The Clippers are in a tough spot for tonight’s game, as they are on the road against one of the league’s best teams in the San Antonio Spurs while recovering from the news that rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser is out for the rest of the season with a foot injury.
Game Information
Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
When: 6:30 PM PT
How to Watch: ESPN, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Kobe Sanders – Brook Lopez
Spurs: De’Aaron Fox – Stephon Castle – Devin Vassell – Julian Champagnie – Victor Wembanyama
Injuries
Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Jonn Collins Out (Neck), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Bogdan Bogdanovic Questionable (Illness), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)
Spurs: Harrison Barnes Questionable (Ankle)
The Big Picture
The Clippers won their 3rd game in a row on Wednesday, but it came with a heavy cost, as rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser left the game early with a foot injury and was ruled out for the rest of the season yesterday. This is a major blow to this year’s team, as Yanic’s size, athleticism, and energy were valuable even with his still-developing knowledge of NBA play and tendencies. More significantly, Yanic is the first player the Clippers have drafted in a long time that has flashed true upside, and him missing the stretch of this season plus the postseason is tough for his development. Still, the Clippers do have Isaiah Jackson to plug the immediate hole on the roster, and hopefully John Collins will return soon as well to give them a small-ball center option.
The Antagonist
The Spurs are one of the most surprising stories in the NBA this season. Most people thought they’d be somewhere between “decent” and “pretty good”, maybe in the 6 to 10 range in the Western Conference with between 40 and 47 wins or so. Instead, the Spurs are 45-17 with the 2nd best record in the conference and 3rd best in the entire league, and boast a net rating that matches their win total. They will easily cross 50 wins, most likely get to 55, and have an outside shot at 60. Considering the Spurs’ youth and lack of experience, that win record is mighty impressive. The Spurs are led by Victor Wembanyama, the wunderkind center who will receive an All-NBA First Team selection and significant MVP ballots in his third season, but are getting positive production from up and down their roster. I thought the supporting cast of the Spurs would not match Wemby’s rise, and I was wrong – this team could make a deep playoff run as soon as this year.
Notes
Rest Game: The Clippers are sitting Darius Garland for “toe injury management” for the first night of a back-to-back, as the Clippers play tomorrow in Memphis. Nobody else has been ruled out for injury management or rest purposes, but if the Clippers fall down big early, it would not be surprising if Ty Lue pulled the plug on this one. This game is probably the toughest left on the calendar, as the Clippers’ other most difficult opponents the rest of the way (Spurs again twice, Thunder, Knicks) are all in the friendly confines of Intuit. On the road, against an excellent opponent, and on the front end of a back-to-back, it would make sense for the Clippers to not pull out all the stops to get the win. Obviously, if they’re close and can steal the victory the Clippers will go for it, but concentrating on the “must win” tomorrow against the tanking Grizzlies makes sense.
Guarding Wemby: I’m curious as to how the Clippers guard Wembanyama, who is far too quick for Brook Lopez. If John Collins was available he’d make a lot of sense, but he’s not. Putting Kawhi on Wemby is probably the smart play, but I don’t know if the Clippers want to ask that of Kawhi considering the load he’ll have to carry on offense with Garland and Collins out. Maybe Kobe Sanders gets put on Wemby, or maybe the Clippers just stick with Brook. Regardless, Wemby is a matchup nightmare for the Clippers without Collins and Yanic, and I’m intrigued as to the defensive coverages the Clippers will throw at him to try to slow him down.
