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The Los Angeles Clippers were already being viewed as a top contender in the Western Conference, and their season-opening victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night proved why. Despite the fact that they were without the services of All-Star Paul George, the Clippers took the first round in The Battle for LA, 112-102.
The Clippers acquired George from the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer. The move paired the former Fresno State standout with Kawhi Leonard, creating one of the more dangerous duos in the NBA. However, George has been sidelined after undergoing a pair of shoulder surgeries. As a result, he's expected to miss the first 10 games or so of this season to recover.
Even without George for Tuesday's opener, the Clippers proved they have what it takes to make a serious run into the postseason.
Leonard led the Clippers to victory, racking up a team-high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field (1-of-5 from beyond the arc), six rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in 32 minutes of action. He also converted on nine of his 10 attempts at the free-throw line. Lou Williams added 21 points off the bench, with Montrezl Harrell, Maurice Harkless and JaMychal Green all chipping in as well.
Leonard knows it's going to take time to jell, which made Tuesday's win even more impressive:
“It's just the first game of the season, so it's going to take the season and mistakes and success to get us on the same page,” Leonard told ESPN.
The Clippers got a lot of production from their reserves. In fact, the Clippers' bench outscored the Lakers' reserve unit by a tally of 60-19:
Article Continues Below“This bench is going to be better this year than even last year,” Rivers said.
On to the next.
📼 Top plays from our opening night victory. pic.twitter.com/ih8iABSrb5
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 23, 2019
Were it not for a strong offensive effort from Danny Green, the Lakers would have lost by more than 10 points. Surprisingly, Green, who recorded 28 points with seven 3-pointers, outscored LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It was the highest-scoring debut by a Lakers player in franchise history, according to ESPN.
George, a native of Southern California, received mix reactions from the crowd inside Staples Center when he was introduced. It was technically a home game for the Clippers. However, with the two teams sharing the same home arena, the Lakers had the more vocal crowd to start before Clippers fans took over:
“Their fans were very loud early and I thought our fans took over from that point on,” Rivers said. “It's great for the city.”
The Clippers aren't going to rush George's recovery process, as they'll certainly need his services as the season progresses. When he comes back, though, he'll be returning to a talented, deep and hungry team. LA already looks like a juggernaut without an MVP candidate in the lineup, so just imagine what will happen when one of the best two-way players in the NBA returns to team up with the reigning Finals MVP.
The NBA needs to watch out, because the Clippers are going to be terrifying.
