Coming off a mostly successful home stand, the Clippers are going back on the road, and will have to defeat one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference to keep their good vibes going.
Game Information
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
When: 4:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac
Knicks: Jalen Brunson – Mikal Bridges – OG Anunoby – Karl-Anthony Towns – Mitchell Robinson
Injuries
Clippers: James Harden Questionable (Shoulder), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)
Knicks: Josh Hart Out (Ankle), Landry Shamet Out (Shoulder)
The Big Picture
The Clippers’ win over the Warriors on Monday night was a big one, getting them to just two games back of the 10th seed Grizzlies and five back of the Warriors themselves. Celtics’ blowout aside, the team continues to look mostly competent, even with a dearth of on-court talent due to prolonged injuries. As long as James Harden’s shoulder injury isn’t too bad (and it shouldn’t be, as he’s questionable for the game tonight), the Clippers should be in a position to keep moving up the standings. The big thing for now will be to keep playing defense with the same intensity and precision they did against the Warriors.
The Antagonist
The Knicks have dropped four games in a row after being one of the best teams in the East for the bulk of the season to this point. Now, those four losses have coincided with injuries to Josh Hart (still out) and Mitchell Robinson, who are two of their six best players, but still, it’s been a disappointing stretch for the Knicks. On the season the Knicks are still quite good, especially at home (15-4), and have a big advantage in overall top-end talent. Where the Knicks can be shaky is their bench, as someone like Jordan Clarkson can look great when the shots are falling and unplayable when they aren’t while Tyler Kolek is still going through young player growth periods. The Clippers are catching the Knicks at a bad time, as they will be eager to erase their losing streak in front of the raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden. The Clippers will need to have a very strong showing to get the win tonight.
Notes
Jordan Miller Time?: Jordan Miller hasn’t played much this year, appearing in only 14 games and logging just 171 minutes (fewer than Kobe Brown, barely more than YKN). Jordan did, however, play 22 minutes against the Warriors with James Harden out, and was mostly excellent, scoring 9 points on 5 shots while chipping in 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal and finishing at a team-high +10. Miller has been superseded in the rotation by Kobe Sanders (who was fantastic against the Warriors), but with Bogdan and Derrick Jones Jr. out he should have a chance at some rotation minutes. Jordan has his flaws – the defense is not as good as I’d want it to be, and he can have blinders on when attacking the rim – but his ability to get downhill and draw fouls is valuable on this Clippers team, and he offers size and athleticism on the wing that the Clippers could use. Hopefully he plays well during this stretch and gives himself a real shot at sticking in the Clippers’ rotation.