Recap: Clippers 132, Cavaliers 108 (Or, Caught in the Wake)

The last time Cleveland faced off against the Clippers, the game was tightly contested from start to finish. Unfortunately, this match-up didn’t quite go as one would hope. The Cavaliers got caught up in the Clippers wake as they sailed to an easy win and continued their recent streak of hot play in their journey towards a higher playoff seed. There is a lot at stake in the Western Conference seeding race and its clear that LA wants to give themselves the best chance possible heading into April. And without Kevin Love, that meant a bit of a beating for The Land. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet. Let’s get started.

The first quarter featured a lot of back and forth action from both teams. Starting with a crafty layup by Cedi Osman (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists) the scoring was quickly answered by LA’s own rookie point guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who acquitted himself quite well in this one. The next bucket by the Clips showed why LA made a mistake in trading Zubac for next to nothing as the big man cruised down the court for a transition dunk, leaving several Cavaliers caught in the same wake that ended up losing them the game. A few minutes later, Sexton showed off his new-found but short-lived three point range adding his first and only triple of the game to tie it early in the quarter. Collin would finish the night with 21 points on 7-17 shooting and only 1-5 from distance. Sexton’s shooting was definitely not where it’s been recently.

Unfortunately, Gilgeous-Alexander picked up where Sexton had fallen off, making 3-3 from behind the arc for the game as he quickly answered Sexton’s long-range make with one of his own. Sexton did go 6-6 from the free throw line and four of those came in the opening frame to help keep the first quarter close. The Cavaliers kept pace with the Clippers through one, ending the quarter 29-29. One of the better moments from the quarter was this nifty bit of passing from Cedi.

#TheFirstCedi with our @StateFarm #AssistOfTheNight! pic.twitter.com/hcz5QXbaQj

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 30, 2019

The second quarter is where Cleveland saw LA let out their sails and reach flank speed. The Clippers bombed away for 4-7 from behind the arc while the Cavs couldn’t get even one of their five shots from outside to fall. They must have been busy spitting out seawater as the Clips sped through the quarter. Jordan Clarkson started out the scoring for the Cavs in the second as he put in a quick 6 points before taking to the bench for the remainder of the half. He would finish the night with 26 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Unfortunately, the Cavs didn’t have an answer inside for Montrezl Harrell who beat the Cavs up for 23 points. The big man even added to the damage from outside, canning a triple of his own. The score going into half-time was much less favorable as Cleveland saw a 13 point deficit with a score of 65-52. Luckily Larry Nance Jr. (5 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal) showed his ability to finish around the rim with this sweet double clutch in the last couple minutes of the quarter.

Are you serious @larrydn22!? pic.twitter.com/QmKmILpb8N

— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) March 30, 2019

Though the Cavs still couldn’t get anything going from outside, they shot 3-23 from distance for the game, they did manage to outscore the Clips in the third. The damage came primarily at the rim with sweet drives like this one.

Young Bull (17 points) on his way to another 20-point performance 💪#BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/gtNssuYLJv

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 30, 2019

In addition to their points inside, the remainder of the damage came at the free throw line as they showed true competency, going 10-11 from the charity stripe. Conversely, LA shot a total of zero free throws, something I’m sure caused some grievances on the home team sideline. The quarter ended with the score slightly closer at 93-83.

Unfortunately, the fourth quarter saw a return to dominance for the Clips as they managed to drop 39 to Cleveland’s 25. Bench scoring phenom Lou Williams, put the Cavs away early in the fourth, planting them squarely in their wake as he put up 14 points in the first eight minutes of the quarter. The scoring outburst, which is all too common for Williams, was combined with a couple of assists to Harrell, and put the game away for LA with a 121-98 lead before he exited the game for garbage time. The game ended with a final score of 132-108.

Some Notes:

1) Given how prolific Sexton has been from outside, one thing that’s been a bit overlooked about his progress is how he’s improved his finishing ability around the rim. Earlier in the season, this was a major struggle for the rookie. Fortunately, he’s showing improvement inside as well as outside. Check out this tough finish from late in the third.

Collin Sexton (19 PTS) with the tough finish!

End of 3Q on NBALP: #BeTheFight 83#ClipperNation 93

📱💻: https://t.co/pZ0DhQTM5F pic.twitter.com/CmXYvjsTfq

— NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2019

2) Kevin Love’s absence was certainly felt in this one. He was held out with a sore shoulder in what I’m sure was an ultra-conservative decision given their 19 wins. His impact on the boards is unmatched on this Cavs team. They lost the rebounding battle 44-36. No surprise given that he’s one of the best defensive rebounders in the League.

3) I didn’t mention Marquesse Chriss in my recap at all. Why? Because he had a pretty lackluster line of 3 points, 4 rebounds, a turnover, and 3 fouls. He shot 1-4 from the field, 0-2 from three, and 1-1 from the line. And yet, he led the team in +/- with a +7 for the game. Advanced stats, am I right?

4) Here’s another update from the West Coast. The Rockets are continuing their hot streak. Which isn’t great news for the Cavaliers other first rounder this year. Hopefully they don’t win too many of their remaining games. Also, LeBron has been shut down for the remainder of the season. In LA. After not having made the playoffs. Can you imagine the click-bait that would have been written if that happened in Cleveland? It’s nauseating. Hope James enjoys his long summer of filming movies, because he’s playing a heck of a lot less basketball this year.

I was hoping this game would be a bit closer than it was. Especially given that this was the one and only live Cavs game that EvilGenius got to attend. Unfortunately, he saw a bit of a downer out there in this one. At least we know that with every loss comes one more ping pong ball. As always, Go Cavs.