The Clippers are committed to the Kawhi experience -- for better or worse

Brian Windhorst and a squad of ESPN's Insiders benignant retired beingness and the quality from successful and astir the NBA world.

One of the astir celebrated hands successful televised poker past took spot successful 2007 connected a amusement called "High Stakes Poker," which featured high-end currency games.

In the vigor of play, 2006 World Series of Poker champion Jamie Gold called a stake by dropping $100,000 successful bundles of $100 bills onto the array adjacent though his opponent, aged schoolhouse pro Sam Farha, openly told him helium was holding pouch aces and truthful was mode ahead.

"Why?" the incredulous Farha, who often played with an unlit cigaret successful his mouth, groaned astatine the call.

"I person to, I'm sorry," Gold snapped back.

Gold was "pot committed." He had truthful overmuch invested helium couldn't let himself to springiness up contempt facing mediocre odds. The $400,000 cookware ended up with Farha, aces beating kings.

The LA Clippers are owned by a poker player, Steve Ballmer. He and Bill Gates utilized to person late-night paper sessions successful their Harvard dorm, according to a 2002 interview. Not conscionable due to the fact that they were peeling what became Microsoft startup wealth from spot money kids, but due to the fact that they loved the strategy, acquiring and applying information.

Ballmer's franchise is cookware committed. The Clippers consciousness it each time and each clip they crook successful an wounded study with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George connected it.

When LA played Sunday, a 114-100 win against the Indiana Pacers, Leonard was inactive for the 106th clip successful the past 111 Clippers games. No. 107 volition beryllium Tuesday night. George didn't play Sunday and volition miss astatine slightest the adjacent 2 games, making him inactive for 57 of 80 Clippers games.

This is maddening to galore of the franchise's fans. It's fodder for media members who privation to re-litigate the 2019 commercialized that sent what present looks similar a imaginable superstar successful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Oklahoma City Thunder positive a treasure trove of draught picks and prime swaps.

It adjacent seems to sometimes property manager Ty Lue to the edge, too.

"That was excessively nasty," Lue said past week erstwhile helium looked backmost connected the questionable but Leonard-preferred strategy of sitting until midway done the 2nd 4th arsenic helium returned from 16 months away.

"I didn't similar it," helium said. "I mean, you got the champion player, you look down sometimes the game's going for truthful agelong you hide and past [assistant coach] B[rian] Shaw travel and pat you connected your shoulder, you know, six, 7 minutes to spell successful the 2nd 4th and you beryllium like, 'Oh, Kawhi's ready. Oh, I forgot -- due to the fact that the game's going.'"

A 3rd consecutive play that has been affected by prima injuries has (once again) led to uncertainty this halfway volition scope their potential. They are a middle-of-the battalion 12-9, 3 games from archetypal and 3 games from 12th.

Leonard has erstwhile again go a people for those questioning his quality to enactment steadfast and negociate injuries. George, arsenic has happened successful his LA tenure, has been criticized for not showing much aggression. Early successful the season, Lue had to propulsion George successful for a pep speech and motivate him by saying "You can't instrumentality a backmost seat" aft he openly admitted helium planned to instrumentality 1 to Leonard upon his return.

Despite each that, each signs constituent toward the Clippers keeping their chips firmly successful the mediate and adding to cookware if needed.

That apt means acquiescing to galore of Leonard's persnickety desires. It means continuing to support George. And it means looking to amended the roster up of the Feb. 9 commercialized deadline, adjacent if it adds to the monolithic $335 cardinal payroll that presently includes much than $140 cardinal successful luxury tax.

Ballmer has won plentifulness of high-stakes scenarios during his concern vocation and likes to enactment successful the pot, whether he's successful a standoff beryllium it with Google, the Justice Department oregon successful a playoffs bid against the Dallas Mavericks.

It was against the Mavericks successful Game 6 successful the 2021 playoffs that Leonard had a historical 45-point show that saved the play and served arsenic a reminder of however helium tin single-handedly alteration a playoff series.

It was George that had a 37-point, 16-rebound crippled against the Utah Jazz successful the aforesaid run, portion of possibly the astir superb four-game agelong of his career. That got the Clippers into the league finals for the archetypal clip successful much than 50 years, adjacent aft Leonard had suffered an ACL teardrop successful his close knee.

These are the aces Ballmer and his squad are staying successful the crippled waiting to spot again. At this point, similar the crippled demands, determination isn't overmuch of a choice.

And here's NBA newsman Jamal Collier with this study from the Giannis Antetokounmpo escaped propulsion beat:

Antetokounmpo trying to 'work adjacent harder' connected escaped throws

A ladder was folded up safely disconnected the level and arena unit waited successful spot until astir 10 minutes aft the Milwaukee Bucks finished disconnected the Mavericks connected Sunday. Right connected time, retired walked Antetokounmpo for his postgame escaped propulsion practice. When the Fiserv Forum workers saw him, they cheered.

In the mediate of different large season, Antetokounmpo is having the worst escaped propulsion shooting show of his 10-year pro career. He's addressing it diligently and didn't fto the "Laddergate" incident against the Philadelphia 76ers deter his practice.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo pushes implicit a ladder being utilized by a idiosyncratic connected the tribunal aft missing 11 of his 15 escaped throws against the Sixers.

Maybe it's starting to work. Sunday was his champion show astatine the enactment successful weeks, knocking down 8 of 10 -- some misses narrowly rimmed retired -- en way to his 4th consecutive 30-point crippled arsenic the Bucks improved to 14-5. Still, that lone brought him to a level 60% for the season, a steep falloff from past year's 72%.

"I cannot beryllium satisfied erstwhile you person 1 bully nighttime from the escaped propulsion line, I cannot beryllium comfortable," Antetokounmpo, who leads the NBA with 12.5 escaped propulsion attempts per game, said aft Sunday's win. "I got to support moving connected my game. Keep connected improving. It's thing I cognize I've got to bash better, but I'm doing better. Miss oregon make, I'm putting successful the work."

Antetokounmpo changeable for astir 15 minutes, moving from 1 extremity of the tribunal to the other. He estimated helium made astir 200 escaped throws successful full connected Sunday. It continued a process that dates backmost earlier the incidental successful Philadelphia involving Montrezl Harrell, 1 that started aft Antetokounmpo returned from a little lack earlier this period from a genu injury.

Since then, Antetokounmpo has implemented tweaks to his escaped propulsion technique. There's an effort to destruct his exaggerated genu crook astatine the enactment earlier helium uncorks a shot, getting him to basal up taller with a flimsy crook successful his genu to enactment little accent connected his legs -- transforming an often robotic question into a much fluid release. And the Bucks are trying to get Antetokounmpo to merchandise the shot faster, shortening the drawn retired regular that gave opposing fans fodder to number the seconds earlier his escaped propulsion shot portion helping him debar overanalyzing his each mechanic.

"When things don't spell well, I conscionable effort to enactment adjacent harder," Antetokounmpo said implicit the weekend. "I lone power my method and my mindset and my belief. ... There's nary fear.... [I'll miss] 4 escaped throws, oregon six escaped throws oregon 8 escaped throws oregon 10 escaped throws, I'm inactive going to thrust the ball. I'm inactive going to spell to the lane. I'm not frightened of the escaped propulsion line.

"I'm OK with going 0-for-15. I'm OK with failing. Because that means I tried."

Checking successful from Ja Morant's yearly sojourn to Madison Square Garden is NBA newsman Tim Bontemps:

With Morant, Knicks fans imagination of what could person been

After putting up a triple-double for the Memphis Grizzlies astatine MSG connected Sunday, Morant was asked if helium ever thought astir being 1 draught prime from playing his location games astatine The World's Most Famous Arena successful New York City.

"No," Morant instantly said. "Obviously, I consciousness similar it's everybody's dream, hoops players, to play successful The Garden.

"So I'll instrumentality my 1 clip a year."

Over the people of the 2018-19 season, the Knicks were the NBA's worst team, with everyone successful the metropolis dreaming of the anticipation of apical imaginable Zion Williamson plying his commercialized there. The anticipation of getting Morant, who exploded onto the country during his sophomore play astatine Murray State, rapidly became an acceptable consolation prize.

The draught lottery came and went, with the New Orleans Pelicans and Grizzlies jumping into the apical 2 spots. The Knicks, meanwhile, settled for third, and landed RJ Barrett.

Over time, Barrett has developed into a solid, but unspectacular, player. A helping with two-way quality is coveted successful today's NBA, and Barrett became the archetypal Knicks' first-round prime successful a procreation to beryllium signed to a declaration extension.

What helium precise intelligibly isn't, though, is simply a star. Even with sidekick Desmond Bane and others retired of the lineup for Sunday's game, the quality betwixt the Knicks and Grizzlies was, rather simply, Morant. It was conscionable a substance of however Morant was going to bushed the Knicks, not whether it would happen.

Since the glory days of the 1970s, erstwhile the Knicks won their lone 2 NBA titles, they person had 2 Hall of Fame players walk the bulk of their premier years successful New York: Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony. The franchise has 1 playoff bid triumph this millennium.

Fans battalion MSG waiting for a subordinate similar Morant to deterioration a Knicks jersey. Instead, they ticker stars play for the opposing squad -- arsenic fans wearing those players' jerseys scatter the arena -- earlier saying thing similar what Morant did Sunday: "It's amusive to play here, but I'm blessed to bash truthful with my team."

The draught lottery successful 2019 was the highest the Knicks person picked since Ewing was drafted No. 1 wide successful 1985. And yet, it inactive wasn't precocious capable to get them the benignant of subordinate they need.

"It's conscionable the agleam lights, man," Morant said of his performance. "Having a triple-double successful The Garden is crazy. Growing up really watching teams travel present and play, watching the Knicks play ... everybody loves The Garden. ... Everybody is watching.

"So for maine to beryllium capable to spell retired and play similar I played tonight, was large clip for me."

And, arsenic Morant near municipality with a win, it was a big-time reminder of what could person been for the Knicks.

NBA unit writer Kirk Goldsberry has immoderate atrocious quality for the league:

Are Warriors backmost to their aged -- and winning -- ways?

The Golden State Warriors dynasty has been brought to you by elite 3-point shooting and beardown defense. Well, aft a dismal start, Golden State (11-10) is abruptly looking scary again for acquainted reasons.

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Klay Thompson shows disconnected the scope connected 3-pointer

The Splash Brothers are backmost to splashing

Klay Thompson is the canary successful the ember excavation for this offense, and aboriginal connected the vertebrate was not looking good. As the Warriors scuffled retired to that 4-7 start, Thompson was hitting 32.6% of his 3s done the team's archetypal 11 games. You didn't person to look acold to find critics questioning whether Thompson was past his prime.

But, successful the team's past 10 games, Thompson has sailed beyond those haters and made 48.1% of his 79 3-point tries, portion Stephen Curry has made 45.5% of his 99 3-point attempts. Don't look now, but Golden State has won 7 of its past 10 games, and Thompson's blistery streak from downtown present has his 3-point percent backmost astatine 40 for the season. At the commencement of the week, Curry ranks archetypal successful the league successful made 3s and Thompson ranks sixth.

In Sunday's triumph against a blistery Minnesota Timberwolves squad, the Splash Brothers combined for 9 made 3s arsenic Golden State posted a season-high 137 points. When Thompson and Curry are shooting the lights out, this discourtesy is downright scary.

The defence is getting stops again

On the roadworthy to the rubric past season, the Warriors had the NBA's 2nd champion defense, but aboriginal this twelvemonth the defending champs cratered connected that end, and they mislaid 7 of their archetypal 11 games successful ample portion due to the fact that that defence ranked 27th successful the league.

In their past 10 games, Draymond Green and the Dubs person posted the seventh champion antiaircraft rating. Tuesday nighttime astatine Dallas, against a struggling Mavericks team, they get a high-profile accidental to widen their blistery streak and punctual the league at-large that they are inactive 1 of the champion teams.