San Antonio Spurs (50-19) beat LA the Clippers (34-34) 119-115 on the road on Monday, March 16, after falling far behind. The Spurs were down 8 at one quarter break and still finished 4 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Clippers struck first, taking the opening quarter 37-29 and a 8-point lead after one. The Spurs moved in front with a 37-15 second quarter, carrying a 14-point lead into halftime.
The Clippers won the third 30-26 to stay in front, taking a 10-point lead into the fourth. The Clippers took the fourth 33-27; the Spurs held on for a 119-115 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Spurs grabbed 46.8% of their own misses, while the Clippers recovered 28.6%. The Spurs made 24.7 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 20.2 for the Clippers. In a 4-point game, the second chances kept adding up.
At roughly 99 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 120 points per 100 possessions to 116 for the Clippers.
Who carried the comeback
Jordan Miller was the game's biggest individual force for LAC: 22 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast on 10-13 shooting. His Game Score of 22.9 led everyone. His team was +3 with him on the floor.
Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 23 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast on 9-19 shooting, good for a 19 Game Score.
Darius Garland (25 pts, 2 reb, 10 ast) and Victor Wembanyama (21 pts, 13 reb, 2 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 57% for the Spurs.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, LA the Clippers lead 3-2.
The Spurs are now 50-19, and the Clippers are 34-34. The Spurs last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.