Paul George concedes Doc Rivers masterclass had Clippers in a blender in 4th quarter meltdown
In a post-game interview, LA Clippers star Paul George highlighted the strategy change in the final quarter organized by the Milwaukee Bucks' coach Doc Rivers as the contributing factor to the Clippers' downfall.
"It's definitely a game that we let get away, and it's one of those games we can't allow especially given that Giannis didn't play tonight," Paul George said. "We had the game secured for the majority of it, just the fourth quarter got away from us."
George added:
"I think they went into a zone which they did for a lot of the part of the second half. I thought that zone kind of threw us out of sync. It created us playing a little slower, it created turnovers, it created, I think just indecisiveness which at that point they had momentum and, you know, once they got stops they were getting on the run."
Watch Paul George's interview here:
The LA Clippers were ahead for the majority of the game heading into the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead. The Bucks trailed by 13 points in the final minute of the third quarter but outscored the Clippers 40-25 in the fourth. However, they erupted for a 23-10 run in the final five minutes to win the game.
"When they went to that zone, I think we got a little jump shot-happy rather than keep attacking the basket and getting into the paint,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
“I think we were in the bonus pretty early in the fourth quarter," Lue added. "They did a good job of going to the zone, and then we didn't handle it well.”
Milwaukee Bucks defeated LA Clippers with a short-handed team
The absence of key players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton did not stop the Bucks from securing their sixth straight win on Monday against the LA Clippers.
The game concluded with the Milwaukee Bucks clinching the win 113-106 at their home ground. Damian Lillard led the charge for the Bucks, registering 41 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Bobby Portis added 28 points, 16 rebounds and two assists to the win.
Meanwhile, Paul George and James Harden scored 29 points each to lead the Clippers' losing effort on the road.
The Bucks are undefeated since the All-Star break. It's an impressive turnaround for a team that entered the break 3-7 in new coach Doc Rivers' first 10 games.