Oceanside, California

The San Diego Clippers took on the Salt Lake City Stars in a G-League matchup at Frontwave Arena.

There was a buzz around the arena as most fans were expecting the return of former San Diego State big man and current Stars player Jadeon LeDee.

LeDee spent two seasons with San Diego State and was a part of both the National Championship and Sweet Sixteen teams.

A buzzing arena saw the San Diego Clippers take a seven-point lead early in the first quarter. The Clippers were hounding the Stars on defense, forcing three turnovers early, leading to baskets.

Jordan Miller of the Clippers got off to a hot start, going 3-of-4 for eight points to open the game. He would finish with 10 points in the quarter. The Clippers would go into the second quarter with a slim two-point lead. From there, it was all Salt Lake and Elijah Harkless.

Harkless scored 37 points and grabbed nine boards in his second time back to Frontwave Arena since he signed a two-way deal with Utah. The Stars turned the tables in the second quarter, took the lead, and stretched it to 12 points. Jaedon LeDee contributed in the second quarter by scoring six points and snatching five boards. By the end of the quarter, the Stars would expand the lead to 19 points, leading 69-50. The Stars were all over the boards and shot the ball well in the first half.

The second half would see the Clippers turning up the heat on the defensive and offensive ends.

The Clippers trimmed the lead down to nine points in less than three minutes. The Stars were able to respond yet again and pushed the lead out to 21 points by the end of the quarter. LeDee scored another bucket and grabbed another board before his night was over. The Clippers would try again in the fourth quarter to cut into the lead and found some success.

Slowly but surely, the Clippers started to work at the 21-point lead. They got it down to 12 points with 2:50 to go in the game and then down to nine points with 2:35 to go in the game. The intensity for the Clippers was working, and they managed to cut the lead to six with 1:12 left. Harkless and the Stars made some timely shots in the last minute and made their free throws. The lead went back to nine, and the comeback fell short for the Clippers.

Jordan Miller and Patrick Baldwin Jr. led the Clippers with 34 and 29 points, respectively.

The Salt Lake City Stars outrebounded the San Diego Clippers 63-23. “We just got manhandled, they just outrebounded us … we’ve got prioritize [rebounding] and work on it,” Coach Hewitt said after the game.

When asked how the team would adjust, Coach Hewitt stated, “Win, we’ve gotta win this next game. We’ve got a three o’clock game against Iowa … we’ve got to do a better job on the boards and offensively getting Jalen House back and Patrick Baldwin. We’re getting better offensively.” He reiterated that “tonight we just didn’t rebound the ball.”

Jordan Miller had this to say about the game, “As the game progressed, we started to lose focus … just the little things. They killed us on the boards tonight,” Miller said. But he looked ahead to Sunday in Iowa, saying, “Just got to go out there and compete. Super excited … we just have to go out there and play our game, defend, and rebound. I don’t think we can lose.”

The San Diego Clippers travel to Iowa to play the Iowa Wolves on Sunday at 1:00  Pacific Time.

Max Montoya

A Southern California kid from San Clemente, he attended Gonzaga University and obtained a degree in sports management with minors in digital marketing and public relations. Max has been a San Diego sports fan for life.