San Antonio Spurs (46-18) beat LA the Clippers (30-32) 116-112 at home on Friday, March 6, after falling far behind. The Spurs were down 20 at one quarter break and still finished 4 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Clippers had the better start, winning the first 32-25 to lead by 7 after one. The Clippers kept the pressure on with a 34-21 second quarter, carrying a 20-point lead into halftime.
The Spurs won the third 35-26 to stay in front, taking a 11-point lead into the fourth. The Spurs took the fourth 35-20; the Spurs completed the comeback for a 116-112 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Spurs grabbed 30.6% of their own misses, while the Clippers recovered 15.9%. The Spurs got more from their shots, finishing at 57.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 55.8% for the Clippers. In a 4-point game, the second chances kept adding up.
The Clippers did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 18.6 against 7.4. The Spurs made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 98 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 119 points per 100 possessions to 114.9 for the Clippers.
The Spurs' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 50-30.
Who carried the comeback
Kawhi Leonard was the game's biggest individual force for LAC: 30 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl on 10-20 shooting. His Game Score of 25.4 led everyone. His team was -3 with him on the floor.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 27 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast, 4 blk on 11-21 shooting, good for a 23.2 Game Score.
Victor Wembanyama (27 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Spurs about a 80% chance.
Across the last 4 meetings in our records, LA the Clippers lead 3-1.
The Spurs are now 46-18, and the Clippers are 30-32. The Spurs last five before this game: W-W-L-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.