It's not that the LA Clippers beat the Milwaukee Bucks at home by 24 points (129-105), but how.
Irrespective of who's suiting up, the Clippers seem to be winning, garnering consistency — something that eluded them through their 10-11 stretch prior to this win streak.
Against the Bucks, who had won 13 of their previous 15, the team was going to be without Serge Ibaka and Paul George, and yet, they dominated.
The Clippers had 4 players (Kawhi, Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard) drop 20+ PTS in their W 👀 pic.twitter.com/zm9xWbr8I6
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 30, 2021
Kawhi Leonard stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. Marcus Morris Sr. scored 25 points and was a game-high +30 in his 37 minutes. Reggie Jackson scored 20 in 22 minutes but the star of this one was Luke Kennard.
He rarely missed, en route to a season-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.
"Almost every shot I shoot, I feel like it's going in," Kennard shared postgame. "It's definitely been a different vibe in the last month or so."
The recipient of a 3-year, $41.2 million contract at the beginning of the season, Kennard scored at least 20 for the second time in five games after only doing so once in his first 37 games.
Terance Mann, who's been an emerging X-factor for the Clippers recently, finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and six assists. During this streak, he's averaging 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 56.1% shooting, and 40.0% from beyond the arc.
Mann and Kennard were the stars of the team's recent 22-point comeback against the Atlanta Hawks, a victory multiple players credited to have ignited something within the team.
Luke Kennard was unreal in the Clippers' comeback win against the Hawks 👏
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 23, 2021
20 Pts
8-8 FG
4-4 3-Pt FG
7 Reb
4 Ast
He did this ALL in the one half 😳 pic.twitter.com/SeozDD38YV
“The 22-point comeback... Something was born that night," Nicolas Batum said after the game against the Bucks.
"It's just the confidence of the entire team and each other... That game was an exciting point for us," Kennard added, echoing Batum's thoughts, referring to the confidence boost the win over Hawks gave the team.
In this one, the Clippers rebounded from an early 12-point deficit by outscoring the Bucks 103-67 over the final three quarters. Through one of the toughest phases of their 2020-21 schedule, the Clippers seem to be coming together.
They've now beaten the Philadelphia 76ers and the Bucks by double digits, the first two of a monster nine-game homestand which includes hosting competitive Western Conference teams including the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, and Portland Trail Blazers.
"I think we're just having more attention to detail," Kawhi Leonard said after the win over the Bucks.
It's time, once again, to take notice of the surging Clippers, who now sit just 4.0 games back of the league-leading No. 1 seed Utah Jazz, who have gone on a six-game sin streak of their own.
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