Clippers savor improved stretch as Wizards endure growing pains
A month ago, all signs pointed to this being a lost season for the Los Angeles Clippers before an uptick in offensive tempo and an added focus on defense turned them back into a potential playoff team.
Winners of five straight and 12 of the last 14, the Clippers will face an additional challenge as they look to build on that momentum during a visit with the Washington Wizards on Monday afternoon.
Kawhi Leonard will not play in the final two games of the current road trip and has returned to Los Angeles to rest lingering discomfort from a week-old left knee contusion. Leonard averaged 32.7 points over the first 13 games of the team's resurgent 14-game run.
With a 121-117 overtime win against the Toronto Raptors on Friday without Leonard, the Clippers continued to vault into the Western Conference playoff picture.
"‘Figure it out.' It's been the mindset this entire year -- 'Figure it out,'" Clippers star guard James Harden said. "The young guys did an unbelievable job. Once their number was called, they were prepared. Next man up mentality."
The Clippers' improved demeanor was in full display against the Raptors. With John Collins (groin) also out of the lineup, the Clippers relied on young contributors.
Kobe Sanders scored 13 points and Kris Dunn contributed 15 along with elite defense down the stretch. Jordan Miller and Cam Christie led the way off the bench with 19 and 16 points, respectively.
"Just a total team effort," Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. "Just to trust and keep playing through the game. We didn't give in, we didn't give up. Once we got down, came back, took the lead and got down again. We just kept fighting and kept competing."
Leonard has averaged 28.2 points, with 36-year-old Harden (25.8 points) now the focal point of the offense for the time being.
While the Clippers are playing their best basketball of the season, the Wizards are still looking to figure things out with their young core.
Washington has dropped six straight following a 121-115 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in the finale of a four-game West Coast swing. The Wizards went toe-to-toe with the Nuggets but were outscored 38-29 in the fourth quarter.
Trae Young, who was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9, will be the key piece to the Wizards' rebuild. His absence due to knee and quadriceps injuries has allowed the organization to get an extended look at young players.
Kyshawn George has played significant minutes and is coming off a 29-point performance against the Nuggets. Alex Sarr is having a breakout season with averages of 16.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
"These are great games for us to be in," Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said. "There's so much to learn. You're playing in crunch time against a former NBA championship team. These are great things to learn, but take these things, move on, get better and then look forward to the next challenge."
This is the second meeting over the last week between the two teams. Leonard led all scorers with 33 points when the Clippers won 119-105 on Wednesday, while Harden added 22 and eight assists. Sarr was ejected in the second quarter after receiving his second technical foul.