The LA Clippers improved to 1-1 without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Patrick Beverley. Now, how will they cope with the second game of a road back-to-back? The full Clippers vs Magic game preview is ahead:
Game Information
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
When: 5:00 PM PT
How to Watch: Fox Sports Prime Ticket, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Reggie Jackson — Luke Kennard — Terance Mann — Nicolas Batum — Serge Ibaka
Magic: Cole Anthony — Evan Fournier — James Ennis III — Aaron Gordon — Nikola Vucevic
Injuries
Clippers: OUT — Kawhi Leonard (health and safety); OUT — Paul George (health and safety); OUT — Patrick Beverley (knee)
Magic: OUT — Markelle Fultz (ACL); OUT — Jonathan Isaac (knee); OUT — Michael Carter-Williams (foot); OUT — Chuma Okeke (knee); OUT — Al-Farouq Aminu (knee)
The Big Picture
. . . looks a little brighter today.
The Clippers fought back from a big early hole to surprise the Heat in Miami. (Who were missing Jimmy Butler, it should be noted.) Ty Lue’s squad may have lacked its stars — Nic Batum aside, of course — but lost none of its fight, and when they can get their shots to fall, they’ll hang tough.
Tonight’s contest may represent a step back in opponent quality but brings an added difficulty: road travel on a back-to-back. As short a trip as it is up the Florida coast, it doesn’t give the Clippers much time to settle in. And they’ll be facing a Magic team that’s spent the last week at home dieting on cupcakes. (How do you go 1-2 against the Hornets and Kings at home?)
The lone benefit of missing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is heavier minutes for the kids. And the kids, like Luke Kennard, Terance Mann, and even Amir Coffey, may not only have legs better suited to a two-game set across 24 hours, they may now also have the rhythm and continuity that results from carrying the load.
In a more typical load management scenario, the fringe rotation players are asked to step in as one-time understudies. Now, the show is largely theirs, and that stability may breed additional confidence. Stability, and nights like the last. Let’s see if they can build on it.
The Antagonist
. . . is snakebitten.
Review the Orlando Magic’s injury report and you’ll find three of the team’s four most promising young players. (For the record, I’m ignoring Aaron Gordon for Cole Anthony.) The frame of the franchise has been leveled, two of the pillars seriously and facing lengthy rehabilitation. A fourth remains unproductive. Robbed of the buoyancy of their potential, the Magic founder.
Jonathan Isaac, who was good and getting better, tore his ACL in the bubble. Markelle Fultz, who was bad but starting to look alright, tore his ACL three weeks ago. Chuma Okeke, who missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, played just five games this year before falling to a bone bruise. Mo Bamba is bad.
Like the Clippers, the story of the Magic tonight is as much about who’s not playing as who is. But, the healthy players include Nikola Vucevic, who’s always game, and Evan Fournier, who’s always trade-rumored, and a cast of stalwarts who will execute Steve Clifford’s defensive vision and plug resolutely along. They’ll fight, but look at their schedule and — geez, have they beaten anybody good?
Tonight’s Clipper team may not exactly be good, but they might be good enough. It says a lot about the state of both teams that this could be a game, but look at the circumstances necessary to make it one.
Game Thread
The comments for this post will be the live thread. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!
213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.
