The 1-0 Clippers take on the division-rival Kings to hopefully keep their winning ways alive early in the season.
Game Information
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Norm Powell – Paul George – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
Kings: De’Aaron Fox – Kevin Huerter – KZ Okpala – Harrison Barnes – Domantas Sabonis
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard OUT – Load Management, John Wall OUT – Load Management
Kings: None
The Big Picture
The Clippers won their first game, but it was far from pretty. They were sloppy with the ball, looked confused at times on defense, and appeared old and slow for much of the night. That said, it was game one of a long season, and there was plenty to be happy about. Number one was that Kawhi Leonard, though restricted minutes-wise, looked healthy and was effective, especially down the stretch. Second, John Wall, while he held the ball too long at times and took some bad shots in the 4th quarter, also looked healthy, fast, and made some great passes in transition. Third, Ivica Zubac was fantastic when given the lion’s share of the center minutes. When Big Zu plays as well as he did against the Lakers, the Clippers are incredibly difficult to beat.
The Antagonist
The new-look Kings lost their first game to the Blazers, giving up 115 points in the process. The Kings’ defense is why I’ve been hesitant to think of them as anything more than a contender for a bottom-rung play-in seed – it’s very tough to build a competent defense when your two “core” pieces are De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. That said, adding Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk should boost their offense a ton with their shooting, and Keegan Murray looks like a very nice young player who can contribute on both ends. The Kings have real talent, Mike Brown is a good coach with positive energy, and they will be playing at home, so they are no joke even to the contending Clippers.
Notes
Small-Ball: Ty Lue played Ivica Zubac 35 minutes in this one, limiting the amount of true small-ball lineups to just 13 minutes, and it wasn’t a moment too long. The Clippers’ non-Zu lineups weren’t awful, but there were several games where they understandably looked small on the glass and on defense without him. I just don’t think small-ball is something that can be gone too every single game in the regular season, but the Clippers don’t have much of a choice unless they play Moses Brown (ugh). The efficacy of the Clippers’ small-ball on a game-in, game-out basis will be something to watch going forward, including in tonight’s game against the Kings.
Closing Lineups: In Game 1, John Wall, Luke Kennard, and Ivica Zubac closed alongside Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. I’m not sure anyone would have predicted that closing unit in Game 1, but it’s a sign that coach Ty Lue will experiment and go with what’s working on a game to game basis. There will be games where none of those player close, or one, or two. Lue has a bunch of quality NBA players, and is going to play around to see what combinations of players work and when. That could lead to some frustrating stretches early in the season, but will hopefully pay dividends later.
No Mann: Terance Mann played just six minutes, all in the first half, and seemed to be on the outside looking in on the rotation. There will certainly be games where he plays more, particularly when veterans are resting (like in this game!), but it is interesting that he was the 11th man in the opener. His athleticism, on-ball defense, and slashing in transition are all important and somewhat unique on the Clippers, and I did feel his absence in terms of the Clippers being slow and not super effective on transition on either end. Mann has his contract, so it’s not like he’s stressing about money, and I’m sure he’s ok with not playing a ton every game, but it is a very early sign of how minutes can disappear very quickly for seemingly key players.