LOS ANGELES — It had not been Kawhi Leonard’s night, he had missed 12-of-18 shots up until the final seconds Sunday night. James Harden had been carrying the Clippers offense, with 29 points and 11 assists. So, with the Clippers down one to the Kings and 21.6 seconds left, coach Brian Shaw switched things up.
“I expected that [the Kings] felt like the ball was going to go to James and he was going to make the play for us down the end…” said Shaw, who coached the game due to Tyronn Lue having to take the night off because of back pain. “I think that threw them off a little bit as well because Kawhi didn’t have to going, but I thought all the shots that he took were good shots, they just didn’t go in. And so I played the odds that, you know, the next one would be going in.”
It went in. A lefty floater as time expired that sent the Intuit Dome into a frenzy.
Leonard would not be rushed — Shaw told Leonard to make this the last shot, not to give the Kings another chance. Watch Leonard on the play and he waits, gets to the right elbow — a spot he is dangerous from with a fadeaway — looks up at the shot clock again, and is unhurried as he spins back across the paint into the lefty floater.
“Pretty much read the defense got to a spot on the floor and was able to get a shot off,” Leonard said in his classically understated fashion.
Los Angeles got the 111-110 overtime win that kept them the No. 8 seed in the West, now 1.5 games ahead of No. 9 seed Sacramento for that spot. Both the Clippers and the Kings appear headed to the play-in (both are within reach of Golden State for the No. 6 seed, Los Angeles is just a game back, but passing the red-hot Warriors would be difficult). The difference between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds is massive — the No. 9 seed has to win two games, one on the road, just to earn the eighth seed in the playoffs; the No. 8 seed has to win one of two play-in games to advance to the playoffs, and can do so as the No. 7 seed.
“You know, we need these wins down the stretch,” Leonard said. “I think this will help us be a better team moving forward. Us getting that win, everybody was excited and know we needed it.”
Ivica Zubac finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Derrick Jones Jr. came off the bench for 17 for Los Angles, including a clutch 3-pointer in overtime. DeMar DeRozan finished with 31 points and Zach LaVine 30 on the night, when the Kings were shorthanded without the injured Domantas Sabonis.
The Clippers still believe that if they can just get healthy — Norman Powell was out Sunday — they are a threat to make a playoff run. If Leonard is hitting game-winners, they are.
