The Clippers begin their 2027 season at home against their Pacific Division rivals, the Sacramento Kings.
Game Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:30 PM ET
How to Watch: KTLA, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Kings: Darius Acuff – Zach LaVine – Keegan Murray – DeAndre Hunter – Domantas Sabonis
Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Isaiah Jackson
Injuries
Kings: Malik Monk Questionable (Ankle), Maxime Raynaud Out (Knee), Dylan Cardwell Out (Calf), Ben Simmons Out (Achilles)
Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)
The Antagonist
The Kings were one of the very worst teams in the NBA last year, going 22-60 and tanking the last couple months of the season to try to get a prime draft pick. With classic Kings luck, they fell down in the draft lottery to the 7th pick, which they used to select Darius Acuff, a very exciting young guard. Unfortunately for the Kings, most of the rest of the roster is pretty similar to last year, with primary difference being that DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook are no longer there, and that a couple of other youngsters (Emanuel Sharp, Alex Karaban) are there instead. The Kings probably won’t be as bad as they were last year (LaVine, Sabonis, and Murray all missed a lot of time with injuries/tanking), but the roster is still a mess, especially on defense, and I’d project them to once again be towards the bottom of the Western Conference standings, even with Acuff (who I quite like).
Notes
Who Starts for the Clippers: We know who two of the starters will be for sure – Darius Garland and Isaiah Jackson – and can put Rui Hachimura and Derrick Jones Jr. pretty firmly in as well. The last spot is a bit of a question, with four guys being potential candidates for it: Kris Dunn, Keaton Wagler, Kobe Sanders, and Gradey Dick. Dunn is the most logical pick due to his combination of defense, ballhandling, and leadership, but Dick is more of a traditional two-guard, Sanders is the most well-rounded two-way presence, and Wagler is the future. I wouldn’t be shocked by any of them starting, but I’d expect it to be Dunn. We will see!
The Rest of the Rotation: Similarly, I think there’s one rotation spot that’s a bit up in the air. Five of the guys mentioned above will be starting, and even if Dunn, Wagler, and Sanders aren’t starting they will certainly be in the rotation. Brook Lopez is a lock at the backup center position. That still leaves two spots open, though I’m relatively confident Gradey will fill one of those. I expect Ty Lue will go with a 10-man rotation early on, and if so, that still means one blank spot. The two candidates are Baba Miller and Jalen Pickett. Miller makes the most sense positionally as a true forward, and adds athleticism, size, and energy to a unit that could use all of those things. Pickett’s ballhandling and shooting would be good ads to complement Wagler and ease things for him early. I hope (and think) it will be Miller – the dude just needs to play, even if he’s very raw and will have some ugly moments early.
