Welcome to 969 Sports

969 Sports

27+4+4 from the air! I sprained it in the end. Leonard was very frustrated after the game, but still wanted to play in back-to-back games.

3:36am, 5 November 2025Basketball

The Clippers lost to the Heat in an upset 119-120. With a current record of 3 wins and 3 losses, the Clippers have fallen out of the top eight in the Western Conference to ninth. I have to say that the Clippers were frustrated in losing this game, and everyone knows the reason. Frank traded Powell for Collins, and then the Clippers brought in Beal to replace his position and functionality. But the facts before him were cruel. Powell struck hard against his former employer who abandoned him. He scored 21 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal and had the last laugh. Nothing stimulated him more than this. The Heat currently have a record of 4 wins and 3 losses, and they are better than the Clippers.

Leonard and Harden were on fire today. Harden scored 29 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, 8 of 15 shots, and 6 of 10 three-pointers. Leonard had 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. It can be said that Harden's state has regressed since the beginning, and he has regressed to the Nets. In addition to only 15 points against the Jazz in the first game, Harden averaged 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.6 steals in the next five games, shooting 49.3% from the field, 42.9% from three-point range, and 94.3% from the free throw line.

But the Clippers are too chaotic now, and Collins has been unable to join the starting lineup. You see, the Rockets have won 4 consecutive games after changing Okogie's lineup to the starting lineup. But Collins can't decide on the starting lineup. I wonder what Tyronn Lue is still trying? And then there's Bill. He has some ability, but he has little tactical status. Tyronn Lue also did not give Bill the shooting rights and resources that belonged to Powell last season. Bill played only 20 minutes today, shooting 5 of 8 from the field, 2 of 4 three-pointers and scoring 12 points. Part of it is that I dare not use it too much due to injuries, and part of it is that I can't integrate it.

The other issue is the Clippers' bench. Harden played another 38 minutes today. After Paul joined, it didn't seem to relieve Harden much pressure. Because Tyronn Lue has a habit of going to Harden when leading to stabilize the rhythm, and going to Harden to chase points when lagging behind. Judging from this game, Harden did live up to Tyronn Lue's expectations at the last moment. He and Wiggins had a three-pointer, especially the extended three-pointer. Unfortunately, Leonard missed the final buzzer-beater. After the game, Kazi said he sprained his ankle because he missed the shot.

Leonard said: "It was my fault for losing. I sprained my foot during a defensive round at the end of the game, which resulted in a key three-pointer by the Heat. I especially want to play back-to-back games, but I need to see how my ankle feels tomorrow morning before deciding whether to participate in tomorrow's game.

Actually, there is nothing wrong with Leonard. He really worked to the limit. But there are also problems with Tyronn Lue's on-the-spot coaching ability. The Clippers went smoothly in the first half, with the Heat hitting a 14-2 climax. But then Harden and Leonard responded with a 16-3 stalemate. In the second quarter, the Clippers relied on Harden to organize a 22-6 attack wave, leading 71-66 at halftime.

But in the third quarter, when Tyronn Lue was chasing points and leading by 7 points, he didn't even call a timeout. It's not a timeout. Tyronn Lue's explanation after the game was also far-fetched. He said that he wanted to call a timeout, but he was afraid that Spoelstra would bring up the defensive lineup, so he didn't call a timeout and let the players solve it on their own. Playing with injury. What's the point of playing? Forget it. Even if Leonard is healthy, he won't be able to fight with injury. It's better to let Bill and other teammates play. Of course, Harden is unlikely to be forced to play again. After all, Harden is very good at the beginning of the season. So it is better for Leonard to not play and let Harden and Bill attack. The Clippers have been very good recently.

Links: