Clippers look to the past to fix defense and shut down Pistons

Gores was in his customary courtside seat for for the Pistons’ game against Clippers, and he spoke to reporters at halftime of the 101-96 loss – the Pistons’ ninth straight loss in Los Angeles.

“I just needed spacing”, Rivers said.

Since allowing 92.2 points per game in their first five, the Pistons (5-4) have surrendered an average of 103.5 on 49.4 percent shooting in their previous four. Three free throws by Ilyasova boosted the Pistons to a 75-64 cushion with 4:34 left in the third quarter. The Clippers sixth man was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season and had his best game in years scoring 37 points with six rebounds and 8 assists. Wow. That’s a welcoming development for a team who’s still at only 31% for the year, 26th in the league. Considering how well Jamal Crawford played, Rivers may be more likely to be pushed to the bench once Chris Paul (groin) comes back. Their game against the Pistons is the first half of a back-to-back, with the purple and gold heading to Phoenix to face the Suns on Monday.

The long ball might be starting to fall for the Clippers: They’ve shot above league average for the past three games, including 37% (7-19) against Detroit. The Lakers got off to a great start, but the offense sputtered in the second and third quarters. The pick and roll is a staple of pretty much every National Basketball Association team and it was a little disheartening to see the Pistons get burnt over and over by something that was hardly smoke and mirrors. After missing, the Pistons fouled Crawford, who sealed the deal with two free throws to end the game.

Curry scored 21 of his 34 points after halftime, Iguodala hit a clutch 3-pointer and the Warriors survived in overtime, beating the Brooklyn Nets 107-99 on Saturday night.

Crawford, a graduate of Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, made all 10 of his free throws and had eight assists. Meanwhile, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute got second half minutes again and again looked very impressive on the floor, impacting the game defensively and making a number of plays that weren’t reflected in the box score. Los Angeles also held the Mavericks to just 90 points, the least amount of points they’ve given up all season.

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers immediately voiced his frustration following Griffin’s early exit, saying: “That’s awful”.

Late in the fourth quarter, Felton scored seven straight to give his Dallas a 14-point lead in their 110-98 road victory over the Houston Rockets.

James scored Cleveland’s last six points in regulation and blew right by Bucks guard Khris Middleton for a game-tying dunk with 16.5 seconds to play. Clippers coach Doc Rivers started Crawford and Austin Rivers in the backcourt and replaced struggling forward Lance Stephenson with Paul Pierce. “We have to be better than that”. The Clippers had lost two in a row, and four out of five, before Saturday, and a game against the undefeated Golden State Warriors looms on Thursday.