Well, the regular season is finally almost over. The Clippers will take on the Thunder in a game that will mean zilch and preview nothing, and the only goal will be for no players involved to get injured. Enjoy!
Game Information
Where: Disneyworld, Orlando, Florida
When: 3:30 PM PT
How to Watch: ESPN, Fox Sports Prime Ticket
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Hamidou Diallo – Darius Bazley – Danilo Gallinari – Steven Adams
Injuries
Clippers: Montrezl Harrell Out (Quarantine), Pat Beverley Out (Calf strain), Landry Shamet Out (Ankle sprain)
Thunder: Luguentz Dort Out (Knee sprain), Chris Paul Out (Hand sprain), Dennis Schroder Out (Out of bubble)
The Big Picture
The Clippers clinched the two seed with their win against the Nuggets on Wednesday, making this game essentially meaningless. This is even more true because the Clippers will still be missing Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley, so it can’t even serve as a mini test-run of the Clippers’ actual rotation before the playoffs begin. There is no reason for them to try to win this game, so expect the starters to play only a handful of minutes and for third-stringers such as Amir Coffey, Terance Mann, and Joakim Noah to get a ton of minutes. As long as the Clippers make it out of this one without any injuries, it will be a win for them.
The Antagonist
The Thunder are in similar situation. They are locked into either the 4 or 5 seed against the Houston Rockets, and since homecourt advantage is worthless in the Orlando bubble, they have nothing to play for either. Chris Paul, the Thunder’s best player, will sit out as a precaution with a banged up hand (how familiar does that sound?), and other key players such as Shai, Gallo, and Steven Adams will probably only play a few minutes as well. This Thunder team is legitimately good, and have a chance to win their 1st round matchup against Houston, especially since Russell Westbrook is injured and will miss at least some of the series. To preserve their chances, the Thunder will take all precautions. Expect their third-stringers to get significant run in this one too, making this a battle of deep bench lineups.
Notes
Bizarro Clippers Prospering: Many Clippers fans tuned in frequently to Thunder games this year due to the abundance of ex-Clippers on the roster. If you didn’t, you missed one of the most fun teams in the NBA, a gritty, hard-fighting unit led by a resurgent Chris Paul. Shai is one of the better young players in the league, taking a huge leap after his rookie season to turn into a legitimate 20 point per game (ok, 19) scorer who can play defense and contribute across the board. Danilo Gallinari remains highly underrated, a deadly and highly efficient scorer who can play solid defense. And then there’s Paul, the Point God, who was one of the best players in the NBA this season at age 35. The Thunder don’t have enough depth or wings to make a real playoff run, but they’re a fun and dangerous team that could absolutely give a much more talented team a scare in the postseason.
Rodney McGruder Moving Up the Rotation: One of the few real rotation developments we’ve seen from the Clippers in the bubble has been the return of Rodney McGruder to Doc Rivers’ real lineups. While McGruder presumably won’t play when Pat Beverley and Landry Shamet are healthy, he’s proven himself able to help in limited minutes. Rodney has looked far more confident in the bubble, and his defense in particular has been much sharper than it was during the regular season. He’s been especially good at the point of attack, which has been useful as a replacement for Pat Beverley’s defense in that situation. After a really disappointing regular season, McGruder has turned things around, and if he can give the Clippers some positive contributions when they’re short-handed, his previous missteps will be forgotten.
Getting Lou Going: Lou Williams was fantastic against the Nuggets, looking both quick and confident, and it was great to see. When Lou is on his game, the Clippers are a far, far more dangerous team, gaining a completely different dimension to their attack. While he has his weaknesses on defense, the Clippers will need Lou at his best to win a championship. Hopefully he has a second strong outing against the Thunder and will be able to take some momentum going into the playoffs.
Well, that’s it for this Clippers-Thunder preview, the last preview for a regular season game in the 2020 season. The next preview on here will be for a playoff game! Comment on the game in the comments below.
