The Clippers beat the Indiana Pacers 139-133 in an afternoon Martin Luther King Jr. day game. Los Angeles broke out of a shooting slump of late to convert 54.9 percent of their shots from the field, 50 percent from three, and 86.1 percent from the free throw line.
The Clippers got out to an early 18-9 lead, which forced the Pacers to call a timeout just over five minutes into the game. In truth, the effectiveness of early game production may be the most potent lesson from today’s game. The game is simply more forgiving when you’re defending a lead, as opposed to when you’re trying to dig back from a deficit.