NBA Notes: Clippers, Darius Garland, Rockets, Kevin Durant, Hawks

Clippers

Darius Garland did what he could. The Clippers needed a little more.

Garland finished with 25 points and 10 assists, leading six players in double figures, but Los Angeles fell to the visiting Spurs on Monday for its second straight loss.

The Clippers came out sharp and built an early lead before the game flipped. San Antonio surged ahead by as many as 24, and it looked finished.

Garland made sure it wasn’t.

He scored seven of the team’s final nine points, cutting the deficit to four with 38 seconds left. He was aggressive, composed, creating offense on nearly every trip. It just wasn’t enough.

The loss drops L.A. back to .500. With Kawhi Leonard sidelined by a knee issue, the margin tightens. Garland’s role only grows and he’s starting to deliver.

Rockets

Houston is still searching for late-game answers.

The Rockets managed just 12 fourth-quarter points in a loss to the Lakers, turning the ball over nine times and shooting 4-of-16 in the final period.

Much of the focus landed on Kevin Durant, who scored 18 but had seven turnovers and just two points after halftime.

“I just felt like I lost the game for us tonight,” Durant said, via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “It’s that simple.”

The Lakers sent steady double teams, forcing the ball out of his hands and disrupting Houston’s rhythm.

“I got to be smarter, better with the ball,” Durant said. “Maybe shoot over some of them, space out, be ready to catch and shoot … just be there as a resource for my teammates.”

Hawks

It wasn’t a playoff game. It felt like one.

Atlanta drew a crowd of more than 18,000 in a win over the Magic on Monday, extending its streak to 10 straight. The buzz inside the arena had as much to do with the scene as the score.

The team’s short-lived “Magic City” promotion had already been shut down by the league, but fans still showed up in themed gear, creating a unique atmosphere.

Some embraced it. Others didn’t.

“I personally think they should have never done it,” one longtime season-ticket holder told reporters, via ESPN. “I’m here with my grandson.”

Controversy aside, the building was full, the energy was high, and the Hawks kept rolling. Sometimes that’s the story.