The Clippers have lost six games in a row, and things won’t get any easier for them as they welcome in the Miami Heat and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Game Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
When: 7:30 PM PT
How to Watch: Clippervision, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Heat: Davion Mitchell – Klay Thompson – Andrew Wiggins – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Bam Adebayo
Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Brook Lopez
Injuries
Heat: None
Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)
Prior Game Recap
The Clippers had perhaps their most frustrating loss of the season (so far) on Monday night, blowing a double-digit lead in the 4th quarter at home to the Raptors. The Clippers were down DJ and Rui in addition to their usual absences, but it was still a disappointing defeat, as the Clippers played well for much of the game just to unravel down the stretch. Once again, the most worrying player on the Clippers was their star guard, Darius Garland, who was a complete mess in the 4th quarter. Garland combined hurried shots, bad turnovers, and awful defense to create a concoction that doomed the Clippers despite most other Clips playing well. Especially in close games like Monday night the Clippers need Garland to take care of the ball and make good decisions, and he couldn’t do either of those things.
The Antagonist
The Heat have been perhaps the most disappointing team in the entire NBA to start the season (not counting more injury-riddled teams like the Pacers). Unlike other disappointments such as the Jazz or Clippers, the Heat had real playoff contender aspirations coming into the year after trading for Giannis this summer. However, Miami has been pretty much healthy so far this year and are 2-5 despite playing just a middling schedule. The advanced numbers don’t favor them either – they are 21st in net rating (one spot ahead of the Clippers) with the 12th ranked offense and 27th ranked defense. The Heat’s defense is particularly concerning, as that was supposed to be their calling card this year. The Heat will probably be fine this year, but it will be good for the Clippers to catch them early before they find their rhythm.
Notes
Who Starts at Center: Brook Lopez started for the first time all season against the Raptors, with Isaiah Jackson shifting back to the bench. The supposed reason for Brook starting was the Raptors’ size in the frontcourt, but Jakob Poeltl ended up not playing anyway, so I’m not sure how much that holds water. I think both Brook and IJax have been fine to good thus far this season considering their limitations – neither is a starting level center, and that’s ok! I’d rather IJax continue seeing the bigger role considering the difference in their ages, but if the Clippers like Brook starting that’s fine. As long as Yanic immediately gets a large role when healthy, I won’t have a ton of complaints about the Clippers’ minutes allocation at center.
Max Strus Back: Max Strus played his first game of the season on Monday after missing exactly four weeks with a foot injury, and immediately received a major role while playing 23 minutes off the bench. I think most people expect Strus to start eventually in place of either Kris Dunn or Derrick Jones Jr., but the Clippers clearly want to ramp him into shape first. Still, he played 23 minutes on Monday and took 10 shots, tied for 5th most, with 9 of those coming from three. Strus’ high-volume three-point shooting combined with competent defense and at least a bit of ballhandling will make him a very useful player for Ty Lue, and it was nice to see him out there. Even with DJ and Rui back for this one, I’d expect him to play just as much tonight if not more.
