The Clippers lost a brutal game last night, and now have to quickly shake off that loss in a game against a reasonably competent Heat team on the road without two of their best players.
Game Information
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
When: 5:00 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Bogdan Bogdanovic – Kris Dunn – Nic Batum – Ivica Zubac
Heat: Tyler Herro – Davion Mitchell – Andrew Wiggins – Bam Adebayo – Kel’el Ware
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Rest), Norm Powell Out (Hamstring), Ben Simmons Out (Knee), Cam Christie Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), Seth Lundy Out (G-League), Patrick Baldwin Out (G-League)
Heat: Nikola Jovic Out (Hand), Dru Smith Out (Achilles), Alec Burks Questionable (Back), Terry Rozier Probable (Illness)
The Big Picture
The Clippers are coming off a very disappointing loss on the road last night in New Orleans. Some elements of the game were out of their control, namely a stellar Zion Williamson performance and a sizzling night from three for the Pelicans (17-31). However, the Clippers were definitely a step slow in the first half, trailing by as many as 21 points before rallying to cut the Pels’ lead to 10 at half. Add that onto some sloppy Harden turnovers and a few huge missed free throws late and you have the recipe for an extremely frustrating loss. The Clippers can’t dwell on the defeat, but must now travel to Miami and prepare for tonight’s contest against a Heat team that’s desperate for a win.
The Antagonist
While not nearly as disappointing as the Suns or Sixers, the Heat have more quietly had a down year. Sitting at 9th in the East at six games under .500, the Heat have been thoroughly mediocre the entire season. The Heat are 21st on offense (just a hair behind the Clippers) and 12th on defense, with almost no notable stats ranking towards the top of the league. Bam Adebayo is having a down year, Tyler Herro has slowed since his hot start, Jimmy Butler is gone, Terry Rozier has been mostly bad, and Jaime Jaquez has not taken a step forward in his second year. Outside of Herro’s hot start, the main bright spot for the Heat has been the play of rookie center Kel’el Ware, who has flashed a deadly combination of rim protection on defense, high-flying above-the-rim play on offense, and even a three-point shot. There might be something there with Ware, Adebayo, and Herro, but it doesn’t appear as though that something will be occurring this year.
