Pacers at Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are racking up victories and moving closer to wrapping up a Western Conference playoff berth. Los Angeles looks to win for the eighth time in the past nine games when it hosts the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
The Clippers are six games clear of the ninth-place Sacramento Kings with 11 left to play after standout sixth man Lou Williams buried a 3-pointer as time expired to provide the club with a 119-116 win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. "He's been absolutely amazing. He makes big shots," Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers told reporters of Williams. "Lou started making them early in the fourth quarter for us. He is one of those guys who is not scared." The Pacers are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference but have faltered of late and Monday's 106-98 road loss against the Portland Trail Blazers was their seventh setback in 11 games. Indiana has dropped six straight road games and is 0-2 on a current four-game excursion that concludes against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV; FS Indiana, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE PACERS (44-27): Center Myles Turner scored a season-best 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting against Portland to fall three points shy of his career high. "He made his shots," Indiana coach Nate McMillan told reporters afterward. "That was working early for us. They made some adjustments to try to take that away. We got open looks and he did a nice job of knocking down his shots." Forward Thaddeus Young was on the other end of the spectrum as he scored a season-low two points on 1-of-8 shooting.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (41-30): Williams appears headed to his second straight and third career Sixth Man of the Year award as he is averaging 20.4 points and 5.2 assists while playing 26.5 minutes per game. Los Angeles is also receiving another major contribution from another reserve as power forward Montrezl Harrell has emerged as a force and is averaging 16.4 points and 6.7 rebounds. Starting forward Danilo Gallinari has scored 20 or more points in each of his last six appearances - he is averaging 24.8 during the stretch - to raise his season mark to 19.4
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers have won the past five meetings, including a 116-92 home win over the Clippers on Feb. 7.
2. Indiana backup SF Doug McDermott was 4-of-5 from 3-point range against Portland after being 3-of-10 over the previous seven games.
3. Los Angeles C Ivica Zubac was 1-of-9 shooting against the Nets and is 9-of-32 over the past three games.