The Truth Closes Opener

When the Los Angeles Clippers saw a 15-point lead vanish in a matter of minutes late in Wednesday’s season opener, they called on one of the best closers in NBA history to bring them back.

The Clips dominated for most of the game and led by 15 with 11 minutes to go. But Sacramento surged back and by the 6:51 mark, the Kings led by one. In stepped Paul Pierce to swing the momentum back to LA. Making his official Clippers debut, The Truth buried a trey to give his team the lead right back. Then, with 2:21 to go, No. 34 scored the go-ahead basket to help L.A. escape with a 111-104 victory on the road.

Afterward new teammate Chris Paul lauded The Truth’s clutch time performance in the win.

“That’s what he’s here for,” point guard Chris Paul said. “When you put me and Paul in that one-three pick and roll they have to make a choice. If you switch, you have a smaller guy on Paul. What are you going to do?”

The Kings had no answer to that question late in Wednesday’s season opener for both teams.

The Truth scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and added seven rebounds in the winning effort, contributing in all the areas the Clippers expected him to when they signed him this summer. After the game, Paul spoke about how he’s simply trying to find his place on a new team. Fortunately, it seems he already knows that role: making plays when his new squad needs them the most.

“This group has been together for some years, they have a good understanding of one another,” Pierce said. “I’m just trying to fit in and play with that group down the stretch.”

The overall continuity of the LA roster paid dividends early for the Clips. They dominated the first quarter behind 12 points from All-Star forward Blake Griffin.

After starting over the course of the preseason, No. 34 came off the bench in the season opener, and found himself a bit frustrated after checking in late in the first quarter. His first shot as a Clipper was off the mark, and after he pulled down the rebound, his follow also missed. Following the two close misses, a look of disbelief crossed Paul’s face. But he was fouled on the second attempt, and made the most of his efforts as he went to the line and sunk his first two free throws in a Los Angeles uniform.

L.A. led 25-17 after one, and Griffin stayed hot to give the team a 56-46 lead at the half. The star power forward had 20 points at the break and finished with a game-high 33.

Griffin kept rolling in the third, where he added 11 more points. CP3 also had nine in that frame, but Sacramento star DeMarcus Cousins kept his team in it. The All-NBA big man had 24 points by the end of the third, and when the fourth quarter came, all it took was a few defensive lapses from the Clippers to allow the Kings to climb right back into the game.

Marco Bellinelli, Darren Collison and Omri Cassipi went back-to-back-to-back from three-point land, and a bucket from Rudy Gay shortly thereafter put Sacramento up by one—its first lead all night.

“We opened up their 3-point game there early in the fourth quarter,” Pierce said. “We turned the ball over, they got in transition, found Belinelli for a couple, Collison made one. Got to do a better job of defending the three. Thought we did a great job first half, second half we didn’t do a good enough job.”

However, as soon as his team fell behind, The Truth answered vehemently. On the very next possession, after Gay gave Sacramento the lead, Paul stepped up for a big trifecta.