Beyond the Box Score: Spurs Handle Clippers Easily in Leonard’s Home Debut  

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NBA Final 1 2 3 4 F
Los Angeles Clippers (11-18) 17 32 21 21 91
San Antonio Spurs (21-10) 31 26 28 24 109

San Antonio, Texas –  LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker combined for 35 points and totaled seven field goals each en route to a 109-91 victory against the undermanned Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night inside the AT&T Center in Kawhi Leonard’s home debut.

OFFICIAL BOX SCORE

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THE BASICS

  • Spread before tip-off: San Antonio -11.5
  • Score: Los Angeles Clippers 91, San Antonio Spurs 109
  • Records: Clippers (11-18) | Spurs (21-10)
  • Date: Monday, Dec. 18 | 7:30 p.m. CST tip-off
  • Location: AT&T Center | San Antonio, Texas
  • Attendance: 18,418
  • Series: San Antonio Spurs lead the all-time series 134-43 (127-39 regular season, 7-4 playoffs)
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TURNING POINT: After the Clippers maintained their lone lead of the game at 2-0, a 13-2 run over the course of the next five-plus minutes of the ball game put the Spurs in full control and they didn’t look back. A 18-5 run by San Antonio late in the third quarter but the game away in favor of the boys in white and black.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

  • In the win, the Spurs shot 48.8 percent (40-for-82) from the floor, compared to Los Angeles’ 37-of-84 (44.0 percent) from the floor in the loss.
  • San Antonio registered a 9-of-24 (37.5 percent) from three and went 20-of-25 (80.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Clippers, meanwhile, went 9-of-29 (31.0 percent) from beyond-the-arc and went 8-of-16 from the foul line (50.0 percent).
  • Despite finishing with six fewer team steals than the Clippers, San Antonio managed to out-rebound Los Angeles 45-43 and get to the free throw line nine more times than L.A.
  • San Antonio finished with 22 assists as a team on the night, compared to the Clippers’ 21.
  • The Spurs managed a +11 differential in fast break points (29-18), despite giving up 48 points in the paint to Los Angeles.

INSIDE THE FLOW:

  • After trailing 2-0 after a bucket by Jamil Wilson, the Spurs generated a 13-2 run over the next 5:11 to take a massive 13-4 lead in the first; Aldridge with six of the 13 points.
  • Despite being outscored by six in the 2nd quarter, the Spurs maintained an eight-point lead at the intermission.
  • A trifecta by Wilson with 5:33 left in the 3rd brought the Clippers within two (67-65).
  • The Spurs immediately responded with a 18-5 run after three quarters of play to take an 85-70 lead after three quarters of play.
  • Outscoring the Clippers by three in the 4th quarter, San Antonio maintains a double-digit lead in the fourth all the way to the final buzzer for the 109-91 victory.

NOTABLES:

  • Aldridge, a potential NBA MVP nominee, registered 19 points on an efficient 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) shooting with eight boards in 32 minutes of playing time; has reached double-figure scoring performances in every game played in this season.
  • Leonard recorded seven points on seven shots in 16 minutes of action.
  • Parker finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) shooting along with a team-high seven dimes.
  • Wilson sets career-high 13 points for Los Angeles in the loss.
  • The Spurs have held their last two opponents under 96 points; 2-0 in the last two games while doing so.
  • Both teams finished with five players reaching double-figures, respectively (Clippers – Harrell, Jordan, Reed, Rivers, Wilson; Spurs – Aldridge, Gay, Ginobili, Parker, Paul).

UP NEXT:

  • San Antonio looks to pursue a three-game win streak starting in Portland in the opener of a three-game road trip. Spurs take on the Trailblazers Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 9:00 p.m. CST.

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