The San Antonio Spurs rallied from 25 points down to stun the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-112, at home on Saturday.
San Antonio trailed, 66-46, going to intermission and was still down, 75-50 at one point in the third quarter. Then the Spurs began turning things around, outscoring the Clippers, 31-17, to cut the lead to 92-81 going to the final frame.
The Spurs continued their furious fight back in the fourth, finally getting the lead for good on a Victor Wembanyama jam after forcing Kawhi Leonard into a miss on the other end. The Clippers then turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, leading to two free throws for Stephon Castle. The super sophomore made the first and missed the second but was able to corral it and make a basket for the dagger.
Wembanyama led the way once more with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. De’Aaron Fox added 19 points and 9 dimes, Julian Champagnie chipped in 20 markers on five triples, and Keldon Johnson and Luke Kornet contributed 10 apiece off the bench. Kawhi Leonard had 30 to lead all scorers, while Brook Lopez had 26, including 9 early points in the first quarter to lead the Clippers’ fast start.
Second-Largest Comeback in Spurs History
Wemby and company’s rally from 25 points down is the second-largest comeback in Spurs history, just behind the 28 points San Antonio erased in a March 2017 game against the Sacramento Kings. Leonard, incidentally, was part of that team but missed the game due to an injury. Spurs legend Manu Ginobili led that furious fight back that resulted in a 114-104 victory.
With the win, the Spurs have now gone 9-1 in their last 10 games and have won 14 of 15 to solidify their grip on the second seed in the Western Conference. But only two games separate San Antonio from the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, which means there’s a good chance the Texas-based franchise can still make a run at the No. 1 seed.
San Antonio will look to keep its torrid run going on Tuesday against the Houston Rockets. Los Angeles will look to bounce back on Monday when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies.
