Vertically challenged: Clippers 105 – Bucks 98
They survived so much. All the dunking, all the lobs, all the spin moves, all the ferocity and all the violence. The Bucks survived all that and were right there in the fourth quarter Monday night against the Clippers.
This is no small task. L.A. had won eight straight at home coming into Monday’s game and featured a rookie who routinely posts “Kevin Durant in college” type numbers. And he did his thing as usual. But the Bucks were still there. More than that: they were winning. With 7:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, Milwaukee had the lead over the Clippers.
And then, of all people, the Clippers ground tethered backup power forward scored the last of his six straight points to put Los Angeles back in the lead. The Clippers would never relinquish that lead. Just over a minute later, this same backup forward drew the second of two fouls on Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova and sent Milwaukee’s most effective offensive performer on this Monday night to the bench with his final foul. Ike Diogu would head on back to the bench too. It was Blake Griffin time again. But Diogu had done his job.
The Clippers bench isn’t one filled with big names or very productive players. They have some firepower and athleticism in their starting lineup that can rival a lot of teams in the league. No one expected Milwaukee to be able to run and jump with the Clippers starters, but Milwaukee was supposed to take over against the Clippers weak bench. They did in the second quarter.
After trailing 26-16 after one, Milwaukee stormed back into the game early in the second quarter. Eight points from Brandon Jennings and a layup from Luc Mbah a Moute left the Bucks down just two by the 9:45 mark of the second. Quickly the Clippers brought back in Griffin and guard Randy Foye. Later, when Milwaukee saw Griffin head to the bench and a deficit of just two points early in the fourth quarter, opportunity was figuratively knocking at the Bucks door.
But the Clippers made the plays they needed to just long enough until their stars could shine again. Baron Davis and Foye led the Clippers home down the stretch and the Bucks could only watch as another chance at a start of something good had slipped away.
