SAN ANTONIO — Big losses, and what happened to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at Frost Bank Center.
The Clippers led by 25 points in the second half, only to fall apart in the final seconds as Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs stormed back for a 117-112 victory that would stick with them for a long time.
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Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting, along with nine rebounds and three steals, but it wasn’t enough to prevent one of Los Angeles’ worst collapses of the season.
Brook Lopez scored 26 points on 11-for-19 shooting, hit 4 three-pointers, and also contributed 6 rebounds and 4 steals. This was his best game of the year.
Clippers cruise early, then hit wall
The Clippers looked like a completely different team in the first half, shooting the ball well and taking a comfortable 66-46 lead at halftime.
It was the largest halftime deficit of the season for the San Antonio Spurs, a team that had led at the half in 42 of 63 games on Friday.
Lopez set the tone for the game in the first quarter with nine points on floaters, fadeaways and step-back jumpers, and Los Angeles led 75-50 in the third quarter, extending its lead to 25 points.
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Everything went smoothly and it felt like the Clippers were in complete control of the game.
San Antonio flips script
Then the fourth quarter happened.
The Spurs opened the final quarter with an 18-5 surge, completely erasing the huge gap and taking their first lead since the start of the game.
Bunyama was the engine of the team’s comeback, finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, and his style of play makes him one of the most dominant young players in the league.
He caught Kris Dunn’s reverse layup and created a fast break opportunity, which ended with Carter Bryant’s alley-oop dunk. Devin Vassell then hit a three-pointer to give the Spurs a 99-97 lead.
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Julian Champagne, who came off the bench, performed well, making 5 of 8 three-pointers and scoring 20 points and 9 rebounds. De’Aaron Fox contributed 19 points and 9 assists, fueling the offense.
incredible ending
The last minute was a rollercoaster.
With 1 minute and 17 seconds left in the game, Leonard made two free throws and the Clippers led 109-108, but Vunbanyama responded with a key three-pointer. With 54.7 seconds left in the game, the Spurs regained the lead 111-109.
After Leonard missed a three-pointer in the final seconds, Vembanyama broke through and dunked, extending the lead to 113-112 with 16 seconds left.
The Clippers had one more chance, but Nicolas Batum turned the ball over when his foot went over the inbounds line and it was basically a ball game.
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Stephon Castle capped off the win by recovering a missed free throw of his own and going for a layup with one second left.
The loss dropped the Clippers’ record to 30-32 on the season and ended a three-game winning streak as they continue to compete for a spot in the Western Conference.
The San Antonio Spurs improved to 46-17, winning 14 of their past 15 games and ranking second in the Western Conference, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Clippers will look to rebound quickly when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
