In a star-less game, Clippers rout Bucks on Robert Covington’s career night

The Clippers departed Chicago late Thursday with nearly half their roster lacking from that evening’s extra time loss to the Bulls.

Paul George, Marcus Morris Sr., Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum didn’t make the journey north Friday to Milwaukee.

The Clippers’ offense did, anyway.

Led by Robert Covington’s career-best 43 factors and franchise record-setting 11 three-pointers in addition to Amir Coffey’s career-high 32 factors, the Clippers crushed equally short-handed Milwaukee 153-119 at Fiserv Discussion board, breaking a 24-year-old franchise document for many factors.

As they’d Thursday, the Clippers took a 16-point, third-quarter lead behind Terance Mann’s unapologetic right-handed dunk over Serge Ibaka, the backup middle the Clippers shipped to Milwaukee in February. However not like the loss 24 hours earlier, it wasn’t the high-water mark of their management on the sport.

The lead swelled to 24 on Covington’s season-high-tying fifth three-pointer with 19 minutes nonetheless to play, giving the Clippers 100 factors earlier than the fourth quarter.

Covington wasn’t performed, tying J.J. Redick’s and Caron Butler’s shared three-point document of 9 made three-pointers with 10:26 to play within the fourth quarter, earlier than sinking his record-setting Tenth from 29 ft to push the result in 31 with 7:34 left because the Clippers’ spartan three-man bench howled.

Knowledgeable he’d damaged the crew document in a huddle, Covington saved firing, making his eleventh earlier than spending the ultimate minutes of the rout making an attempt to tie Klay Thompson’s NBA document of 14 three-pointers to no avail.

Batum, who like the remainder of the Clippers’ 30-and-older crowd was despatched dwelling to jump-start their restoration forward of Sunday’s key matchup with New Orleans, tweeted for Covington to set his sights on Thompson.

Covington’s backdoor layup with one minute to play broke the franchise’s earlier single-game excessive of 152 factors set in 1998 in opposition to Toronto.

Their 73 factors earlier than halftime tied for his or her second-most factors scored in any half this season behind their 73 within the second half of Tuesday’s 25-point comeback in opposition to Utah, and the 81 piled up throughout the second half of January’s 35-point comeback in Washington.

Then they scored 80 within the second half on the way in which to taking pictures 23 of 43 from three-point vary and 60.9% general.

The win lowered the Clippers’ (38-40) magic quantity to clinch the Western Convention’s eighth-best document at two. The consequence, and the 4 starters’ relaxation, was notable given their subsequent opponent: New Orleans on Sunday.

The eighth-place Clippers and ninth-place Pelicans entered Friday with a 3 1/2-game hole between them. Locking in that berth is vital underneath the foundations of the play-in event, which permit the loser of the play-in recreation between the seventh- and eighth-place groups a second probability to make the primary spherical of the playoffs by enjoying the winner of the ninth- and Tenth-place groups. A postseason contender’s margin for error, primarily, is elevated by ending in eighth.

Eight was additionally the variety of Clippers out there in opposition to the Bucks, assembly the league minimal. However with Milwaukee, which had performed its personal extra time recreation Thursday in Brooklyn, giving 5 of its personal stars, together with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Vacation and Khris Middleton, the evening off as properly it produced an extended look than regular with two acquainted faces: Ibaka and level guard Xavier Moon.

Ibaka, traded by the Clippers to Milwaukee simply earlier than the Feb. 10 commerce deadline, was dealt as a result of he had no foothold throughout the Clippers’ rotation and was on an expiring contract, particularly, as a result of the Clippers labored to search out Ibaka a state of affairs on a contender the place the veteran and former NBA champion could possibly be of extra use. In 17 video games with the Bucks getting into Friday, Ibaka had averaged 17 minutes, simply two greater than with the Clippers, however had been used rather more persistently, at one level showing in 16 consecutive video games earlier than not showing in two of the crew’s final three video games.

Moon, freshly signed to a two-way contract, made his first look in an NBA recreation since Jan. 13 and performed 19 minutes, ending with seven factors.