Clippers win LA battle, Bucks start well too

The Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, who was returning to the NBA a year and a half after a serious knee injury, made their championship debut on Thursday by winning the Los Angeles derby (103-97) at the Lakers.

On the substitutes’ bench at kick-off, in order to spare his mount, Leonard played 21 minutes – including the last of the match, his half-distance shot 52 seconds from the end giving his team a definitive lead (101-95 ). The All-Star back ultimately made a clean copy (14 points, 6/12 on shots, 7 rebounds), like the rest of the team since five other players scored between 11 and 15 points, Paul George (10 rebounds, 4 assists) and John Wall being the most prolific.

Ivica Zubac dominated inside (14 pts, 17 rebounds, 5 blocks), while Nicolas Batum was discreet (1 pt, 5 rebounds in ten minutes). It was during the third quarter, won 29-21, that the Clippers broke away to have a 16-point lead, before the Lakers came back up to par and even took the lead (89-87) by Lonnie Walker, top scorer of the game (26 pts).

But the 2020 champion, already beaten at the start of the season on Tuesday with the Warriors, then only put six points in the next seven minutes. Neither LeBron James (20 pts, 10 rebounds) nor Anthony Davis (25 pts, 8 rebounds) yet successful so far, were able to force the decision in this money-time.

0/11 pour Westbrook

In the third quarter, Davis, battling for a ball with Leonard, fell hard on his lower back and Lakers fans held their breath. But the winger, who missed half of last season for various injuries, maintaining an image of a supposedly fragile player, was able to finish the match.

As for Russell Westbrook, his relentless defense (5 interceptions) struggled to hide a terrible offensive poverty (2 points, only free throws) as evidenced by his 0/11 in shooting. Two games, two losses for the Lakers.

In Philadelphia, the Bucks have, like the Clippers, started their season well by winning (90-88) in the last seconds at the expense of Sixers who concede there their second loss in a row, after that in Boston on Tuesday . For his comeback, the double MVP (2019 and 2020) Giannis Antetokounmpo inevitably left his mark on the meeting (21 pts, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks).

In his wake, in the absence of his lieutenant Khris Middleton, injured since April but whose return is approaching, pivot Brook Lopez was formidable behind the arc with four banderillas for 17 points in total. Jrue Holiday (6 pts at 2/15 shooting) was clumsy.

Giannis satisfied

Milwaukee, champion in 2021, led in the score for almost the entire match, counting up to 13 units ahead at the end of the third quarter, before James Harden sounded the revolt for Philly. “The Beard(the bearded man) managed 16 of his 31 points (9 assists, 8 rebounds) in the final quarter, contributing to the rise of his team, even managing to take the lead 86-84 less than two minutes from the buzzer . But the Bucks regained the upper hand thanks to Wesley Matthews (8 pts), author of a long-range shot that hit the mark 25 seconds from the buzzer (89-88).

Harden couldn’t answer, his basket attack proving unsuccessful. The full-back can’t be blamed for going it alone as Joel Embiid was a second-half absentee with no points scored. The Cameroonian pivot had however scored 15 (12 rebounds) in the first act. Not enough to help Doc Rivers’ team. “They scored 88 points, so our defense tonight was great. (…) We had a lead, we lost it. Harden started to heat up, to put shots … But we continued to trust each other“, welcomed Antetokounmpo.

NBA results after games played on Thursday:

Philadelphia – Milwaukee 88 – 90

LA Lakers – LA Clippers 97 – 103

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