Final result: Clippers 98, Tottenham 95

Patty Mills is sometimes overlooked, but tonight he scored eight hits from three points and led Tails, the Orange and Pink, to a big lead multiple times. But the Clippers leaned on Kawhi Leonard to withstand the attack, and Patrick Beverly had one of his best scoring nights, as he had to take a slack from the lost Paul George. The Clippers closed the score to just two points in the final seconds, but Patty Mills made a foul, taking one of two fatal shots. The Clippers had one last chance to win it, but masked Kawhi Leonard was unable to reach the final shot as DeMar DeRozan made him hit a hard and missed ball, giving Spurs a three-point win, breaking a four-game winning streak.

Notes

• I was too old for this late information from the West Coast. I almost fell asleep before the match started.
• Bellland called number 2 on the Clippers Hannibal Leonard in the pre-match, and it’s good to see I’m not the only one who thought so when I saw that mask.
• LaMarcus Aldridge gets a lot of criticism from fans who think he’s too old and slow to play anymore, but the attack looks a lot more resilient when he’s on the ground.
• Kildon in this mix makes this team so much better. Its energy is infectious.
• Fasil received few lessons in trying to guard Lou Williams, arriving at Luo and gifting her with three free throws.
• Patti Mills beat the Clippers 10-0 in just over a minute at the end of the first quarter.
• With Paul George out, the Clippers didn’t have much scoring options outside of Kohi. Batum is likely their second offensive choice among beginners, and it’s not that good anymore. Patrick Beverley is a formidable defender, but he’s not really good at shooting [after I wrote this, he started to illogically hit every shot he took]. Lou Williams is their second-best goalscorer, but they need him on the bench to keep the team in action when the main players are resting.
• This quick breakfast bucket from Lonnie Walker IV is everything. It’s the dance move at the end that makes it special.

• Who was that masked man?
• I might be biased, but I think the Fiesta Jerseys are the best uniform in the league.
• Spurs are unbeaten in road matches wearing Fiesta jerseys.

Game flow

Tottenham led quickly 9-0 with the two teams largely absent from some long shots, but Tottenham entered the paint and took advantage of Kildon Johnson and Lamarcus Aldridge in the paint. After a time out, the Clippers cleaned things up a bit, taking the lead in stealing Kawhi and turning away from the immersion in late quarter. But Tottenham finished off strong as Patty Mills warmed from behind the arc and scored another 13 points for good buys, putting them 36-27 ahead after a quarter.

Devin Fasil started scoring in the second half and Tottenham sprinted by three, and burst into the lead. It all started pouring in to San Antonio, and they couldn’t make a mistake on either end of the field and ran the lead over 24 times as Tottenham hit their shots and the Clippers couldn’t hit anything. With nothing working for Clips, the masked man decided to take the game into his own hands and started working one-on-one, and Clips began to storm the lead. Tottenham maintained the best of their ability, taking the lead 63-44 into the game.

The Clippers began the second half on the 11-4 Round as Kohli took charge, and Bob needed a time-out. The Clippers cut the lead to 6 on one point as Pat Beverly suddenly became a good three-point shooter. LaMarcus Aldridge finally started to get the ball and hitting some shots to push the lead back two, but Tottenham couldn’t keep it, leading by just a point at the end of the 85-84 quarter, after overtaking 39-22 in the quarter. [Later corrected to 85-83 by the refs, who changed a Luke Kennard three to a two point shot.]

The Clippers leveled with the score as the fourth quarter began with ZiwiPeak’s corner kick. Tottenham then took the lead 12-0 with a 12th lead. Patty Mills went crazy from behind the arc as he bet the Fiesta clad neck to a 15-point lead. But the Clippers weren’t done yet, and he led the Pat Beverly Clippers in a race to cut lead to number one. The Clips raised the volume in their defense and closed the score to 115-113 13 seconds before the match ended. Spur somehow allowed an open look at Kennard, but he missed, and Pat Beverly missed Patty Mills hitting one of his two free throws. With a lead of 3 points and 5 seconds left, Leonard took the ball to level it, and Tottenham won 116-113.

Music break

Scissor ships are made of wood, aren’t they? Very free and easy.

What’s Next . . .

For a point of view of a Clippers fan, visit ClipsNation.

Tottenham will return to Staples Center on Thursday evening at 9:00 to face a team The Lakers, Who defeated them twice last week. This will be the last game against the defending champion this season so this will be the last chance to avoid the season’s sweep of LeBron.