LOS ANGELES — Ivica Zubac’s poster dunk, punctuated with a roar, said it all. It was the message Coach Tyronn Lue wanted to send the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Lue said before the game the Clippers needed to match the Knicks’ physicality and aggressiveness one through five to have any chance of extending their winning streak. If not, he said, it would be “a long night for us.”
Zubac responded to the challenge with his monster-sized dunk over Jericho Sims less than three minutes into the game, and the rest of the team followed for a 144-122 victory at Crypto.com Arena.
The game tested not only the Clippers’ defense and ability to match the opponent’s physical play, but their resolve to keep their streak intact. With the lopsided victory, the Clippers (15-10) extended their league-leading streak to seven.
The Clippers quit attacking in the second quarter, which allowed the Knicks to tie and then briefly take the lead, before the Clippers regained control and led, 77-66, at the half. It didn’t take much to turn the game into a 20-point advantage.
Kawhi Leonard buried a 26-foot shot to give the Clippers a 102-82 lead with 4:53 left in the third and then finished off the Knicks, who were playing the second of a back-to-back and the third game of a five-game trip.
The Clippers continued to dominate in the fourth, allowing Lue to play five bench players for the final five minutes.
The Clippers were able to put away the Knicks (14-11) despite a quiet scoring night from James Harden.
Harden took a step back from two nights earlier when he picked up the slack for Paul George, who missed the game because of a sore hip. On Thursday, Harden attacked the basket, found teammates, connected with Zubac on pick-and-roll plays and finished the game against the Golden State Warriors with 28 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds.
On Saturday, he finished with 10 points, but had 12 assists. He now has 7,165 career assists, putting him ahead of Terry Porter for 17th place on the NBA’s all-time assist list.
Harden’s off-night didn’t matter as the Clippers had six other players in double figures, led by Leonard, who finished with 36 points, the sixth time in the past nine games he has posted more than 30 or more points. He was 12 of 16 from the field, including 5 of 6 from the 3-point range.
George contributed 25 points, four rebounds and seven assists in his return from his one-game absence.
Zubac posted 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Norman Powell added 16 points, Terance Mann 13 and Westbrook 10.
The Clippers ran out to a 35-27 lead in the first quarter then stood around while the Knicks climbed back into the game with a 6-0 that closed the gap, 35-33, at the end of the first quarter. Then Knicks guard Jalen Brunson began finding the basket.
His two free throws at the 5:41 mark gave the Knicks their first lead, 54-52. His subsequent two baskets kept the Knicks ahead by two. But the Clippers managed to outduel them in the final three minutes of the first half to take a 77-66 lead into halftime.
The Clippers’ 77 first-half points they have scored in an opening half since they had 80 against the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 24, 2023. They lost that game in double overtime (176-175).
The Clippers’ attention to defense and a high-level of physicality enabled them to slow Brunson, who scored 50 points on 17-of-23 shooting (9-of-9 from 3-point range) with nine assists, six rebounds and five steals the previous night against the Phoenix Suns.
Against the Clippers, Brunson finished with 22 points, along with Julius Randle, who also had 22 points.
