Spurs Dominate From Start to Finish, Defeat Clippers 116-92

The San Antonio Spurs dominated the LA Clippers from tipoff to final buzzer

Ashley Landis / AP

In their last game at Staples Center before the building becomes the Crypto.com arena, the LA Clippers got embarrassed on their home floor. Just one game after falling to the last place OKC Thunder, the Clippers came out with no intensity, energy, or effort against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs pulled down 67 rebounds in this game, which is the most rebounds an opponent has grabbed against the Clippers since 1993. After the game, head coach Ty Lue said that the 114 field goal attempts the Spurs had in this game had to be an NBA record. While it is not, it is just the 6th time in franchise history that the Clippers have allowed that many field goal attempts. The last time it happened was 1991, so there are some bad numbers across the board for the Clippers in this one.

The Clippers did get Paul George back in this game, and he played well which was the lone bright spot. George had 25 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in his return; however, it certainly wasn't enough. George said after the game that he felt fine in this game, and didn't overexert himself in his first game back from injury. Regarding the game itself, George said that the Clippers weren't locked in as a team. "Tonight we were lethargic and slow. Effort wasn't there, energy wasn't there," George said.

As bad as the Clippers were, the Spurs deserve some credit. Dejounte Murray was fantastic in this game, putting up 24 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds, and 4 steals. It was the first time this season a player put up that stat line or better, and just the 12th time in NBA history a player has put up that stat line or better. The last player to do it was James Harden last season.

After Wednesday's game against the Sacramento Kings, the Clippers will play eight of their next ten games against teams who were in the playoffs last year. Dropping consecutive games to OKC and San Antonio is a tough blow to a team about to embark on a difficult stretch. The Clippers are now 16-15, looking to maintain positioning in a tight Western Conference.