The LA Clippers have taken a second-quarter lead of 21 and 16 points in two defeats this postseason so far and Marcus Morris Sr. knows the problem.
“We just rely on us who are as good as on paper and don’t actually finish the game,” Morris said on Saturday, the day after the Denver Nuggets stunned the Clippers with a comeback in the second half to win Game 5. “It happened. only twice so there is no overreaction.
“[But] I think we are just as good as we are and we rely only on this and only on talent, without finishing or playing hard. “
The Clippers enter Game 6 on Sunday knowing they gave birth to the Nuggets, who in the last round became only the twelfth team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and win a series. The Clippers were leading by 16 in the second quarter and by 13 with just over 13 minutes left in the game. Denver went on a 35-14 run to avoid elimination.
For the Clippers, this was the sixth time this season that they have lost a game after leading 15 or more, the NBA maximum this regular season and post-season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
“We put the burden on ourselves,” Morris said. “We should have put that game aside; we should have stayed true to what we were doing. This has been one of our Achilles heels, kind of like messing up the game when we get up. To get to where we’re trying to get, and this is being champions, we have to be better, it has nothing to do with training, this is for the players.
“[Paul George] I said it better: we had that game under control, we had them exactly where we wanted and we took our foot off the accelerator. … We all know our abilities and we have to go ahead and stick to the script and finish your work. “
But the Clippers drifted off their game plan, Denver started making hits and felt confident, and the Clippers blew up the chance to make the Western Conference Finals for the first time in the franchise’s history.
“I was frustrated at half-time because I really thought we should have gone up more,” said Clippers manager Doc Rivers. “And we had that game where we didn’t allow ourselves to be great yesterday. We have to allow ourselves to be great, and to do that you need to have great discipline.”
The Clippers will also need more production than they got in Game 5 from their bench. Rivers’ team is the second strongest unit in the game, powered by the last two Sixth Man of the Year award winners, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams. But the Clippers’ bench was overtaken by Denver’s reserves 29-16 in Friday’s game.
Williams only shot 2 for 10 and finished with four points. Harrell had six points and three rebounds in 15 minutes. After a month away from the pitch mourning his grandmother’s loss, Harrell averaged 10.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18 minutes per game.
The Clippers knew it would take some time for Harrell, who has averaged 18.6ppg and 7.1rpg this season, to find his pace after so much free time.
“It was just up and down,” Rivers said. “His role is what it is. It’s always been going in, giving us energy, scoring. So I think this is a series that he can play a little more, but [Nikola] Jokic is hard on [Ivica Zubac], Jokic is tough on Trez. It’s just a player’s hell. I’m not going to put a lot of action into this. “
More than anything else, Rivers says he wants to see his players play the way they are able to and keep that level against an opponent who knows he can thrive in knockout matches.
“We got the lead and then we start changing our covers, doing our thing,” Rivers said. “Of all the teams left in the bubble, this is the team that will hurt you the most when you do. And we have great evidence.”
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