LOS ANGELES -- One day after arriving in Los Angeles the centerpiece of a trade the Clippers believe will point their trajectory upward, Norman Powell was rising Sunday evening, higher and faster than any Milwaukee defender, toward the rim.
His two-handed dunk, off a dead sprint from beyond the three-point arc made possible by first crossing over Jrue Holiday, one of the NBA’s feared defenders, was met with cheers from a fanbase that hopes explosiveness like that will become the norm — and upgrade this team’s offense both now and in the future, when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George eventually return.
But Powell’s burst, as sudden as it was, had only trimmed the Clippers’ deficit to 20.
