The LA Clippers (34-31) aim to win their sixth straight against the slumping New York Knicks (25-37) on the national stage Sunday night. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Knicks game preview.
Clippers vs. Knicks Game Information
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
When: 7 p.m. PT
How to Tune in: ESPN, Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570 KLAC, KWKW
Projected Starting Lineups
LA Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Terance Mann – Nicolas Batum – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac
New York Knicks: Alec Burks – Evan Fournier – RJ Barrett – Julius Randle – Mitchell Robinson
Injury Report
LA Clippers: Paul George – OUT (Right Elbow UCL Tear), Kawhi Leonard – OUT (Right Knee; ACL – Injury Recovery), Norman Powell – OUT (Left Foot; Fractured Medial Sesamoid Bone), Jason Preston – OUT (Right Foot – Injury Recovery), Jay Scrubb – OUT (Right Foot – Injury Recovery)
New York Knicks: Quentin Grimes – OUT (Right Patella Subluxation), Derrick Rose – OUT (Right Ankle Surgery), Luka Šamanić – OUT (G League – Two-Way), Obi Toppin – OUT (Strained Left Hamstring), Kemba Walker – OUT (Not With Team)
The Big Picture
Oh me, oh my. Following a 21-point shellacking of the crosstown Los Angeles Lakers Thursday, the Clippers are feeling upbeat as winners of five straight and seven of their last eight. Although stacking up dubs against LAL and Houston over the last two weeks isn’t exactly the most impressive-sounding feat, there is something to be said about being able to consistently take care of business without your first, second and third-best players. Speaking of the Clippers’ missing talent, the cookie crumbs that social media detectives had been following religiously in recent days appeared to culminate in a big way Saturday — Paul George not looking like a guy whose season is over. Ultimately, it still feels like a long shot whether or not the Clippers will get blessed with one, let alone any, of their 20+ ppg scorers back in time for the playoffs. Until then, it’ll be on everyone else to keep on keeping on and, hopefully, avoid the injury bug as well.
.@Yg_Trece puttin' in some reps.
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 6, 2022pic.twitter.com/XaG89rfW0h
The Antagonist
For the first time since Feb. 15, the Clippers will down some pregame PB & Js in preparation for a team not named the Rockets or the Lakers, yet one that perhaps has been struggling just as much as both of them. The Knicks haven’t won a game in more than three weeks, including losing to Portland and Oklahoma City in what has been their lowest point of the season. Unfortunately for New York, who are on a seven-game skid, their last five losses have all been well-documented on national TV as well, with their sixth-straight ESPN showcase coming tonight. Currently sitting 12th in the east, above just Indiana, Detroit and Orlando, last year’s exciting regular-season run appears to have been all but a brief facade for the Knicks. The Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker acquisitions have not panned out as envisioned, Julius Randle has looked like a guy playing his way toward a new gig and the team’s defense has dropped off from fourth in the league last season to 18th today. It’s been tough sledding for New York, as demonstrated Friday in which they led by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter, pulled ahead 114-112 with 7.1 seconds left but lost at the buzzer to a banked-in 3.
Of course, however, the Clippers have been one of the few teams to concede defeat to this year’s Knicks, falling 110-102 in their midday matinee at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 23. That game, the duo of Randle and RJ Barrett, who this season are an overwhelming net negative when sharing the court, combined for 52 points, 21 boards and 15 assists against an otherwise lethargic Clipper effort. Tonight would be a great time to avenge that loss.
Clippers vs. Knicks Game Notes
- The Future Face of the Knicks: As dubbed by Jimmy Butler on Feb. 25, who had front-row seats to RJ Barrett’s career-high 46 points, the Duke of York is averaging 30 ppg over his last four since returning from a four-game absence due to an ankle injury before the All-Star break. Although Barrett also just went 6-for-26 from the field against Phoenix on Friday, the Clippers should know better than anyone that he can get hot in a hurry.
- Reg and Zu: Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac have had their fair share of up-and-down moments this year. However, their play as of late perhaps illustrates why they deserve more respect moving forward. Since the All-Star break in a well-expanded role, Jackson has averaged 24 points, 6.5 boards, 6.8 assists, 2.5 threes, 0.8 steals and 3.8 TO on 43% FG and 85.7% FT. Zubac has had scoring and rebounding double-doubles in four of his last seven. Both were also easily the two best Clippers against New York earlier in the year, so it will be interesting to see if they can keep it going tonight.
.@Reggie_Jackson
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 4, 2022@ivicazubac pic.twitter.com/bqTXwcafRq
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