Former Duke basketball guard contributes to epic NBA comeback

On Monday night, the Los Angeles Clippers faced a daunting 126-112 deficit on the road against the Detroit Pistons with three minutes to play. By the time Duke basketball alum Luke Kennard reentered the game with 2:08 remaining, his Clippers had begun cutting into the lead but trailed by 10 at 127-117.

And ESPN Analytics still gave the Pistons a 99.3 percent chance to win.

The Clippers then scored on every remaining possession in regulation, including two free throws from Kennard to pull within two with one minute remaining, all while coming up with one stop after another on the other end of the floor.

Ultimately, they tied the score at 128-128 via a Terance Mann jumper with five seconds left and forced overtime.

Less than two minutes into overtime, Kennard drained a three against his former team (he spent three seasons in Detroit and is now in his third season in Los Angeles) to give the Clippers a 136-131 advantage on their way to the most improbable 142-131 victory.

How improbable? ESPN News Services explained:

"Entering play Monday, NBA teams were 2-12,873 in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97) when trailing by 14 or more points with 3 minutes remaining; the Clippers were 0-417. The only wins were by the Hawks on March 17, 1997, against the Magic and by the Kings on Jan. 27, 2020, against the Timberwolves. Since that Sacramento victory, teams in that scenario had lost 1,467 games."

The Comeback Clips.

📼 @honey highlights vs. Pistons pic.twitter.com/DGMIgdHRa8
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 27, 2022

Luke Kennard, whose 49.0 shooting percentage from downtown this season now ranks No. 2 in the NBA, finished the game with 18 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and zero turnovers in his 32 minutes, the most playing time of any player who came off the bench.

He shot 6-for-12 from the field, 4-for-8 beyond the arc, and 2-for-2 from the foul line. (The Detroit Pistons' Duke basketball product, Marvin Bagley III, sat out the game due to a non-COVID illness.)

Now, the 26-year-old Luke Kennard is averaging 9.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists for a Los Angeles Clippers squad (20-15) that sits at No. 4 in the Western Conference standings and only 2.5 games back of the first-place Denver Nuggets.

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