Clippers Believe 22 Point Comeback Against Hawks 'Changed Everything'

The Clippers have looked different the last week.

Author:
Farbod Esnaashari
Publish date:
Mar 30, 2021 2:17 AM EDT

The Clippers are in the middle of a six-game win streak, and they look incredibly impressive.

All of their wins have demonstrated different ways the Clippers can win, and it's shown critics even more of what they're truly capable of. Here are the six teams the Clippers defeated, and their margins of victory:

Hornets: 27 point victory. Missing: Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka
Hawks: 9 point victory, 22 point comeback. Missing: Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka
Spurs: 33 point victory. Missing: Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka
Spurs: 13 point victory. Missing: Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka
Sixers: 10 point victory. Missing: Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka, Rajon Rondo
Bucks: 24 point victory. Missing: Paul George, Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka, Rajon Rondo

In every single win, the Clippers were missing 2-3 starters. Each victory was impressive, but there's one in particular that Nicolas Batum believes is the most important - the Atlanta Hawks game.

It was a moment that started a domino effect for the Clippers. That game was the first time the team won two games straight in over a month. The Clippers desperately needed that win, and it encouraged a new behavior among teammates after the victory. Veterans began cheering on the bench even more than before, and there was a new sense of camaraderie.

"It started on the 22-point comeback," Batum said. "To me, that comeback you could see all the vets ... they were cheering on the side. Nobody cares about themselves. It's just about the team."

Other members of the Clippers believe that game catalyzed a new confidence within the team. One where they realized no scenario was too bleak to come back from.

For Kawhi Leonard, the most important thing is that the Clippers have a new attention to detail. One that's created the league's best offensive rating since March 20.

There's no rest for the Clippers though, because the Orlando Magic await them tomorrow in a back-to-back. It would be easy for a team to let their guard down after a big win against the Milwaukee Bucks, and that's the trap the Clippers will have to avoid.

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