Clippers dig in defensively to halt Magic in third consecutive win

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Norm Powell was out, Kawhi Leonard has been out, and the Magic came in on a six game winning streak. None of that mattered to the Clippers on Wednesday night, as they handily defeated the Orlando Magic, 104-93, to move to 9-7.

The Jeff Van Gundy-led Clipper defense held the Orlando Magic to under 100 points, dominated in the rebound department and had 15 more second chance points. 

James Harden struggled from the field, shooting 5-14, but managed to sink 11 of his 12 free throws to get his point total to 24. 

The player of the game however, was Amir Coffey, who continued his awesome start to the season by filling up the cup again. He had 18 points on 6/10 shooting and 4/7 from 3-point range on Wednesday, and filled in the Norm Powell role admirably. 

Coffey has been such a revelation for this Clippers team, both defensively and offensively, shooting 46% from 3 and usually guarding the other team's best players along with Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. 

An open rotation spot meant another opportunity for a young player to come in and make a difference. On Wednesday night, Clipper fans finally got what they wanted: Jordan Miller minutes.

Miller was inserted into the game late into the first quarter and made an immediate impact. He got a steal and two free throws before the quarter ended, and played solid in his 15 minutes of play, scoring 8 points and adding 3 rebounds. 

Miller proved himself in the G League, Summer League and is now finally getting rotation minutes on the Clippers, who absolutely need his ability to draw fouls and play the right style of basketball. 

It seems Miller has learned from Nico Batum in terms of the “No Dip” three pointer and just finding pockets on the floor to produce. Will there be growing pains? Of course, but the potential even when Powell comes back, is immense. 

The Clippers are now 3-0 on this current homestand and will finish it out in an NBA Cup game against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 PM PST.