About an hour ago, the NBA released the complete schedule for the 2021 preseason, including that of the Clippers. All NBA teams will play either three or four games between Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 19.
The Clippers’ three games are against the Lakers on Dec 11 at 7:00 PM PT and Dec 13 at 6:30 PM PT, and then against the Jazz on Dec 17 at 7:00 PM PT. So far, no other details have been released, though because all the games are at “home”, it would seem that the Clippers will play at Staples Center.
It seems highly improbably that there will be fans of any sort for any preseason games, with team staffers likely being the only attendees. No broadcast information has been released either, but presumably all the games will be viewable in some capacity. The Lakers’ games in particular might make national TV, with the Lakers seen as favorites to repeat as NBA Champions and the Clippers maybe their strongest opponent.
Three preseason games is not much preparatory time before the start of season, but with a condensed 72 game calendar already packed with double-headers, it seems unlikely we see Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in all three games. If they and other key veterans do make multiple appearances, expect minutes counts to be fairly low. Maybe even more than most preseasons, this one will be probably be primarily played by young guys and camp signings such as Ky Bowman, Malik Fitts, Daniel Oturu, Mfiondu Kabengele, and the rest.
Well, the Clippers will officially return in two weeks time. Despite the closeness of preseason, their roster has clearly not been filled, with two spots still empty. Stay tuned for the last bits of free agency as well as player previews for the upcoming season!
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