After beating the Bulls, the LA Clippers made the bus ride from Chicago to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks. This game sets off a 13 game stretch against (current) playoff teams. Check out our preview of game 1 of 13 below:
Game Information
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: TNT
How to Listen: AM 570 KLAC
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Terance Mann – Luke Kennard – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Bucks: True Holiday – Grayson Allen – Pat Connaughton – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Brook Lopez
Injuries
Clippers:
QUESTIONABLE – Marcus Morris, Sr. (ribs)
OUT – John Wall (abdominal)
Bucks:
OUT – Bobby Portis (knee) and Serge Ibaka (personal)
The Big Picture
The Clippers are playing well: They are 7-3 in their last 10 games, have a winning record on the road, and Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Norman Powell are starting to look like the All Star/ 6MOY caliber players they were promised to be. When those three are playing well, the Clippers can beat anyone.
As it pertains to the Bucks, the Clippers do have a few advantages. As is always the case, the Clippers will have the best wings on the floor. The Bucks do not have a natural wing who can guard Kawhi or PG over the course of the game. They may try Ingles and/or Middleton, though those are not great options. And Middleton is further limited defensively by the fact that he is still returning from injury. Moreover, even though the Bucks have good rim protectors, the Kawhi and PG are elite mid-range scorers, so the Bucks’ defensive strengths are somewhat countered.
The Clippers’ bench should also be a strength tonight. The Clippers are third in bench scoring (thank you, Norm Powell), while the Bucks are 15th. Their bench only scores 34 points per game and have a negative plus-minus.
The Antagonist
On the other hand, the Bucks are one of the best teams in the NBA (34-17 record) and have one of the best players in the league (in NBA history, really). They are the best rebounding team, have the third-best defensive rating, and are top-five in three pointers made.
In respect to matchups, this will be yet another game in which the Clippers will have a disadvantage in the front court. Giannis, of course, will be the best big on the floor, but Brook Lopez is also having a great year. Zubac will be under siege all game unless the Clippers’ wings make a concerted effort to help on the boards and with protecting the rim.
This game will also be the Clippers’ fourth straight road game and fourth game in six days. Although the Clippers have performed honorably so far (save for the Cavaliers game, of course), they would be forgiven for dropping this game given the circumstances.
Note
Last Year’s Wild Night: The Clippers have made this Chicago-to-Milwaukee trip before. Last year, the Clippers pulled off a magical, wild win in Milwaukee after a disappointing loss in Chicago. They were without Kawhi, PG, Reggie, Powell, Morris, and Batum. Nonetheless, they won going away—winning every quarter—because Robert Covington made a franchise record 11 threes en route to a career-high 43 point night. Amir Coffey and Luke Kennard added 32 points and 23 points respectively. It was perhaps the most confusing, wild win in recent Clippers’ history. [To be fair, Giannis, Jrue, and Middleton did not play either.] If you want to re-live that game, check it out here.
Around the NBA: The Clippers go into tonight’s game with a 29-25 record. Here are the rooting interests for the rest of the NBA games on Thursday night:
- Pacers over Lakers
- Cavaliers over Grizzlies
- Nuggets over Warriors
- Pelicans vs. Mavericks: toss up! The Clippers need both teams to lose.
That about does it for this preview of the Clippers’ upcoming game against the Bucks. As always, check out The Lob The Jam The Podcast and Clips ‘N Dip for analysis throughout the week, and follow us on Twitter to watch the game with us!
