Clippers and John Wall end four-game trip with comeback victory in Washington

It seemed like a wave and gave the impression of a celebration as followers right here rose from their lower-bowl seats and roared for the visiting level guard Washington as soon as referred to as its personal for a decade.

“At guard, 6-foot-2, from Kentucky,” the public-address announcer boomed throughout Saturday’s introduction of the visiting beginning lineup, and that was sufficient for John Wall’s homecoming to start.

Solely minutes later, throughout a first-quarter timeout, one other standing ovation adopted Washington’s 90-second tribute video for Wall left the previous Wizards star elevating each arms and waving. There have been calls of “I like you!” from the decrease bowl. And there was the scene Wall had maybe envisioned essentially the most since signing with the Clippers in July, seeing that his first return to Washington with followers in attendance since being traded in 2020 would fall on a Saturday night time in December.

With the Clippers off to a disastrous second-quarter begin, their deficit 10 factors but once more towards a skidding Wizards crew that entered having misplaced 5 straight, Wall answered with six consecutive factors. The final two swished on his step-back jumper from 13 ft, and Wall spun towards Part 110 and pointed each index fingers towards the courtroom. Strolling throughout the courtroom right into a timeout, Wall continued spouting his message to Part 100 as followers stood of their seats once more.

“Nonetheless my s—!” Wall yelled, an echo of practically the identical declaration he’d made 5 years earlier when he referred to as this his metropolis after sinking a game-winning playoff jumper — nonetheless the high-water mark of his Wizards tenure. He hopes, he stated at shoot-around hours earlier than tipoff, that the Wizards will someday retire his jersey.

Wall wished this second. Maybe he wanted it, after a hellish previous 4 years, from the leg accidents to his diminished stature to the deaths of his mom and grandmother that leveled him personally, to successfully being out of the league final season. It‘s as a lot catharsis as a reunion, and he departed having acquired “his flowers,” coach Tyronn Lue stated.

Simply as notable, for a crew battling inconsistency, was what additionally they left with: Lastly, a win.

Trailing by as many as 13 factors within the third quarter as Kyle Kuzma made his first six three-pointers and Kristaps Porzingis rolled to 24 factors and 11 rebounds in solely 28 minutes, the Clippers unfurled a 15-0 run throughout a four-minute stretch to shut the quarter and ignite a comeback they desperately wanted to clinch a 114-107 win to bust a two-game shedding skid and enhance to 15-13.

Luke Kennard, whose three-pointer final season capped a exceptional 35-point comeback to beat the Wizards, sank a three-pointer to beat the third-quarter buzzer and supply the Clippers’ first lead, 86-84, instantly in entrance of a immediately reanimated bench.

It was the group and Washington, although, that got renewed hope seven minutes later once they retook the lead after Wall misplaced management of his isolation dribble and it spilled away, finally resulting in a fast-break dunk by Corey Kispert for a 98-97 Wizards lead. Wall tightened his expression, and inside 40 seconds the Clippers clawed again to regain their edge after a Nicolas Batum three-pointer with simply greater than 4 minutes to play.

Batum was a rock, enjoying the sport’s ultimate 19 minutes, and completed with 12 factors and 6 rebounds because the Clippers turned to lineups and not using a middle. The tactic paid off when Kawhi Leonard handed out of a double crew, discovering Batum, who drilled a go-ahead three-pointer with 23 seconds to play to forge a three-point lead.

It created the enduring philosophical teaching query of whether or not to foul when main by three. Lue opted to not, believing in Leonard to defend Porzingis with out fouling on a three-pointer that misfired with 15 seconds left, giving the ball again to the Clippers, whose clinching free throws bookended this four-game street journey with a victory.

Paul George completed iwth 36 factors, and Marcus Morris Sr. was constant on every finish, with 19 factors and defensive stops.

Wall completed with 13 factors on 13 photographs, and after the final buzzer went by means of a receiving line of buddies and acquaintances alongside the sideline. In his final seconds earlier than getting into a tunnel to the locker room, dozens of followers draped their arms over a railing. Wall blew two kisses.