Slowly and deliberately, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue climbed the steps to the podium for his postgame news conference and plopped down in his chair. He shook his head.
“I’m tired,” Lue said.
And so were his players.
The Clippers’ fatigue was evident in how they blew a 14-point lead against the Toronto Raptors at the Intuit Dome on Saturday night. Their weariness showed in how James Harden and Norman Powell missed three of the team’s last six free throws down the stretch. Their exhaustion showed after heavy minutes for Harden, Powell and Ivica Zubac pushed them to their limit.
Ultimately, the Clippers escaped with a 105-103 win decided in the final seconds.
The Clippers have played four games in six days. In 10 games this season, they’ve played three sets of back-to-backs.
They won their fourth consecutive game, but it took Harden playing over 34 minutes to get 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Powell played 35:03 to get his 24 points and Zubac played 38:20 to get 14 points and 12 rebounds. It also took stellar defense by Terance Mann for the Clippers to close out with a win.
“I knew a few of our guys were tired,” Lue said. “But this was one we had to fight through mentally. I know Norm was tired from the jump and what he has been doing for us offensively. We needed every minute he could give us tonight, and I know he was tired. Zu was a little tired. But we had to win this game.
“We’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. But today was a winnable game. We’re up so we had to finish the game out and guys had to play a little bit more minutes than you would like on a back-to-back, but we needed the win.”
After Toronto’s Immanuel Quickley tied the score 102-102 on a three-pointer with 39 seconds left, the Clippers retook the lead when Powell made a free throw seconds later. Back on defense, Mann rose to the occasion, blocking a shot by Quickley.
A few seconds later, Harden was fouled. But Harden also made just one free throw. He finished just five for 17 from the field and two for eight from the three-point line.
“We had a tough schedule,” Harden said. “But we make some good money to go out there and play the game that we love. So, we just got to figure out ways to win games.
“It ain’t nothing… I don’t know what you want me to say as far as…. You know, tomorrow we travel, go to OKC and play another one. Like, this is the NBA.”
With the Clippers clinging to a two point lead, Mann came up big again on defense, forcing RJ Barrett to miss a shot. But instead of sealing the game when he was fouled, Powell missed another free throw, making it 105-102 with 8.7 seconds left.
That left the door open for one more opportunity for the Raptors.
After Toronto center Jakob Poeltl drew a foul and made his first free throw, he intentionally missed his second free throw. He tried to score on a putback, but his shot missed and Zubac corralled the rebound with 2.5 seconds left. He passed it to Harden, who threw it down court as time expired.
“In the game for me tonight, I was a little tired, a little fatigued from last game,” Powell said about Friday night’s game in Sacramento. “T Lue saw it, but the coaches were telling me just play the game the right way, don’t have to force anything and I just kept telling myself to stay in the moment and find a way.”
Kawhi Leonard’s return remains unclear
Lue was asked if Kawhi Leonard, who hasn’t played this season because of inflammation in his right knee, would travel with the Clippers on their three-game trip that opens Monday against Oklahoma City. He was short with his answer.
“Uh, no,” Lue said.
Lue said he wasn’t sure if center Mo Bamba, who hasn’t played this season because of a knee injury, would play during the trip. Bamba has been progressing and playing in five-on-five and three-on-three sessions, Lue said.
