Los Angeles Clippers Stat Monkey Brief: Clippers/T'Wolves and Wizards
I am still at a hotel with slow internet, so here is another great scene for your enjoyment.
Quick Recap
I am not prepared to make ludicrous claims such as “The Clippers don’t need Chris Paul,†but they sure have looked good these past two games. Both Willie Green and Eric Bledsoe recorded their best game scores of the season, and Jamal Crawford added a season-high 30 points as the Clippers rolled past Houston. It wasn’t just their offense, however: they held James Harden to just 40 percent shooting from the floor and his lowest games score in 20 games.
Speaking of which, I know that Kevin Martin is having a great season coming off the bench for the Thunder and is the early favorite for the Sixth Man award. After all, he is averaging 14.9 points per game to go along with 2.5 boards and 1.4 assists while shooting .434/.429/.917 (FG/3P/FT) and being ranked 23rd in our power rankings. Crawford, however, does need to get some serious consideration for that award. He is averaging 16.6 points per game to go along with 1.8 boards and 2.4 assists while shooting .423/.369/.905. In addition, the Clippers are 11-1 when he is the leading scorer.
Next Two Games
I am about to revert to my college self for the next five days, so you get a two-for-one special with this article while I am still able to formulate somewhat coherent sentences.
The next two games are nothing to be excited about for the Clippers. They wrap up their three game road trip in Minnesota before having a one game home stand against Washington. The Clippers have already beaten the 16-19 T'Wolves by six points at the begging of their historic streak, and that was before Kevin Love was hurt. Also, the Wolves only connect on 29.7 percent of their threes, which makes them the worst long-range shooting team in the league. Since perimeter defense is the one real weakness of the Clippers, look for them to put the Wolves away early.
As for Washington, well, they have the worst record in the league and are ranked 28th in our power rankings. They have just won consecutive games for the first time this season, and John Wall is just starting to get himself back into game shape. They have managed, however, to beat Miami, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta, which are all playoff teams. So there is a one percent chance that this game gets interesting, but I may be overestimating it.
Shameless Plug
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