Ty Lue strategizes to maximize Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland's impact, balancing minutes and integrating new star power for playoff contention.
The Los Angeles Clippers picked up a much-needed 123-120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, and it came at the perfect time for a team fighting to stay in the playoff picture.
With the win, the Clippers improved to 31-32 on the season while Memphis fell to 23-39.
After the game, head coach Ty Lue talked about one of the biggest puzzles he is working through right now, which is how to stagger the minutes of Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland while both players deal with restrictions on their playing time.
Lue Breaks Down the Balancing Act
"When they both play on the same or close to the same restrictions, it's kind of hard to really juggle that," Lue said after the win.
He pointed to a stretch in the game where pulling Kawhi out and sliding Garland back in for a short run gave the team a lift.
"I thought Darius, when he came back in those two minutes, we got Kawhi out, and then we got Darius right back out, I thought he was really good," Lue said.
He also explained why he called a timeout early in the game to get Garland on the floor, saying he wanted to see how the two stars looked together from the start.
"I just called a timeout just to start Darius so we can start getting a feel for how he plays," Lue said.
"Him and Kawhi are playing good together. Just trying to get that feel and just kind of see how it looks to start those games like that. That was my decision for today."
A Big Night From the Stars
It was a strong showing from both players on Saturday.
Kawhi Leonard finished with 28 points on 8-of-15 shooting and went 12-of-14 from the free throw line while adding five rebounds and two steals.
He has been rolling all season, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game on 49.7 percent shooting from the field.
Darius Garland added 21 points, six assists and four rebounds in just 26 minutes, including 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Clippers close things out.
The two of them combined for 49 points, and their ability to take turns running the offense gave Memphis problems all night long.
Why This Matters Going Forward
The Clippers are sitting at ninth in the Western Conference and need every win they can get if they want to avoid a play-in situation that could go sideways.
Garland has only played in three games since being acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline, and he is still working his way back from a lingering toe injury that has limited his availability for most of the season.
That means the minutes restrictions are not going away anytime soon, so figuring out the right way to stagger him and Kawhi is going to be one of Lue's most important jobs down the stretch.
Saturday's game showed what it can look like when the two are in a good rhythm together and when the coaching staff gets the rotations right.
If the Clippers can keep building on that chemistry and if both players can stay healthy, this is a team that has the talent to make some noise in the final stretch of the regular season and beyond.
For now, Lue is taking it one game at a time and trusting what he sees on the floor.