The Clippers take on the high-flying Hornets as their “Grammy Road Trip” finally winds down. A young, athletic team playing a tired, veteran crew in a Sunday matinee? What could go wrong! Keep reading for a full preview of the Clippers’ game against the Hornets.
Game Information
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
When: 10:00 AM PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Terance Mann – Amir Coffey – Nic Batum – Ivica Zubac
Hornets: LaMelo Ball – Terry Rozier – Cody Martin – Miles Bridges – Mason Plumlee
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Paul George Out (Elbow), Jason Preston Out (Foot), Nic Batum Questionable (Personal), Keon Johnson Out (G-League)
Hornets: Gordon Hayward Out (COVID-19), Jalen McDaniels Out (Ankle)
The Big Picture
The Clippers are, somehow, clinging to the 7th spot in the Western Conference despite missing Kawhi Leonard for the entire season and Paul George for half, in addition to numerous other injury and COVID-19 absences. Their staying afloat is a credit to Ty Lue’s coaching as well as the energy, fight, and cohesion of the players on the roster – and a knock on the bottom half of the Conference. Still, they continue to keep things close with steady defense and unexpected offensive explosions from various players on the roster. Amir Coffey remains one of the best stories in the NBA, Luke Kennard is on fire, and Justise Winslow has turned things around after a terrible start to the season. This team isn’t going anywhere without their two stars, but don’t tell them that.
The Antagonist
The Hornets are one of the surprise team in the Eastern Conference, sitting right in the middle of the playoff race with a 28-22 record. They have succeded almost entirely through a high-powered offense that ranks as a top-five unit in the NBA. They play at a break-neck pace (second in the association), which makes sense for a young, athletic team of high fliers with an excellent lead guard in LaMelo Ball. The Hornets are also a very good three-point shooting team, as after Miles Bridges, their next top-six scorers shoot at least 36% from deep. What’s holding them back is the other end of the court – the Hornets are a horrible defense that allow opponents to hang around even in high-scoring games. Beating them in a track meet is tough, so if you get them in the mud, your chances of victory soar.
Notes
Return of Marcus Morris: Nic Batum is questionable with a back injury, but Marcus Morris is off the injury list after missing a few games with personal reasons. If Batum does play, he and Morris would presumably start together again, pushing Terance Mann to the bench. This does leave Ty Lue with an interesting rotation decision on whether to play Justise Winslow or Brandon Boston Jr. Winslow has really turned things around after a hot start, and is much more of an actual power forward than Boston, but playing him with Mann, Eric Bledsoe, and Isaiah Hartenstein would be really tough on spacing. Winslow is trending up and Boston down, so I suspect Winslow will get the nod, but if the Clippers are looking more towards the future, it’s possible they want to continue giving Boston reps.
Serge Out of Rotation: After playing three centers for a couple of weeks, Ty Lue has slowly started phasing out Serge Ibaka, with the veteran not appearing at all in the loss to the Heat on Friday. This is the right call. Serge has been fine recently after a rough start to the year, but he’s not as good as Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein, and playing all three guys was not allowing the bench units to get any rhythm or consistency. As for “trade showcasing”, Ibaka has been in the NBA for almost 15 years – NBA GMs know exactly what they are and are not getting with him. I feel bad that his tenure with the Clippers has been such a disappointment for reasons out of his control, but right now its tough to find minutes for him.
That about does it for this preview of the Clippers’ game against the Hornets. Leave your comments below!
