Over at FOX Sports West, I wrote about my five takeaways from the Clippers’ 120-107 win over the Suns on Saturday. Click here to read the full article. Here is an excerpt: This what you’ve been waiting for, ain’t it? By almost any measure, this was the Clippers’ best game of the season. Their offense hummed at an insane pace, they knocked down their 3s (14 of 29, 48.3 percent), and their defense finally showed a modicum of consistency. Six players scored in double figures, and all 10 non-garbage time players scored. The Clips had yet to maintain or extend a double-digit second-half lead this season, but they did so Saturday night. This game was over midway through the third, which is more than we could say about any of the team’s prior wins. Barnes giveth and Barnes taketh away According to Doc Rivers, Matt Barnes has played his role perfectly over the last three games (ever since he was moved to the bench, and then reinserted Saturday). “It’s not about the offense,” Rivers said. “I think his offense is starting to come along because he’s doing those other things. He’s being our energy player, our defensive guy, a rebounder from that position. Then all the other stuff will happen.” Of course, other stuff happened, too. Barnes was ejected in the fourth quarter for slamming the ball down after goaltending, which was just another reminder of how his untamed nature can be both good and bad. Click here to read the rest.
↧