LA the Clippers (38-36) beat Indiana Pacers (16-58) 114-113 on the road on Friday, March 27, after falling far behind. The Clippers were down 21 at one quarter break and still finished 1 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pacers struck first, taking the opening quarter 42-21 and a 21-point lead after one. The Clippers cut into the deficit with a 29-18 second quarter, though the Pacers still led by 10 at halftime.
The Clippers won the third 36-28 to stay in front, taking a 2-point lead into the fourth. The Clippers took the fourth 28-25; the Clippers completed the comeback for a 114-113 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Clippers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 10.7% of possessions compared with 19.3% for the Pacers. The Clippers made 19.8 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 12.6 for the Pacers. In a 1-point game, those extra possessions were crucial.
The Pacers did win one battle, shooting: eFG% of 58.6% against 49.5%. The Clippers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Clippers produced 110.4 points per 100 possessions to 109.5 for the Pacers.
The Pacers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 32-19.
Who carried the comeback
Kawhi Leonard was the game's biggest individual force for LAC: 28 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl on 13-26 shooting. His Game Score of 22.8 led everyone. His team was +17 with him on the floor.
Obi Toppin led the Pacers with 20 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast on 8-11 shooting, good for a 19.7 Game Score.
Andrew Nembhard (13 pts, 1 reb, 10 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Clippers about a 73% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Indiana Pacers lead 2-1.
The Clippers are now 38-36, and the Pacers are 16-58. The Clippers last five before this game: L-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.