76ers race out to early lead behind Tyrese Maxey, cruise to 128-113 win towards Clippers
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Clippers got here out like a distracted group on the second evening of a back-to-back. The Philadelphia 76ers got here out pink scorching behind All-Star Tyrese Maxey, pulling down 3-pointers like they have been taking pictures in an empty health club.
The outcome was the 76ers racing out to a 13-2 lead lower than 4 minutes in — and their lead was by no means in single digits the remainder of the evening.
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Philadelphia’s lead ballooned as much as 23 factors, and whereas the Clippers made some runs, Maxey and Joel Embiid all the time had a solution. The outcome was a cushty 128-113 win by the 76ers to begin their West Coast Street journey. Maxey led the way in which with 29 factors.
Through the recreation, information broke that James Harden was pushing for a commerce out of Los Angeles, and the Clippers have been in talks with the Cavaliers a couple of doable deal to convey All-Star guard Darius Garland to LA. Harden was not within the constructing for this recreation, lacking his second consecutive recreation for what the group listed as “private causes.”
When requested if the rumors may need been a distraction to his gamers, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue mentioned he did not know. To a person, the Clippers gamers mentioned they knew nothing about it till after the sport.
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“It is a shock…” Kawhi Leonard mentioned. “Respect his choice, or whoever’s choice it’s. That is nonetheless gonna be my boy. Belief the entrance workplace.”
The Clippers appeared like a distracted group to begin the sport, to not point out one on a back-to-back (they performed in Phoenix the evening earlier than) and one with out its start line guard. Philadelphia got here out scorching and raced out to a 16-2 lead, and all the pieces snowballed from there.
By the tip of the primary quarter, Philly had doubled up the Clippers 38-19 behind 16 from All-Star starter Tyrese Maxey.
Maxey did not rating within the second quarter and Leonard scored 13 within the body, however the Clippers couldn’t get stops or shut the hole, and the 76ers nonetheless led by 19 on the half, 72-53.
The 76ers’ custom of struggling within the third quarter continued, and the Clippers discovered their sea legs, closing the hole to 11 factors for a second. Nonetheless, the sport by no means felt doubtful — each time the Clippers acquired shut, the 76ers answered. Generally emphatically.
Two-way participant Dominick Barlow had a career-high 26 factors for the 76ers — 11 within the first quarter — together with 16 rebounds, and helped set the tone. Joel Embiid scored 24 factors with 5 rebounds.
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“It was good, everybody contributed, Dominick Barlow was nice, Tyrese [Maxey] was nice,” Embiid mentioned postgame. “The remaining, all people did their job, that was good to see.”
Leonard led the Clippers with 29, whereas Jordan Miller scored 21 off the bench for LA.
Leonard and the Clippers face the Cavaliers on Wednesday, in a recreation that all of a sudden turned much more fascinating.
