The Los Angeles Clippers' series against the San Antonio Spurs has certainly been a thrilling one as things are all tied up 2-2 with the series shifting back down south. History is certainly on the Spurs for Game 5 of the series as the team is 23-8 in those. Adding that the game is in San Antonio certainly helps as well as the Los Angeles Clippers aim to get another win and hopefully take the series from the defending champions.
The Cliipers have momentum entering Game 5 after Chris Paul broke out for 34 points while shooting 11 of 19 after putting up just seven points in the Game 3 loss. He also had just two turnovers. Meanwhile, Blake Griffin added 19 points to the win. He is averaging 25.0 points and 11.8 rebounds in his last eight games against the Spurs. The Clippers offense was functioning well as JJ Redick, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers combined for 82 points together. Los Angeles is hoping that performance can continue on the road as Los Angeles never enjoys playing in San Antonio.
The Spurs are looking for consistency. Tony Parker bounced back in Game 4 with 18 points after shooting just 25.0 percent in his first three games. The point guard is playing through tightness in his Achilles and could be limited as a result. Parker has never played well against the Clippers, averaging just 12.5 points on 37.6 percent shooting in eight games. Parker's injuries have been a concern all season. Tim Duncan admits he thinks the point guard is getting better.
"He's starting to feel a lot better," Duncan said, via ESPN.com. "It's great to see him going to the basket, make some plays for us. That will pay big dividends for us with the rest of the series, something else they will have to game plan for."
San Antonio didn't struggle to find the rim. Kawhi Leonard put up 26 points while Duncan had 22 points and 14 rebounds. Head coach Gregg Popovich stated he wanted more from Leonard and Danny Green when guarding the talent Clippers' shooters after they allowed Redick to shoot 6 of 13 in Game 4.
