featured-image

Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League | 7/5/15

 

Rowan Kavner

ORLANDO – Nate Wolters’ offensive prowess, Branden Dawson’s continued explosiveness and Liam McMorrow’s standout performance inside weren’t enough for the Clippers to earn their first Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League win of the season Sunday afternoon.

After falling in overtime Saturday, another slow start a day later put the Clippers (0-2) in a deep hole they couldn’t dig out of. Wolters’ team-leading 18 points weren’t enough to get past the Pistons (1-1) and No. 8 overall pick Stanley Johnson, who added 24 points as the Clippers fell, 77-69.

“We looked a little tired,” said head coach Brendan O’Connor. “Detroit came off a loss from last night as did we, but they reacted a little better than we did.”

Sunday, July 5 - 10AM PT

LA Clippers
Detroit Pistons

Watch: NBATV | Amway Center

O’Connor complimented the job Wolters, who went 7-of-12 from the floor, has done running the Clippers’ offense. It was Wolters who cut the deficit to nine points on a 3-pointer with 3:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“I tried to give the team a spark when I had the ball in my hands,” Wolters said. “I was able to get to the basket and finish. It’s nice to be able to contribute. All of the guys here are playing hard, so I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help.”

Unfortunately for the Clippers, that Wolters shot was the only 3-pointer they hit all day while trailing by double digits the majority of the game. Wolters and McMorrow, a 7-2 center from Tennessee Tech who finished with nine points and nine rebounds, helped spark a late run. But it wasn’t enough to affect the outcome, as the Pistons never let the Clippers get within seven points in the fourth quarter.

The Clippers didn’t help themselves when it came to controlling the ball, committing 18 turnovers in the game. Eight different Clippers players finished with at least two turnovers, while the Pistons only had three.

It was an uphill battle early, as the Clippers trailed by 14 points late in the first quarter before Dawson slashed through the lane and hit a lay-in with just seconds remaining. The Clippers’ second-round pick went 4-for-6 from the floor, scoring eight points and reeling in five rebounds in 16:23 of action.

“My role so far is to come in off the bench and bring energy and get rebounds and play defense,” Dawson said. “This is my second game, and even though we didn’t get the win today, I felt like we competed and played hard.”

A Wolters shot in the lane brought the deficit down to 10 points to start the second quarter, but the Clippers couldn’t make enough early stops to cut deeper into a deficit which ballooned back up to 16 points.

The Clippers followed by going on an 8-0 run, with D.J. Newbill stealing a pass, recording an assist and hitting a lay-up in a 45-second span, but the Pistons still finished the first half leading by 13 points. Newbill finished with four points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist in 16:37 of playing time.

Led by Johnson and Kammeon Holsey, Detroit got its lead up to as many as 17 points early in the third quarter, forcing the Clippers to continue to play catch up. The Clippers trailed by 16 points after three quarters, and the deficit stayed at double digits until Wolters’ lone 3-pointer of the day.

C.J. Wilcox was the Clippers’ second-leading scorer, posting 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Diante Garrett added six points off the bench on 3-of-5 shooting.

O’Connor said Wilcox has had a great camp, and he wants to “get back to the drawing board” to try to get him the looks he needs and get him going the next few games. Wilcox said he liked the looks he saw Sunday.

“As one of the players this team looks to for scoring, I have to do a better job of making those shots when I’m given the chance,” he said.