The LA Clippers return home against the Houston Rockets for their final game before the All-Star break.
Game Information
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
When: 7:30 p.m. PST
How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Terance Mann – Nicolas Batum – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac
Rockets: Dennis Schroder – Eric Gordon – Jalen Green – Jae-Sean Tate – Alperen Sengun
Injury Report
Clippers: Norman Powell out (left foot), Paul George out (right elbow), Kawhi Leonard out (right knee), Jason Preston out (right foot), Jay Scrubb out (right foot).
Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr. questionable (illness), Christian Wood questionable (illness), Usman Garuba out (left wrist), Dashien Nix (G League Assignment), Trevelin Queen (G League Assignment).
The Big Picture
Despite a tough back-to-back schedule with games against the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, the LA Clippers came out looking pretty solid. Their Monday night win over the Warriors was arguably their best win of the season and they followed that up with an admirable performance on the road in Phoenix, keeping the game close and only falling late in the fourth quarter.
As the team prepares to head into the All-Star break, they’re exactly where they should be. They are afloat and in the mix for one of the play-in spots at the end of the regular season. With no Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the fact that this team is hovering around .500 ball is impressive in itself.
They got through a brutal part of the schedule and managed not to lose any ground to the teams they’re battling for positioning. The Clippers have got a bit of an easier stretch coming up with multiple games against the Houston Rockets and LA Lakers, both teams under .500, and they’ve got to stay focused. This is an opportunity to really gain some ground and build momentum, especially with the Lakers, who are close behind the Clippers in the Western Conference standings.
The beauty of this group right now is everything is by committee. Sure, roles are defined and each player has a general idea of what is expected of them from game to game, but any one of them of is capable of being the team’s leading scorer on any given night. Whoever has the matchup advantage, who ever is feeling it, that’s who is going to get the ball.
And the way this team defends, the entire roster is filled with versatile defenders who can guard multiple positions, and the defense is a big factor as to why this team has been able to maintain playoff position.
The Antagonist
The Houston Rockets come into the matchup with the worst record in the Western Conference. They’ve lost six games in a row and nine of their last ten. This is a bad team. But they’re also a team that can compete, as evidenced by their close loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
This is a team in full rebuild mode with some nice young talent for the future. Jalen Green is a potential franchise player. Despite some glaring incidents, Kevin Porter Jr. has also shown the type of talent that could one day make him a star type player. Alperen Sengun has arguably been the Rockets best rookie.
The Rockets are certainly capable of making things interesting, but ultimately, if the Clippers come out focused and ready to take care of business, they should win rather convincingly. But if they come out already in All-Star break mode, then things might get a little more interesting.
