For Clippers to rebound, they’ll need to rebound better

For the Clippers to rebound Monday aft an 0-2 roadworthy swing, it volition assistance if they, well, rebound.

Saturday’s stinging nonaccomplishment successful Oklahoma City had – arsenic Nicolas Batum adroitly pointed retired – arsenic overmuch to bash with an array of shortcomings arsenic it did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s big-time game-winning 3-pointer arsenic clip ran out.

“I don’t privation to cliché, but we didn’t suffer connected that,” the Clippers’ philosophical Frenchman said, via Zoom, aft the 104-103 nonaccomplishment astatine Paycom Center. “Of people we suffer connected the past changeable – but we made truthful galore mistakes.”

Among the astir glaring: The disparity connected the boards, wherever the Thunder dominated successful the 4th fourth – 21-8, including a 10-1 vantage connected the violative glass.

All those other chances meant that successful a crippled decided by the last shot, Oklahoma City outscored the Clippers connected second-chance opportunities, 8-0.

So, successful the last 12 minutes, the Clippers mightiness person changeable 6.4% amended from the field, made 3 much escaped throws and turned implicit the shot 5 less times, but they outscored OKC by conscionable 1 constituent – just not enough, acknowledgment to SGA, the erstwhile Clipper.

“Tonight, I mean, violative rebounds was yuck,” Batum said. “Like, they had 17 violative rebounds (total)? And we mislaid astatine the buzzer?”

Tyronn Lue’s squad has lagged connected the violative solid for overmuch of the season, adjacent arsenic it has managed to tread h2o without injured prima Kawhi Leonard + [whichever operation of players is retired with wounded oregon successful COVID-19 wellness and information protocols].

They’re 16-14 entering Monday’s crippled against San Antonio astatine Staples Center, the Clippers’ last 1 successful the gathering earlier it’s renamed Crypto.com Arena connected Christmas.

All on the way, rebounding has been a taxable of speech — including earlier the Clippers’ archetypal gathering with the Thunder, connected Nov. 1. That’s erstwhile Lue attributed the Clippers’ unimpressive violative rebounding results successful their archetypal 5 games to the information that tiny shot – without Leonard and, astatine that point, Marcus Morris Sr. – meant really tiny ball. It puts them astatine an evident disadvantage, Lue said, erstwhile there’s nary 1 taller than the 6-foot-8 Paul George to combat for boards.

“When we spell small, similar we’re truly tiny and truthful we gotta pack rebound,” Lue said then. “It’s a good enactment with trying to people and unfastened up the level being small, and past rebounding the hoops arsenic well.”

The Clippers were averaging 8.4 violative boards per crippled astatine that point. Twenty-five games later, they’re averaging 8.9 violative rebounds, third-worst successful the league.

Before the Clippers bushed Boston connected Dec. 8, it came up again, and Lue said, “we conscionable got to bash a amended occupation of conscionable prosecute rebounding. Like, we can’t expect our bigs to conscionable beryllium the lone ones rebounding the basketball.”

Lue has talked astir wanting Terance Mann and Eric Bledsoe to clang the solid from their defender positions “because they get them, and if they don’t, they’re capable to get backmost due to the fact that of their speed.”

But that mightiness beryllium a tougher inquire of a feline who is doing heavier lifting than he’s accustomed to; Mann is averaging a career-high 5.6 rebounds this season, but successful the past 5 games, he’s logged 35 minutes per crippled arsenic a starter with George retired nursing a sprained close elbow. And Mann played a season-high 41 minutes Saturday – including each 12 successful the 4th period.

Mann noted that immoderate of the Thunder’s rebounding occurrence precocious Saturday was attributable to the Clippers’ defense: “We forced them to miss a batch of shots which came disconnected long, which forced a batch of agelong rebounds, which benignant of wounded us,” helium said.

And immoderate of the disparity was helped immoderate by the Clippers spreading the level and going “really small.” They went without 1 of their accepted centers for 2.1 minutes successful the 4th fourth (it wounded doubly erstwhile Isaiah Hartenstein suffered an ankle wounded with 2:08 to play).

But chalk a batch of it up to OKC simply beating their guests connected the glass.

Nineteen-year-old rookie Josh Giddey displayed a existent knack for putting himself successful presumption to cleanable up misses; the lanky, 6-8 defender totaled with a career-high 18 boards and astir outrebounded the Clippers by himself successful the 4th quarter, erstwhile helium had seven.

[Kenny] Hustle stats. 📈 pic.twitter.com/HQkio3HxJd

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 19, 2021

Kenrich Williams, a 6-6 tiny forward, had 3 fourth-period boards that alternately showcased fundamentals (a sturdy box-out of 7-foot halfway Ivica Zubac), anticipation and athleticism (he slipped betwixt Mann and Hartenstein, out-springing some for a putback) and court-awareness (with 1 touch, helium redirected a agelong rebound to an unfastened Lu Dort for a 3-point try).

And earlier Gilgeous-Alexander made the large shot, helium made the large changeable possible.

Because helium was prepared for Justise Winslow – a 37.5% free-throw shooter whom Gilgeous-Alexander had intentionally fouled – to miss his 2nd escaped throw, SGA was capable to streak past everyone from down the 3-point enactment to unafraid the last and astir important rebound of the night, the 1 that gave the Thunder 1 past shot.

“Got to larn from it,” Batum said, adding, “that’s a pugnacious loss. We fought, we battled, truthful present we person to alert backmost location person a bully time (Sunday) and get acceptable for San Antonio.”

SPURS astatine CLIPPERS

When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Staples Center

TV: Bally Sports SoCal