San Antonio Spurs (59-19) beat LA the Clippers (39-38) 118-99 on the road on Thursday, April 2, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Spurs had the better start, winning the first 33-25 to lead by 8 after one. The Spurs kept the pressure on with a 35-19 second quarter, carrying a 24-point lead into halftime.
The Clippers won the third 34-19 to stay in front, taking a 9-point lead into the fourth. The Spurs took the fourth 31-21; the Spurs finished the job for a 118-99 regulation win.
What decided it
The Spurs got more from their shots, finishing at 60.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 45.7% for the Clippers. The Spurs grabbed 26.3% of their own misses, while the Clippers recovered 20.8%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Clippers did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 9.9 against 14.3. The Spurs made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 118.5 points per 100 possessions to 99.5 for the Clippers.
The Spurs' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 36-19.
Who made the difference
Kawhi Leonard was the game's biggest individual force for LAC: 24 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast on 10-16 shooting. His Game Score of 24.5 led everyone. His team was -3 with him on the floor.
De'Aaron Fox led the Spurs with 22 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl on 9-13 shooting, good for a 20.4 Game Score.
Devin Vassell (14 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 64% for the Spurs.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Spurs are now 59-19, and the Clippers are 39-38. The Spurs last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.