NEW YORK _ When two teams whose seasons had gone in opposite directions met Sunday at Madison Square Garden, the greatest suspense was reserved not for their result after the day's 48 minutes but for how they would fare in three months' time.
Led by Lou Williams, the Los Angeles Clippers outscored the New York Knicks 21-9 during the fourth quarter's final 4:24 to win, 124-113. Williams _ the favorite to win, for a third time, NBA sixth man of the year _ scored a game-high 29 points, including 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Danilo Gallinari (26 points) and Montrezl Harrell (24 points) helped Williams create separation and combined to score 30 of the Clippers' 35 points in the final quarter. Ivica Zubac recorded the 12th double-double of his career, third as a Clipper, with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The result was expected. Amid their push to secure the best playoff seed, the Clippers (44-30) have won 10 of their last 11 games. The Knicks (14-60), seeking to preserve the best draft lottery odds, have now lost 12 of their last 13.
What remains unclear is whether the franchises' recent success or lack thereof this season and the several that preceded it will factor into their appeal among top free agents, such as Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving, when free agency opens July 1.
Though numerous teams will pursue top names among this free agency crop and the Knicks and Clippers won't battle one on one in a boardroom come July, the two teams are nonetheless often sandwiched in the same conversation because New York can sign two players to maximum-level contracts, and the Clippers can clear enough salary-cap room to do the same by the time free-agency pitches are made.
"I have no thought process on what I'm pitching," Knicks coach David Fizdale said before tipoff. "I got Doc Rivers in the other locker room right now with a damn good basketball team."
Fizdale demurred, but the Knicks have projected positivity near the end of an otherwise lost season. Deposits for 2020 season tickets were advertised on the Knicks' broadcast under the slogan, "A new era begins," and owner James Dolan hinted at such a future during a radio interview earlier this month by saying, "I think we're gonna have a very successful offseason when it comes to free agency."
Some Clippers officials push back on the thinking that their pursuit of free agents this summer is make-or-break, saying they're focused on 2020, as well, but owner Steve Ballmer has yet to tamp any enthusiasm publicly about 2019. Though Dolan's and Ballmer's ownership tenures are a study in contrasts _ Dolan is derided, with fans openly pining for him to sell the team, while Ballmer is often celebrated for beefing up a former bare-bones organization and hiring one of the league's most respected front offices _ they are alike in at least this way.
"We're headhunting in a place where this team has not been before," Ballmer told the Los Angeles Times in December.
Rivers also declined to get into specifics about what he would tell free agents _ "I'm not going to give you my spiel, man" _ but the broad strokes of the team's summer pitch are well known: Rivers' sideline credibility, Ballmer's financial backing, Los Angeles' appeal and a strong core of returners that includes reserve stars Williams and Harrell.
Whether that can create separation from destinations such as New York, which has lost at least 50 games each of the last five seasons but remains one of the league's most prominent franchises and plays in perhaps its most iconic building, remains to be seen this summer.
"We'll focus on trying to win as many games and see if we can get into the playoffs and see where we can go," Rivers said, "and then the rest of the stuff will happen."
The Clippers can only hope to close their free-agency meetings as well as Williams shut down the Knicks. After making only four of his 13 shots through the first three quarters, Williams made three three-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored his team's final seven points.
"No surprises how we're playing," Williams said. "We're just enjoying the moment."
