USA Today via Reuters
Dec 27, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George (13) controls the ball against Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 27, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George (13) controls the ball against Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Clippers were having a ball at the beginning of the 2020-21 season when the dark clouds knocked on the door. Kawhi Leonard could not show up against the Dallas Mavericks and the Clippers tasted their first loss of the season.
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The Mavs made a mockery of the Clippers in the first half of the game where they put a 77-27 on the board. Needless to say, a 50 point lead is almost impossible to breach even with an exceptional comeback.
The Clippers bounced back, but to no avail. Obviously, a flurry of demeaning tweets followed this, and one of those garnered Damian Lillard’s attention.
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 27, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George (13) shoots a jump shot against the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
When Damian Lillard covered for friend Paul George
While head coach Tyronn Lue called the humiliating loss an “exception”, Paul George also downplayed the defeat. Pointing to his Christmas celebrations and a lack of 100% effort, PG detailed in the post-game interview, “It’s not that big of a deal. [We] got our butts whipped today, but it’s one day. We wasn’t ready today. We wasn’t prepared. That’s on me. So, we’ll be ready for the next game.”
On the flip side, a fan tried to take a dig on Paul George and his kinship with Blazers’ Damian Lillard. He casually tagged Dame and asked how he felt about the performance, especially that of PG’s. To this, he received a savage response where the Blazers’ star asked him to cut some slack.
Give it a break Bruv. https://t.co/2fiOuHL1Ip
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) December 28, 2020
Where do the Clippers head from here?
The 50-point deficit in the first half was the highest ever registered in the shot-clock era. This also exposed the fact that the Clippers depend heavily upon Kawhi Leonard.
When the entire world of critics claim that The Claw lacks leadership qualities, his presence on the court does impact the Clippers.
The Mavericks could have scored zero (0) points in the second half and would have still beat the Clippers by 4.
— #RingerNBA (@ringernba) December 27, 2020
Kawhi got injured badly in their last game against the Nuggets. He collided with Patrick Beverley and found himself lying down with blood all over. He received eight stitches and missed the game as a result.
For the Clippers, Nicolas Batum and Patrick failed to score any point in the first half. Even worse, PG attempted six three-pointers and made none.
All this has really toned down the impact from their first two wins. Would they be able to regain their rhythm against the Timberwolves if Kawhi misses the game? Help us know your views in the comments.
