1. ‘Clamp City’ is real
Boy, is this defense going to be fun to watch. With 15 steals and 7 blocks, everyone was getting involved on the defensive end and stifled a Kings team, that scored 37 points in the second quarter, to only 37 combined points in the third and fourth quarters. They also forced the Kings into 25 turnovers.
The perimeter defense was especially impressive with Patrick Beverley, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and SGA gathering a combined 9 steals.
This team was absolutely flying to the ball and making things hard for Sydney. Despite a high-scoring second quarter, where the Kings made three straight threes and looked confident, the Clips never backed down and followed up a bad defensive play with a steal or forced tough shot.
Holding any professional team to only 91 points is an accomplishment. Yes, this was not the greatest test for this new-look Clippers squad but this new “Clamp City” trend looks to be strong so far.
Interior defense also looked strong as Sydney’s starting frontcourt only scored 23 points combined. Gallinari had 2 blocks and Gortat swatted one away. Montrezl Harrell provided energy off the bench and pulled down seven boards in only 20 minutes.
Defense will more than likely be this team’s calling card this season. If they can maintain this type of tenaciousness in the steal and block categories, the Clips are going to be an annoying team to play. Let’s hope this “Clamp City” moniker stays true.
Next Up: Takeaway No. 2
