The Clippers have now won four games in a row, and will hope to move their win streak to five games against the hapless Kings.
Game Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:30 PM PT
How to Watch: ESPN FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Kings: Killian Hayes – Nique Clifford – DeMar DeRozan – Precious Achiuwa – Maxime Raynaud
Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Brook Lopez
Injuries
Kings: Domantas Sabonis Out (Knee), Zach LaVine Out (Hand), De’Andre Hunter Out (Eye), Keegan Murray Out (Ankle), Devin Carter Doubtful (Calf), Malik Monk Doubtful (Ankle), Russell Westbrook Probable (Quad), Dylan Cardwell Probable (Quad)
Clippers: Jonn Collins Out (Neck), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)
The Big Picture
The Clippers’ win last night over the Bulls was not pretty, but the Clippers are at the stage where a win is a win. The Clippers’ starting lineup continues to play quite well, with the Clippers getting huge contributions from Brook Lopez, Kris Dunn, and Derrick Jones Jr. even with Kawhi Leonard having an off night from the field, Darius Garland resting, and John Collins out with his neck injury. The Clippers are playing consistently well on both ends of the court, and continue to push in the standings. If they keep playing at this level, the 8 seed and the top half of the play-in tournament should be theirs. If they keep doing this well and the Suns falter at all, the 7 seed is technically still not closed off yet either.
The Antagonist
After losing 16 games in a row from mid-January through mid-February, the Kings are 4-5 in their last nine games: not a great record, but better than they’ve been most of the season. Ironically, the Kings have played better after removing their high-priced veterans from the rotation – even though their young players aren’t as talented, they consistently play harder and with more energy than players like LaVine or the departed Dennis Schroder did. If Russell Westbrook plays, you know he’s going to come out with force against his old team, even if most of his teammates (from just two seasons ago!) are no longer on the Clips. The Kings want to lose, but they are rested and the Clippers are on the second night of a back-to-back and at the end of a five-in-seven stretch. This might not be easy.