Spurs at Clippers
Lou Williams is coming off his top performance of the season and the Los Angeles Clippers hope he has more in the tank when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year poured in a season-high 36 points on Friday to rally the Clippers to a 118-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Williams has scored 24 or more points in four of his last five games and ignited his club with an 11-of-18 shooting effort. "We didn't have it offensively," Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters afterward, "but Lou pretty much has seen any defense that anyone can throw at him, and he was fantastic." San Antonio has won eight of its last 11 games despite dropping a 102-99 decision at Denver on Friday. "We have to come out with more of a sense of urgency at the beginning, and we didn't," Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge told reporters after his 24-point effort. "They took advantage of it."
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (San Antonio), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE SPURS (19-17): San Antonio entered Friday's contest with a league-leading 82.6 free-throw percentage but was just 4-for-8 over the final 1:48 and 11-for-20 overall, sabotaging its chances at a victory. "We can't miss clutch free throws. It's unacceptable," shooting guard DeMar DeRozan told reporters after splitting four free-throw attempts during the final 1:48. "We've been great all year. We gave ourselves countless opportunities to be able to take the lead or tie the game up or give ourselves a better chance." DeRozan scored just 15 points versus Denver after averaging 29 over his previous two games.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (21-14): The team has won four of its last five games and changed the course of Friday's contest with a 22-0 second-half run to turn a seven-point deficit into a 15-point lead. Danilo Gallinari recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season, but he was just 5-for-13 on a night in which Williams was leading the way. "He carried us pretty much the whole game with his effort coming off the pick-and-rolls and creating plays for guys," forward Tobias Harris told reporters of Williams.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split two meetings earlier this season, with the Spurs rolling to a 125-87 home win on Dec. 13 in the most recent matchup.
2. Harris scored just nine points on Friday to finish in single digits for only the second time this season.
3. San Antonio backup C Pau Gasol (foot) could see action Saturday after a 27-game absence.