After a pivotal third quarter and a peculiar fourth, Paul Pierce and the Los Angeles Clippers escaped with a 91-89 win over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
“I wanted to see us compete,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “And I thought we really competed tonight. It was a gritty game.”
Amid the teeter-totter contest that saw 14 ties and 12 lead changes, No. 34 finished with five points, two rebounds and two steals. The Truth was in foul trouble for much of the night.
LAC point guard Chris Paul and Indiana power forward Paul George anchored their teams with 26 and 31 points, respectively, stepping up significantly in the second half to give their teams a fighting chance.
Paul knocked down a 19-footer in the first quarter and swiped a Lavoy Allen pass just seconds later. That led to a J.J. Redick trey on the other end. The game was tied after one, but the Pacers took a 51-46 lead into the break. Playing from behind, the Clippers needed a change in the third quarter, which The Truth helped trigger.
Within the first minute, Paul squeezed through two defenders under the rim and pushed the ball to DeAndre Jordan, who rolled it in to trim the deficit to 53-48. On the next LAC possession, No. 34 knocked down a triple to get the Clippers back within five, 56-41.
Both teams kept the game within two possessions the rest of the quarter, as Jordan connected on both from the line to end the period with the Clips on top, 74-72.
After the Clippers outscored the Pacers 28-21 in the third period, CP3 and George outscored their teams in the fourth. Chris tallied 11 points and the other Clippers added six, while George totaled 10 with the other Pacers finishing with seven.
CP3 capped a 13-0 surge that spanned from the third to the fourth quarter with back-to-back baskets, giving the Clips a nine-point, 81-72, advantage. Meanwhile, Indiana missed its first 10 shots of the final frame. The Pacers couldn’t buy a basket until George cashed in with seven quick points, cutting the lead to three.
The show continued with CP3 scoring the next five for the Clippers with a runner and a crossover triple. Showcasing his agility once again, he shuffled for a step-back two that pushed LAC’s lead to 91-86 with 33.7 seconds remaining.
George responded with a catch-and-shoot three to get within two, and after a backcourt violation against the Clippers, the Pacers had another chance to tie or take the lead with 2.1 seconds to play.
The ball was instead knocked out of bounds by Luc Mbah a Moute with 0.3 seconds remaining in regulation, leaving Indiana with one last catch-and-shoot opportunity. The heave missed off the backboard, securing the win for LAC.
“The defense tonight, they wanted to win the game,” Rivers said. “I think all the stuff the last 48 hours, we always say it’s the game that brings the team back, and you could kind of feel that tonight. That was a good win for our team.”
NEXT UP
The Clippers conclude their road swing Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks (27-19). Tip off is set for 5 p.m. PT.
LAC has yet to face Atlanta, which most recently downed the Denver Nuggets, 119-105, on Monday.
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