On Sunday night, the resurgent San Antonio Spurs completed what was their second sweep in as many series after they handed the Los Angeles Clippers a 102-99 decision at the Staples Centre
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Clippers in game 4 to record their second consecutive series sweep in the this year’s playoffs. The Spurs won 102-99 to take the series 4-0 and knock the Clippers out of the playoffs.
Tim Duncan had 21 points and 9 rebounds for the winners while Chris Paul had 23 points and 11 assists for the Clippers.
The Clippers have had an amazing season, going into the playoffs and then reaching the 2nd round for only the third time in franchise history after beating the Memphis Grizzlies in 7 games. However, they were no match
for the charging Spurs who have now won 17 games in a row. They defeated the Utah Jazz 4-0 in the first round and have now white-washed the Clippers to book a place in the Western Conference Finals.
Unlike the first 3 games, game 4 was much more closely contested between the two teams with 10 ties and 14 lead changes.
The Clippers seemed to have found an answer for the Spurs offense for the first time in the series, but the Spurs had enough in their arsenal to claim a close victory. They led 41-29 in the 2nd period, their largest
lead of the night, after a layup by Stephen Jackson. However, the Clippers came back with a 14-5 run in the final minutes of the period and a three pointer by Chris Paul with 34 seconds left in the 1st half had them trailing 47-50.
From there on, it was a close game till the end. The Clippers led 75-74 after the third period and after some end to end action, a driving layup by Eric Bledsoe had the Clippers up 88-82, their largest lead of the night.
There were lead exchanges for much of the final period and Tony Parker made a floating jump shot to put the Spurs up 100-97 with under two minutes left in the game. Chris Paul was fouled and scored both free throws to make it a
one point game, but turned the ball over on the possession that could have given the Clippers the lead. That was the first Clipper turnover in the second half and was enough to ensure a 102-99 Spurs win.
Tim Duncan had 21 points and 9 rebounds on a 9 of 14 shooting night. Tony Parker added 17 points and 5 assists. David Green had 14 points while Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter both came off the bench to score 11 points.
Blake Griffin scored 21 points for the Clippers and grabbed 5 rebounds. He was 9 of 20 off the field and tried hard to keep the Clippers in the game.
Chris Paul had 23 points and 11 assists. He was 9 of 18 from the field. Eric Bledsoe had 17 points and DeAndre Jordan added 10 points and 8 rebounds.
The Spurs shot 52.8% from the field and 40% from the distance. The Clippers, in comparison, shot 47.7% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. San Antonio had a 40-36 advantage in rebounds and had 6 more assists with 28.
The Clippers were good in ball handling, giving away only 7 turnovers compared with 15 for the Spurs. They also had 10 steals while the Spurs managed 4.
San Antonio now wait to find out their opponent in the Western Conference Finals, as the other Semi Final series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers is still undecided, with the Thunder leading the 7 game series
3-1.
The Spurs, after defeating both the Jazz and the Clippers in blow out fashion, are being tipped as the favourites for the NBA championship.
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