot 6 for 37.
And the Knicks were competent enough – shooting 42 for 88 (47.7%) from the field and 13 for 29 (44.8%) from 3 – and plenty physical enough to capitalize.
“We didn’t make shots early, which led to them getting out in transition, which led to them being able to score in the paint a lot,” said Lue, who began his postgame news conference by saying he wasn’t concerned about anything.
That said, “we definitely gotta play better than we did tonight.”
The Clippers – who remain without injured All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, as well as recently acquired standout Norman Powell – got pushed around. They were outscored 50-36 in the paint and outrebounded, 57-43. In the first half alone, the Knicks went to the free-throw line 21 times – though they made just 12 of those foul shots.
The Clippers, meanwhile, went just 2 for 5 from the stripe in the first half, struggling from the outset to find a rhythm. They shot 16 for 50 in the first half (including just 7 for 28 in the second quarter, when they missed their first 13 shots).
Fortunately for them, New York shot just 20 for 49 (40.8%), but still led 59-40 at intermission.
That Clippers’ deficit grew to as much as 26 points when Mitchell Robinson’s putback layup made it 74-48 with 7:47 left in the third quarter.
But when Robert Covington hit a 3-pointer – which became a four-point play following Kennard’s made technical foul shot (made possible by Barrett), the gap at the 4:20 mark was, well, just 20 – 78-58.
These Clippers, recall, are the only team in the past 25 seasons to overcome deficits of 24 points or more three times in a season.
As capable of comebacks as the Clippers can be, they’re also often beleaguered by offensive lulls like those that in both the second and fourth quarters Sunday.
The Clippers were down just 80-68, but then frigid fourth quarter started with seven consecutive misses, and by the time Brandon Boston Jr. checked in to score his first bucket with 7:10 to play, the Clippers trailed 95-73.
The Clippers will try again when they play Tuesday at Golden State in a game on TNT.
“But I think from this loss, we have a bad taste in our mouth,” Coffey said. “So next game, we’ll come out and play hard, with energy. You know, win or lose. But definitely, we have some stuff to look at.”
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