San Diego Clippers let 10-point lead slip away
Credit: Deanna Gold/ EVT Sports
Oceanside, California
The Mexico City Capitanes rolled into Frontwave Arena on Friday night, coming off a loss against the Austin Spurs.
The San Diego Clippers came into Friday night’s game after losing a close game to the Sioux Falls Skyforce 121-118. Last game in Sioux Falls, the Clippers shot an impressive 46.8% from the field and a hot 40.9% from beyond the arc.
The Clippers entered the night sitting at tenth place in the standings and the Capitanes entered in twelfth. This game was pivotal for the standings, with only a handful of games left.
The home team had five players score in double figures tonight, led by Trentyn Flowers, 22 points. On the other side, The Mexico City Capitanes leading scorer went nuclear scoring 51 points, David Jones. No matter how hard the Clippers defended Jones, he managed to find the bottom of the net. Jones also shot a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe on Friday night.
The San Diego Clippers came out of the locker room looking like a team on a mission.
The Clippers came out and hounded the Mexico City Capitanes on defense. All five players on the floor had their hands in the passing lanes and forced turnovers. Those turnovers led to either buckets or free throws for the Clippers. The Clippers used their defensive prowess to open a 25-22 lead at the first timeout. Jalen Adaway had a late shot clock banked three-pointer at the end of the quarter to put the Clippers up 28-26.
In the first, the Clippers forced eight turnovers with six of those being steals.
In the second quarter, it was more of the same from the Clippers defensively. They opted to use a full-court man press, which forced Mexico City into bad shots. The Clippers were solid defensively and on the glass. Shots were falling for the Clippers, and they blew the lead up to 10 points midway through the quarter. Jalen Adaway helped the Clippers grow that lead, “he works, he doesn’t stop; what you put into the game is gonna show” Flowers said about his teammate’s play tonight.
Mexico City started to find the bottom of the net. The Capitanes splashed multiple threes to sneak back into the game. David Jones led the Capitanes offensively, scoring 22 points in the first half. Jones was two for three from beyond the arc to lead the Capitanes to a 60-59 halftime lead. Despite being down one, the Clippers’ defense showed out in the first half, forcing 13 turnovers.
Out of the break, the offense slowed for the Clippers. Even though the offense slowed, the defense anchored the team, slowing down Mexico City. David Jones scored 11 in the third quarter to keep the Capitanes in the game. The Clippers’ defense “needed to shut the water off,” Flowers lamented after the game.
The Clippers still lead 80-76 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the tide turned against the Clippers. The Capitanes tightened up their defense and forced the Clippers into tough shots. Jones stayed on fire and continued his tear through the Clipper defense. The defensive effort for the Clippers stayed strong, but Mexico City made some timely shots.
Luckily for the Clippers, they get another shot on Sunday at the Capitanes. Trentyn Flowers felt that “we shut off David Jones, we’ll be good.” The rematch on Sunday tips off at 6:00 pm.
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.