The Clippers continue their road trip with a visit to Brooklyn to talk on the young and shockingly feisty Nets.
Game Information
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
When: 4:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac
Nets: Egor Demin – Ziaire Williams – Michael Porter Jr. – Noah Clowney – Day’Ron Sharpe
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Ankle), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)
Nets: Michael Porter Jr. Probable (Knee), Haywood Highsmith Out (Knee), Ben Saraf Out (Knee)
The Big Picture
The Clippers had one of their first “good losses” of the season on Wednesday. Most of their defeats have been somewhere between frustrating and disastrous, with a combination of laziness, sloppiness, and inconsistency leading to awful losses. The loss to the Knicks, however, was fine; the Clippers mostly played hard, they looked competent on defense, and fell to a very good team on the road. Obviously, a win would have been nice, but it was a tough draw and they performed fairly well. It’s also not a game you’d expect the Clippers to win when charting standings; they’ll just need to continue to win they games that they should.
The Antagonist
The Nets are not good. However, they are better than people thought they’d be, as they have an 11-23 record and have some quality wins over good teams. Surprisingly for a younger team, the Nets are better on defense (20th) than offense (25th), and have had stretches of defensive excellence. The Nets’ best player by far has been Michael Porter Jr., who has had an All-Star caliber season as a go-to scorer that has dominated without holding the ball in his hands. Porter Jr. is shooting the ball lights out, and is utilizing coach Jordi Fernandez’s extensive playbook to consistently get open looks even with opposing defenses scheming to stop him. Supporting MPJ are the Nets’ duo at center Sharpe and Nic Claxton, who are both at the “solid starter” level, and former Clipper Terance Mann, who is providing his usual competence. The Nets’ rookies (they have five of them) have been up and down, but Egor Demin has come to the forefront as a shooter and playmaker.
Notes
Containing MPJ: Easier said than done, but for the Clippers to have a good chance of winning this game they need to keep Porter Jr. in check. That doesn’t mean limiting him to 0 points, or even 10 points. But if he gets to 30 on his usual efficiency, the Clippers might be in trouble. There are a few keys to defending MPJ. Like all great shooters, the Clippers have to avoid fouling him on jumpers as much as possible, especially threes. Second, while MPJ loves to get open from deep, he’s also a fantastic cutter that the Clippers can’t let get repeated looks at the rim on backdoor runs. Finally, they have to make him put the ball on the deck and make plays for others. MPJ has improved as a passer this year, but it’s definitely not his forte, and he’s at his most comfortable when he’s looking to score.
John Collins, Surging: Outside of Kawhi Leonard’s turn towards unstoppable superstar, no Clipper has had a bigger impact on the team’s improved play than John Collins. Collins was frankly a disaster for the first six weeks of the season, but in the past few weeks has looked like the player the Clippers thought they were getting. Collins has been making his spot-up threes, he’s been solid on defense, he’s crashed the glass on both ends, and he’s limited turnovers by avoiding dribbling and isolation attacks. Far from a hindrance, Collins has been a plus on both offense and defense of late, and the Clippers will need him to continue that level of play to continue winning games at a steady clip.
