Norman Powell grabbed his bag and placed it over his shoulder, a smile on his face, his huge night a primary reason why the Clippers had defeated the Denver Nuggets.
As he began to walk away, Powell turned back to the media, saying he remembered when he played Portland for the first time since being traded to L.A., 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,” Powell said. “Ya’ll got to tell me.”
He laughed.
It was a night of nights for Powell. His team-high 37 points were the most he has scored with the Clippers.
“Just staying in the moment, being 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 was my main focus — make an impact and make plays.”
Powell did so 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 had it going?
“I was making shots,” he said. “So, you know you are going well when you are making shots. But I wasn’t thinking about it. I was just focusing 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 games, bad games. The focus is to stay even, stay even-keel, stay balanced and focus on what I got to do to help this team win.”
When the Clippers opened training camp, Powell said his goal was to be a starter. He had been a very good sixth man for the Clippers but he was looking for more. And Saturday night, Powell showed his worth as a starter.
“It just shows the work, the commitment to getting better, the commitment to myself and the belief in myself, belief in the coaches and the organization having me step into the role,” Powell said. “But it’s what I expect of myself every night. It’s what I work for. I’ve been 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 teeter, 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 guided 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 shift. 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 to 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 maintaining 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 did not falter 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 making them,” Harden said.
Zubac has 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’s got so much to his game,” Zubac said. “He’s just tough. There’s so much stuff they can throw out there, so many different plays for him in so many different spots. You’ve got to be ready for anything.”
Zubac, however, was a force in his own right. He produced a double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds.
With Kawhi Leonard out because of inflammation in his right knee, Zubac knows there is a void to be filled.
“That’s gonna 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 gonna need everybody to be more aggressive on offense, take their shots.”
It marked the first time in his nine-year career he has 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 gonna get the looks, touches, and we’re gonna run some plays for me, guys are looking for me. I’ll be out there for a lot of minutes, so not 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. Just play the right way.”