Norman Powell grabbed his bag and put it on his shoulder, a smile on his face, his huge night was a main reason why the Scissors had defeated the Denver Nuggets.
As he began to leave, Powell turned back to the media, saying he remembered when he played Portland for the first time since being traded to LA, a game in which he scored 22 points in the fourth, a career best for a quarter.
He did it again Saturday night. When asked about it, Powell said he was unaware.
“I guess so,” Powell said. “You’ll have to tell me.”
He laughed.
Read more: Norman Powell scores 37 in the Clippers’ victory over the Nuggets
It was a night of night for Powell. His team-high 37 points were the most he scored with the Clippers.
“Just stay in the moment, be aggressive, man,” Powell said. “We didn’t want to lose. So, whatever that looked like, being aggressive on the attacks, on my shots, on my reads, whatever it was, doing whatever it took to help us get a win. That’s been my main focus – make an impact and make plays.”
Powell did this in the most effective way. He was eight for nine from the field in the fourth quarter, making all four shots from three-point range. His last three tied the game with 53 seconds left.
For the game, he was 14 for 21 from the field and seven for 11 from three-point range.
At what point, Powell was asked, did he know he was going on?
“I took shots,” he said. “So, you know you’re going good when you make shots. But I didn’t think about that. I just focused on what the next play was, what the next read was and really just staying in the moment. I don’t think about how much I’m scoring or what’s going on, missed shots, made shots, good plays, bad plays. The focus is to stay even, stay even, stay balanced and focus on what I have to do to help this team win.”
When the Clippers opened training camp, Powell said his goal was to be a starter. He was a very good sixth man for the Clippers but he was looking for more. And on Saturday night, Powell showed his value as a starter.
“It just shows the work, the commitment to get better, the commitment to myself and the belief in myself, the belief in the coaches and the organization that is stepping me into the role,” Powell said. “But it’s what I expect from myself every night. That’s what I work for. I was ready for this.”
Here are two more takeaways from the Clippers’ 109-104 win:
Harden finishes strong
As James Harden sat on the bench in the fourth quarter, watching his team reel, he would lean forward and look at the coaching staff. When the Clippers got down by four points, James entered with 7:06 remaining. He took the controls and led his team to the finish line.
Harden was six for six from the free throw line, had three assists and eight points in his final stint. He finished with 23 points and 16 assists.
“I always want to play. I don’t remember that moment, but I always want to play,” he said. “I just love a hoop, I love to compete, I love to play the game of basketball at the highest level. You know what I mean?
“So, the NBA season is back. We got Game 2 on the road, against one of the best teams we have in this entire league… The guys did a really good job of just keeping their composure and finishing the game.”
Harden missed one of two free throws that could have tied Wednesday’s season opener against the Phoenix Suns in overtime. He didn’t flinch this time.
Harden’s two free throws with 30.5 seconds left gave the Clippers a two-point lead and his two free throws with 14.3 seconds left gave them a three-point lead.
“Just doing them,” Harden said.
Zubac has a strong game
He shook his head several times and laughed, probably because that’s all Clippers center Ivica Zubac could do when asked what it was like competing against Nikola Jokic, Denver’s otherworldly center.
Jokic had 41 points. He was seven for 12 from three-point range.
Jokic was everything Zubac and the Clippers expected from the NBA’s three-time most valuable player.
“He has so much to his game,” Zubac said. “He’s just tough. There are so many things they can throw there, so many different plays for him in so many different places. You have to be ready for anything.”
Zubac, on the other hand, was a force in his own right. He produced a double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds.
With Kawhi Leonard out with inflammation in his right knee, Zubac knows there is a void to be filled.
“That’s going to be one of the things this season, just being more aggressive on offense,” Zubac said. “We need it, especially now with Kawhi out. We’re going to need everyone to be more aggressive in attack, make their shots.”
It marked the first time in his nine-year career he scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games. Zubac had 21 points in the Clippers’ loss to the Suns.
“Just play the game,” Zubac said. “I think now I’m going to get the looks, touches, and we’re going to make some plays for me, guys are looking for me. I’ll be out there for many minutes, so don’t force anything. Just let the game come to me, play in the flow of the game and whatever it is.
“Some nights, it might not be 20. Some nights it might be less, but just play in the flow of the game. Make the right play, make the right reads. Sometimes it might be 20, sometimes it might be eight, 12. , whatever it is.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
