Amir Coffey leads Clippers to win over Hawks, snapping three-game losing streak

The Clippers ended their three-game losing streak Sunday thanks to a few extra shots of Coffey.

Third-year wing Amir Coffey tied his career high with 21 points and five three-pointers while adding three assists and five rebounds in a 106-93 victory over Atlanta at Crypto.com Arena.

Coffey’s performance was the latest in a season that has seen his consistency playing multiple positions, in multiple roles, stand out amid so much roster upheaval caused by injuries and COVID-19. His shooting helped the Clippers survive a game where Marcus Morris Sr. made only six of 14 shots and Reggie Jackson made only five of 14 shots.

Serge Ibaka’s 16 points, Eric Bledsoe’s 12 points and seven assists, and Ivica Zubac’s eight points and 13 rebounds pushed the Clippers past Atlanta at a badly needed moment after they had lost their last three games each by 15 points. After their latest loss Saturday, multiple Clippers called out their lack of physicality.

The Clippers liked the potential within Coffey’s 6-foot-8 frame that they signed him to a two-way contract only days into his first appearance as Las Vegas Summer League in 2019 before the rest of the league could see how the undrafted Minnesotan’s skillset translated to the NBA. The signing was lost amid the team’s other additions that week — trading for Paul George while locking in free agent Kawhi Leonard.

Now, after not being re-signed on a two-way deal until days before training camp began, Coffey’s patience and progress have paid off while his opportunities have flourished as George and Leonard recover from long-term injuries. In December, as 10-day hardship contracts flooded the league, Coffey dubbed this a “stay-ready year” across the league. Within the Clippers, perhaps no one has epitomized that sentiment as much as the 24-year-old who uttered it.

Since he entered the league Coffey’s rangy size has allowed Clippers coaches to use him as a versatile defender across multiple positions and he has already spent time at shooting guard, small forward and power forward in just 28 games this season. He fell to the floor in Sunday’s first half to deflect a Hawk’s dribble out of bounds and secure a Clippers possession. After halftime, he twice induced misses by 6-9 John Collins near the basket with physical contests.

His shooting took a step forward last season, jumping from 31% from deep as a rookie to 41% in his second season, and before tying his career high with five threes Sunday he’d made at least three three-pointers two times in his last five games.

What is new is his increasing comfort acting as a playmaker. Instead of dribbling into a clear lane to the rim, he skipped a pass to an open Nicolas Batum for a three-pointer and a 22-19 lead. In pick-and-roll plays, he probed Atlanta’s defense, looking for its soft spots. His three assists led to nine points. Coffey’s deference helped him fit alongside so many lineups early in his career, but he entered this season intending to show his abilities reading defenses and his threat catching the ball on the wing to drive, pass or shoot.

Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 points for the Hawks (17-22). Former Clipper Lou Williams, returning to L.A. for the first time since the Clippers traded him in March, received a tribute video during the first quarter but did not dress in uniform and was listed as inactive.