The Clippers will try to get back on track against the struggling Hornets in the first game of a four-game road trip.
Game Information
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
When: 4:00 PM PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
Hornets: Terry Rozier – Kelly Oubre – Jalen McDaniels – PJ Washington – Mason Plumlee
Injuries
Clippers: Paul George Questionable (Hamstring), Luke Kennard Questionable (Calf), Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Ankle), Norm Powell Out (Groin), Jason Preston Out (G-League), Moussa Diabate Out (G-League)
Hornets: LaMelo Ball Out (Ankle), Gordon Hayward Out (Shoulder), Dennis Smith Jr. Out (Ankle), Cody Martin Out (Knee), Mark Williams Out (Ankle)
The Big Picture
The Clippers have lost two in a row, and the losses have been dispiriting ones at that. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were questionable on Saturday, didn’t play, and the Clippers got run out of the building. Both are questionable again for this one, as is Luke Kennard, who has missed the past 10 games. If the Clippers’ do get their stars back, it won’t be a moment too soon, as some of their “healthy” players, especially Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris, look exhausted. Asking for great health the rest of the way with an old and rather injury-prone team is probably too much, but if the Clippers can just avoid any more injuries for the next couple of weeks and build some momentum, their season will start looking a whole lot different. As is, there has been little joy in Clipperville as of late.
The Antagonist
The Hornets are one of the few teams in the NBA who can claim to be as injury-plagued as the Clippers this season. Star point guard and best player LaMelo Ball has played in just three games due to a couple of different injuries. Key rotation wing Cody Martin played in one minute this season before hurting his knee. Starting wing Gordon Hayward has played in just 11 games, and is out for a long time with a shoulder injury. Even deeper reserves like Dennis Smith Jr. and Mark Williams have missed good chunks of games, pushing players like Theo Maledon and Nick Richards into the rotation. Largely because of all that, the Hornets are 7-16 with the worst offense in the NBA, and a very bad point differential. They play hard and have a lot of veterans, but the top-end talent just isn’t there without Ball and Hayward.
Notes
Crashing the Glass: The Hornets are an awful offensive team, as mentioned, but they are good at one thing – offensive rebounding. They crash the offensive boards hard – possibly because with how bad their shooters are, a miss is by far the most likely outcome – and consistently, ranking 4th in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game and 7th in the percentage of missed shots that are offensive boards. The Clippers are overall a decent rebounding team, but are prone to lapses, and can’t do that against the Hornets. This is especially true since securing defensive rebounds when teams are pursuing the offensive glass allows for easy looks in transition – and the Clippers need as many easy looks as possible to get their own sputtering offense going.
Theo Maledon Regret: I still wish the Clippers had drafted Theo Maledon in the 2020 NBA Draft instead of Daniel Oturu. Maledon is on the Hornets on a two-way deal after being dumped by the Thunder and unceremoniously cut by the Rockets this offseason, and has been very good for Charlotte. The Clippers already have Reggie and Wall at point guard as well as Jason Preston in the wings, but having a steadier 3rd string option while allowing Preston to develop in the G-League would be nice. Maledon is a good defender and very clever passer, and while not a star or even starter, he’s had a much better pro career so far than poor Oturu, who is currently a bench player for the G-League Windy City Bulls (though he’s playing well!).
