Revisiting the LA Clippers' Historic 31-Point Comeback, One Year Later

A look back at the largest comeback in the history of the NBA Playoffs and one of the most exciting LA Clippers games to date.

Patrick Beverley. Montrezl Harrell. Lou Williams. Not only do these players help define the current state of the LA Clippers, but each was a key figure in what will go down as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the NBA.

Allow me to set the scene. The Clippers, after making a late-season push to the playoffs without a true "star" on the roster, had just suffered a 17-point loss at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the series. That outcome was expected, given the Warriors were seeking a third consecutive NBA title and had three of the game's best players on the roster in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. 

What wasn't expected, however, was the way the Clippers would respond in Game 2. 

From the jump, it looked all too similar to what had transpired in Game 1 — after trading buckets for a few minutes, the Warriors took control and weren't looking back. Golden State had already led by as many as 10 points by the end of the first quarter, though it felt like more.

Meanwhile, the Clippers couldn't get any single player going. No one had scored more than 4 points at that point, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the only member of the team to make more than one shot. 

The second frame was nearly identical, with the Warriors continuing to score at will on the Clippers. This time they were more efficient, and after scoring 40 points in the quarter, Golden State took a 73-50 lead into the second half.

The Warriors came out of the break looking to put the Clippers out of their misery. Thompson and Durant made shot after shot, propelling Golden State on a 21-13 run through the first four minutes of the half. Durant then drained a free throw with 7:31 to play in the third that made it a 31-point game, a seemingly insurmountable lead.

At this point, most teams would have shifted their focus to the next game in the series, but the Clippers refused. LA had managed to pull off several 20+ point comebacks during the regular season, though none were against a team like Golden State.

That still didn't stop them from trying.

LA answered Durant's free throw with a 25-10 run, which was led by Williams. The crafty shooter put up 17 points in the period, bringing the Clippers within 14 as the teams approached the fourth and final quarter.

Golden State didn't have an answer for LA's inspired play. It wasn't that the Warriors had checked out, either — the Clippers were just playing at another level, and they wanted it more. 

Harrell shined the brightest in the fourth, leading all players with 15 points and 7 rebounds in 11 minutes of play. He scored 7 of the team's first 10 to begin the quarter, and some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch helped bring the Clippers within 2 with just four minutes to play.

But despite all that, it was Landry Shamet who became the hero of the game. The then-22-year-old rookie, who the Clippers acquired via the Tobias Harris trade, hit a three-pointer with 16 seconds to play to give the team its first lead since there were eight minutes left in the first quarter.

It was the most unlikely comeback imaginable. The Warriors — one of the most dominant teams to ever play in the NBA — surrendering a 31-point lead, at home, to a Clippers team that was projected to win as few as 22 games coming into the season.

LA would go on to lose the series in Game 6, but the team had already made a lasting impression by then. This was a group of guys that would truly fight until the buzzer, regardless of the score or opponent. The Clippers gained quite a bit of respect for the effort as well — and it's possible that helped the team win over Kawhi Leonard that summer.

One year later, the Clippers find themselves in strange territory. With the season on hold, it's impossible to say whether we'll be able to see this new-and-improved group in this year's playoffs. But if LA does get a chance to compete for a title later this summer, expect that same level of hunger and ferocity to come out.