The Clippers claimed their first victory of the 2024 season, albeit in preseason, with a 103-98 wire-to-wire win over the Jazz highlighted by strong starter minutes.
First Half
The starting unit of Russ-PG-Kawhi-RoCo-Zu, which may or may not be the Clippers’ actual starting lineup, played only five minutes before Zu checked out, not to return (he had back spasms). However, the four perimeter players stuck in for another couple minutes in the first quarter and then played the last six minutes of the second quarter together, and mostly looked quite good despite some offensive sluggishness.
Notably, Robert Covington was simply everywhere on defense, collecting two steals and two blocks in 13 first half minutes along with three rebounds and a couple other deflections and forced turnovers. It wasn’t perfect – he had an awful midrange jumper and traveled attacking a closeout rather than taking the three – but was 3-5 from the field for nine points and made his only three. There will be some gaffes on offense, but the defense is worth it. It remains insane he didn’t get a real chance last season.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both played pretty well on slightly extended minutes, with each logging 20 in the first half and checking out and in together. The only truly interesting element was that Kawhi took 10 threes, making four of them. It’s very possible it’s just a one game trend, but it’s something to watch – maybe he makes more of a focus to get up threes this year.
The bench unit, consisting of Bones, Terance, KJ Martin, Nico, and Mason (with a dash of Amir Coffey in a brief small-ball unit to end the first quarter) was a bit rocky in the first half, with a lot of energy but not great execution on offense. Still, that’s where Norm Powell would be helpful, though who he’d step in for in that unit (Nico, KJ, Bones?) is a question.
Moussa Diabate played the last 6:30 of the second quarter with the starters due to Zu’s injury, and while he had fantastic energy and effort, his rawness on offense is just rough, as he bungled several easy-ish shots around the rim. The vision on defense and as a hustle big is there, and he’s still very young, but he does not look ready for real minutes yet.
Second Half
Russ, PG, and Kawhi all sat to start the 3rd, with a Bones-Amir-Mann-RoCo-Moussa lineup taking the floor. Despite playing against the Jazz starters, this motley crew was able to go on a 9-0 run through some fantastic defense (highlighted by Moussa and RoCo on the backline in rotation) and Bones cooking. Bones did leave with five fouls, to be replaced by Xavier Moon. RoCo had a couple more blocks (bringing his total to four in 22 minutes), and Amir made some nice plays on offense to keep the Clippers ahead. As the quarter went along, Nico and KJ came in for RoCo and Amir, and the Jazz went on a run. This run only continued with Kobe Brown replacing Moussa Diabate in a small lineup, as the Clippers looked bewildered on both ends, and the Jazz erasing a 19-point deficit in eight minutes.
The same unit started the 4th, but played quite a bit better, building a small lead. KJ had an offensive rebound follow and then transition layup to start quarter, getting him on the board after a quiet night. Xavier Moon then had a couple of very nice passes, demonstrating more of his playmaking side. Eventually, Jordan Miller and Moussa Diabate came in, and garbage time fully commenced.
Other Notes
After not playing in the first preseason game, Nic Batum played 16 minutes in this one. In the first half he played with the regular first and second units, and in the second half got more of a garbage time run. As always, Nico was steady, nailing a three and making a couple nice cuts.
After a miserable 2023 season and a quiet first preseason game, it was great to see Amir Coffey have a strong game. This was the most assertive Coffey has been in forever, attacking the basket repeatedly and creating his own shot in the halfcourt. He piled up 10 free throws, making eight, en route to 15 points with some other stats. He’s not going to be in the rotation, but performances like this should raise confidence that he can fill in as needed.
Bones Hyland did not have nearly as strong a performance as Game 1, but was still a fairly steady hand running the offense and had some impressive finishes. The five fouls is worrisome, as he picked up fouls frequently in Denver, but he looks all set for a big third season.
