Shooting and rebounding troubles doom Clippers in loss to Knicks

This time, there was no comeback.

Instead, the Clippers came back to earth in a 110-102 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, a matinee in which their struggles shooting free throws and rebounding eliminated any chance of a second consecutive stirring fourth-quarter rally.

Reggie Jackson scored 26 points to lead the Clippers, with Ivica Zubac scoring 17 points with 13 rebounds. Luke Kennard (14 points) and Brandon Boston Jr. (13) each scored double figures off the bench.

The Clippers (23-25) were out-rebounded by 10 and gave up 21 second-chance points. They also missed 10 of their 30 free throws.

R.J. Barrett scored 28 points to lead New York (23-24).

Playing one day after attending a funeral in Philadelphia for a childhood friend killed in a shooting, amid a week in which he acknowledged he had slept little because of the death, Marcus Morris Sr. missed all eight of his shots and finished with four points.

Julius Randle, who has been booed at home games since expressing his disregard for Knicks fans’ opinions earlier this month, was roundly cheered after making his first shot, a three-pointer to help the Knicks hold an early 11-2 lead. The Knicks made seven of their first eight three-point attempts, shooting holes into the Clippers’ 2-3 zone. It did not last.

For three and a half minutes late in the second quarter, the Clippers scored 10 unanswered points. It was a byproduct of their defense, with coach Tyronn Lue unleashing Nicolas Batum to blitz Randle when he caught the ball. His double teams led to deflections and quick passes that, for one of the only stretches of the afternoon, forced New York to work for its offense. For Batum, it was a reprisal of the role that saw him, in the last two weeks, fluster centers Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid with his long arms and 14 seasons’ worth of defensive intelligence.

“He loves to take that challenge, and when he’s guarding those guys, he makes those guys work,” Lue said.

The Clippers, who have been outscored by a league-worst 7.9 points per second quarter this month, won that quarter by three, shooting 15 percentage points above their average for the month. But even with Jackson producing one of his most in-control, effective first halves this season — with 14 points, four assists and one turnover — and their deficit down to only five at the half, the box score held ominous indicators.

Two extra turnovers and eight fewer offensive rebounds allowing New York to take 10 more shots. Even after Knicks center Mitchell Robinson left the game because of an injured ankle early in the third quarter, the Clippers did not grab their first offensive rebound until five minutes remained in the third. Perhaps as a result, Lue changed his usual substitution pattern and gave Serge Ibaka the backup center minutes in the second half instead of Isaiah Hartenstein.

When Ibaka collected Terance Mann’s missed runner for an offensive board and scored a layup, the Clippers had pulled to within nine with 10 minutes to play, another comeback emerging into view — until he missed a free throw and the Knicks sprinted back off the rebound, leading to Barrett flushing a dunk over Ibaka as he grasped for the guard’s jersey. The Knicks’ 12-point lead with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter was cut to seven a minute later by a wraparound layup from rookie Boston, but with a chance to cut the lead to six with 90 seconds to play, Kennard pulled up in transition and missed a three-point try.