The Los Angeles Clippers sailed to their third consecutive victory Wednesday night, beating the Indiana Pacers 130-107 at Intuit Dome.
From tipoff, the Clippers offense was electric, and they scored 42 first quarter points. Led by veteran forward Kawhi Leonard, who had 12 points in the first quarter and 20 in the first half, the Clippers quickly jumped to a double-digit lead and never looked back.
The Clippers would create a 63-51 advantage into the half and would build upon their lead to37-pointsin the fourth, putting the contest out of reach. The Clippers dominated, leading for 96% of the game.
While the entire team all chipped into an efficient 55.1% shooting game, Leonard led the Clippers point production with 29 points, followed closely by forward Benedict Mathurin’s 23 points. Center Brook Lopez contributed as well by scoring 17 points, and notably, guard Darius Garland also got involved for the first time in Inglewood, finishing with 12 points, eight assists, and four rebounds in his first home appearance since being acquired in a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers last month.
Forward Norchad Omier had just one basket, but a historic one, as the rookie became the first Nicaraguan player to score in an NBA game. However, night wasn’t without concern for The Clippers as rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser exited early after appearing to injure his right foot and did not return.
For the Pacers, forward Pascal Siakam led all scoring and was able to finish with 29 points in his return from a three-game absence after a left wrist sprain. Center Jay Huff would follow with 18 points and forward Jarace Walker added 17 points to the Indiana box score The injury-plagued Pacers have now dropped their seventh straight game and are currently sitting at 15-47, matching the worst record in the Eastern Conference with the Brooklyn Nets.
Indiana continued to struggle to produce as much offensive firepower without their injured star Tyrese Haliburton, as they only shot 42.9% as well as an abysmal 27.8% from beyond the arc. Overall, the Pacers struggled to compete with the Clippers and although they at one point of the game trimmed the deficit to seven points, they would instantly allow a 16-2 run that would put the game to sleep.
The Clippers will look to continue their win streak as they head to face the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.