Inside: Batum hits key 3-pointers as the Clippers hold off Detroit 131-124.
LOS ANGELES » “Nico for trois!”
Nicolas Batum, the veteran forward from France, gave Clippers public address announcer Eric Smith ample opportunity to deliver the line Sunday with a trio of timely treys in the final period as the Clippers staved off an upset bid by Detroit for their fifth consecutive victory, this one a 131-124 result.
First, Batum and Terance Mann buried backto-back 3-pointers to cap a 20-8 Clippers’ run that tied the game, 101-101 with 10:08 to play.
Batum’s next 3 made it 110-106, before he knocked down a third (upon review) that made it 113-110.
Moments later, Paul George provided an exclamation point, driving for an authoritative dunk that made it 115-110 with 4:55 to play. The Clippers (37-18) never relinquished the lead thereafter, fighting off the plucky Pistons who’d led for most of the game before that.
The Clippers staggered their superstars in the final two games of their ninegame homestand, which they finished 7-2. George got the night off Friday in the Clippers’ victory over Houston, and on Sunday, and the team played without star forward Kawhi Leonard, who had the game against a struggling Eastern Conference opponent off to rest.
So George — along with Marcus Morris Sr. — handled the bulk of the scoring Sunday. George finished with 32 points and Morris had a season-high 33, 13 coming in the third period.
And throughout Sunday’s contest, Batum proved a steadying presence off the bench, as he tends to be. He finished with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including making all four of his 3-point tries. He also had eight rebounds, three assists and a season-high three blocks.
In starting roles against their former team, Reggie Jackson finished with 10 points, seven assists and five rebounds and Luke Kennard had 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
Ivica Zubac finished with 13 points and 10 for his 11th double-double this season, the most of his young career. He also had a careerbest seven assists.
As a team, the Clippers tallied a season-high 35 assists — and shot a seasonbest 62.5% (50 for 80) from the field.
And yet, the Pistons (1638) made sure Sunday’s game was no walk in the park for the hosts with better-than-normal 3-point shooting of their own, making 15 of their 32 attempts from long range.
For their part, the Clippers helped make it interesting with 17 turnovers, two fewer than their season-high, a talley that Sunday led to 28 Pistons points.
The Clippers went into halftime with a slim 63-62 advantage against a young, energetic Pistons team playing the second game of a back-to-back set, and licking its wounds a bit after being almost outrebounded by Enes Kanter alone — 38-30 — in their 118-103 loss Saturday in Portland.
In the end, the Clippers held a 37-31 rebounding advantage Sunday -- when the teams combined ot miss just 71 shots combined.