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Watch: Montrezl Harrell has perfect night, leads Clippers to massive win

By Presley Meyer

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 13: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers goes up for a dunk against the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the first round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on April 13, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 13: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers goes up for a dunk against the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the first round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on April 13, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Former Louisville Cardinal and current LA Clipper Montrezl Harrell had a perfect game leading his squad to the largest comeback win in NBA playoffs history.

Montrezl Harrell is quietly becoming one of the most exciting players to watch in the NBA.

Most Louisville fans knew how great he could be dating back to 2012, but now Harrell, who is in his 4th season in the league, and second with the Clippers, is making a statement as one of the most dominant up and coming bigs in the league.

Harrell and Lou Williams make for the most dynamic 6th and 7th men in the NBA, and it isn’t even close. The tandem is averaging 36.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.6 assists off the bench for a Clippers team that was expected to be a non-factor in a brutally tough Western Conference.

Much of the hype this season has surrounded Williams, who was spectacular again on Monday night, dropping 36 points and 11 dimes in 33 minutes. However, Harrell is nipping on his heels as one of the greatest “bench” players in the game.

Harrell was unstoppable in game two of the Clippers’s fist round playoff series with the defending champion Golden State Warriors. He went 9-9 from the field, grabbed 10 boards, dished out two assists, and scored 25 points in the largest playoff comeback in NBA history.

Harrell even put the clamps on former MVP Steph Curry in the waning moments, then sunk the game-sealing free throws to put the Warriors away for good with less than 5 seconds left.

Harrell’s emergence has come only after a tough first three years in the league. He played sparingly, and rarely in any big game situations for the Houston Rockets for his first two years. He was seen as an afterthought in the blockbuster trade that sent Chris Paul from the Clippers to the Rockets last year.

Now, it is the Clippers who are reaping the benefits of a player who once was overlooked and undervalued.

https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/1118031195789389824

“Nobody in that locker room quit. Nobody in that locker room laid down,” Harrell said post-game. “We knew it was gonna be a dog fight going into that second half, so we just came out and kept fighting.”

And fight they did. The Clippers outscored the Warriors 44-35 and 41-23 in the 3rd and 4th quarters, and they shocked the sports world, most of which had gone to bed, resigning to a Warriors win.

That fight seen in the Clippers is led by players like Harrell. He brings immediate energy off the bench, and has learned how to harness that energy, becoming one of the most efficient players in the NBA. The Clippers saw no wasted possessions when the ball came Harrell’s way. He was perfect from the floor, and 7-9 from the free throw line.

That resiliency will be tested once again on Wednesday as the series heads back to the Staples Center. But with Harrell playing serious minutes, and taking up serious space in the lane, the Clippers will have a chance until the final horn sounds on their season.

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