Who Are the Best Closers in the NBA This Season?
Trailing in the Clutch
Here, we're working with the same timeframe -- the last five minutes of the fourth quarter -- but this time we're talking when a team is down by five or fewer at that time. The requirements are that a player must have played in at least five games with this type of situation, average at least two points, and possess a plus-minus of one or better.
The following are the only six players to meet those qualifications.
| Player | Mins | Pts | Plus-Minus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | 1.6 | 3.0 | 4.80 |
| Kevin Durant | 1.1 | 2.0 | 4.20 |
| Kyrie Irving | 2.7 | 2.0 | 2.10 |
| Russell Westbrook | 2.9 | 4.0 | 1.50 |
| Damian Lillard | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.30 |
| C.J. McCollum | 2.4 | 2.1 | 1.20 |
Again, the new and improved splash brothers -- Curry and Durant -- are among the best in clutch time, and this time it's in the very few times their team is trailing with the game winding down.
As you can imagine, the two often share the court in crunch time, especially when they're fighting to get back in the lead, so their identical record of 3-2 in these instances isn't all that astonishing.
Together, the two average five points, but separately, it's a different story. Curry has 15 points on 6 for 9 from the field and 3 of 5 on three-point attempts. Durant has 10 points, but he's connected on just 2 of 6 from the floor and 1 of 4 from three. Half of his points have come via the free throw line, where he's absent a miss in five trips.
Outside of the Warriors' dynamic duo, only Kyrie Irving has a positive win-loss record, at an amazing 5-2 despite entering the final five minutes with a deficit. He's helped the Cavaliers to do so with 2 three-pointers, 2 steals, 1 assist, and no turnovers in 19 total minutes. He's controlled the game while, at the same time, utilizing his ball-handling skills to get to the basket.
As I mentioned, Westbrook's play is crucial to the Thunder's success. In the same manner, he's that valuable to possible OKC comebacks. In these situations, Westbrook -- of those qualified -- has the most points and assists. On the downside, everyone knows he's getting the ball, so it's hard for him to find open space to get his shots. Understandably, he's converted on just 37.9% of his attempts from the field and has 5 threes in 21 attempts.
The explosive backcourt duo of Lillard and C.J. McCollum have also done all they can to bring the Portland Trail Blazers back into games they're unlikely to win. The two have team records of 4-9 and 4-10 between them, which isn't great, but like Westbrook to the Thunder, they're all the Blazers have in terms of firepower.
They have a combined 58 points on 45% shooting and 17 of 17 from the charity stripe. It's too bad that their team defense can't hold up enough to get them more come-from-behind wins.
