Reggie Jackson, Clippers charge past Wizards again – Press Enterprise
LOS ANGELES — Clippers win on three.
No. 1 – 31.2 seconds from the Clippers’ 115-109 win, Nicolas Batum’s 3-pointer go-ahead gave his team a 111-109 lead.
No. 2 – LA’s swarming defense thwarted Washington’s shot at a tie when Kristaps Porzingis missed a 10-foot shot by 17.7 seconds.
No. 3 – Reggie Jackson rebounded from the miss and pulled a foul with 12.3 seconds left, stepping onto the free-throw line for the first time in Wednesday’s win – notable not only for extending the lead to 113-109, but also because they gave the crowd of 15,282 an opportunity to sing “Reg-gie, Reg-gie” and be rewarded with packets of “thank you” packets from PB&J Bites that came with their outpouring of support.
With the victory at the Crytpo.com Arena, the Clippers (35-33) ended a two-game losing streak – and extended their winning streak at home against the Wizards to 14 games – a new franchise record.
It was consistently a hard-fought contest, with 10 draws and 20 lead changes. No team led by more than 10 points.
The Clippers were down 109-106 with two minutes to go, taking advantage of some misunderstandings between new teammates. Porzingis missed a pass for Kyle Kuzma to return the ball.
After a time-out, Marcus Morris Sr. pulled a shooting foul and took both free throws – only the Clippers’ eighth and ninth of the night – to put them 109-108 with 1:03 left.
After Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s shot was short, the shot clock ticked down on Washington and gave the ball to the Clippers (after a check to make sure his shot didn’t hit the rim) with 39 seconds left.
Next time, Batum buried the game-changing shot.
By the time it was over, the Clippers had ended the game on an 11-0 run, keeping Washington scoreless through the final 2:37.
Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said before the tip he hadn’t gotten over Washington’s “terrible feeling” after the Clippers’ 35-point comeback Jan. 25 when Luke Kennard scored seven points in the last nine seconds to take the second to underline -biggest rally in NBA history.
Kennard found new ways to get into Washington on Wednesday when he not only buried shots from deep – finishing 4 for 7 behind the arc – but also once attacked the rim and hit a couple of jumpers inside the arc. He shot 7 for 12 overall for 19 points.
It took Jackson just a quarter to surpass his total five-point scoring performance in Tuesday’s loss at the Golden State. He scored eight of his game-best 31 points in the opening quarter on Wednesday.
Morris finished the 10-for-15 shooting with 27 points, plus eight rebounds and four assists, and Ivica Zubac finished the tournament with 10 points and nine rebounds.
After starting the last 10 games, Mann came off the bench on Wednesday and had nine points, nine rebounds and three assists – including those set up by Batum’s main 3-pointer.
The Clippers had faltered in two games after losing 112-97 away on Tuesday as Batum had 17 points but the remaining four starters combined for just 27 while the team posted a worst 35.5% of the season – and 29 .4% by three quarters.
Porzingis led Washington (29-35) with 19 points in 8-for-14 shooting in his second game with the team. He had 25 points in 7-of-12 shooting, including a 3-on-4 performance from 3-point range, in his Wizards debut in a win over Indiana on Sunday.
The Clippers went into halftime with a 57-55 lead after teams had swapped leads ten times and drawn seven times in the first half.
Morris led LA by 18 points to 7 for 9 shooting (2-2 on 3), plus seven rebounds and an assist.
A 16-5 sprint in the third period gave the Wizards an 85-75 lead. But a mid-range jumper from Morris and consecutive 3-pointers from Kennard brought the Clippers back to two points.
Playing at 9:38, the Clippers retired, 92-91, and the seesaw continued.
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