Tag Archives: Atlanta Hawks

VIDEO: Clippers give way to Hawks’ Kyle Korver on 3-pointer

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The Clippers (40-21) have shown marked improvement on defense over the course of the season. But Chris Paul was quick to point out that “our defense let us down tonight” after his team was beaten 107-97 by the visiting Atlanta Hawks (35-28) on Saturday at Staples Center. And that was after the Clippers held a 17-point lead early in the second quarter. Here’s an example of what Paul was talking about. Check out how wide-open Kyle Korver is on this 3-pointer. Korver is not having the season he did in 2014-15 when he shot a league-best 49.2 percent from beyond the arc, but he’s still shooting a very respectable 39 percent from there:

Five things to take from Clippers’ 107-97 loss to Atlanta

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Jeff Green, left, and Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore reach for a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 5, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Clippers’ Jeff Green, left, and Kent Bazemore of Atlanta fight for a rebound during Saturday’s game at Staples Center, won 107-97 by the Hawks/AP photo by Mark J. Terrill

 

– The Clippers were coming off a highly emotional 103-98 come-from-behind victory over Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Then they bolted to a 17-point lead over the Hawks with 10:20 left in the second quarter. It was a recipe for disaster. The Clippers, as it sometimes happens under these circumstances, suddenly hit emotional bottom and they were just never the same the rest of the way.

– Hack-a-DJ played a role in this loss as DeAndre Jordan was forced to shoot 17 free throws. He made only seven. This greatly contributed to the Clippers’ 60.7 percentage (17 of 28) from the free-throw line. The Hawks made 85 percent (17 of 20) of their free throws. Jordan did score 17 points, grab 11 rebounds, make four steals and block five shots.

– The Clippers committed a total of 19 turnovers – 18 player, one team. Point guard Chris Paul had four of them in an uncharacteristically sloppy performance. “I had some bad turnovers tonight …,” he said afterward. Paul scored 17 points, but he shot just 6 of 16.

– It also didn’t help the Clippers (40-21) that their best 3-point shooter – J.J. Redick – made just 2 of 7 from beyond the arc, just 4 of 13 overall from the field. Redick is still shooting 47.5 percent (151 of 318), but he’s fallen from No. 1 in the league to No. 2 behind San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard, who is shooting 47.8 percent (108 of 226) from distance.

– The Clippers had no answer for Atlanta’s Paul Millsap. All he did was scored 20 points on 8 of 14 shooting and grab a whopping 18 rebounds. He also had five assists and three steals. His effort helped the Hawks (35-28) outrebound the Clippers 53-41.

Chris Paul scores 15 as Clippers lead Hawks 55-50 at halftime

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Chris Paul

Chris Paul/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers

 

After leading by as many as 17 points early in the second quarter, the Clippers on Saturday night settled for a five-point lead (55-50) over the Atlanta Hawks at halftime at Staples Center.

Chris Paul led the Clippers (40-20 with 15 points and seven assists, Paul Pierce scored 11, Jeff Green had 12 points with J.J. Redick scoring eight.

Jeff Teague led Atlanta (34-28) with 10 points and three assists and Dennis Schroder scored 10 off the bench.

Hawks’ Kent Bazemore impressed with Clippers’ win at Atlanta

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The Associated Press

Atlanta’s Jeff Teague, left, battles with the Clippers’ Wesley Johnson for a loose ball during the second half of the Clippers’ 85-83 victory Wednesday at Atlanta/AP photo by John Bazemore

 

Count Kent Bazemore of the Atlanta Hawks among those who were impressed by the Clippers on Wednesday night after they defeated the host Hawks 85-83 at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Afterward, Bazemore was asked about the Clippers’ effort.

“You shake their hand,” said Bazemore, who started at small forward and scored 12 points for the Hawks (27-20). “They played well, especially coming off a back-to-back. They played hard. They’re a tough team. They’re playing really well right now. With Blake Griffin out, they’re a totally different team. They came in here and took care of business.”

The Clippers (30-16) are 13-3 since Griffin went down with a partially torn left quad tendon; he has not played since Christmas. He would have likely been back on this just-concluded five-game road trip, but he fractured his right hand punching the Clippers’ assistant equipment manager at a restaurant Saturday in Toronto. Griffin could return sometime around the beginning of March.

Jamal Crawford: ‘Adversity not only builds character, it reveals it’

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Jamal Crawford

Jamal Crawford/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers had a really lousy night shooting the ball Wednesday at Atlanta. They made only 38.8 percent of their shots overall, just 18.5 percent (5 of 27) from 3-point range. Yet they found a win to beat the Hawks 85-83.

The victory sealed a 3-2 record on the East Coast swing. The victory Tuesday at Indiana and Wednesday’s were played with the Clippers (30-16) knowing the world had found out about Blake Griffin punching out assistant equipment manager Matias Testi on Saturday in Toronto, the day before the Clippers were beaten by the Raptors there.

A victory like Wednesday’s told a lot about the team, Jamal Crawford said.

“I think adversity not only builds character, it reveals it,” said Crawford, who rebounded from two very poor shooting games by making 9 of 16 from the field to lead the team with 21 points. “For us, we’ll not only continue to grow and have each other’s back, we’ll continue to move forward.”

 

Doc Rivers remembers Moses Malone, who died Sunday at 60

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Moses Malone/Photo by Associated Press

 

Clippers coach Doc Rivers was a teammate of Moses Malone’s on the Atlanta Hawks from 1988-91. Malone died Sunday at the age of 60, and Rivers felt the pain.

“I am saddened by the news of the passing of Moses,” Rivers said Sunday in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family. For me, Moses was a teammate, a friend and a mentor. He taught me what it took to be a true pro.  The NBA lost a giant today and I lost a friend. Moses Malone – there was truly no one like him.”

Malone was a three-time MVP and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.