The Clippers take on the Knicks in a Sunday afternoon matinee game on ESPN in a clash between two playoff teams. Keep reading for a quick preview of the Mother’s Day game between the Clippers and Knicks.
Game Information
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
When: 12:30 PM PT
How to Watch: ESPN, Fox Sports Prime Ticket
Projected Starting Lineups
Knicks: Elfrid Payton – RJ Barrett – Reggie Bullock – Julius Randle – Nerlens Noel
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Knicks: Immanuel Quickley Out (Ankle), Alec Burks Out (Knee)
Clippers: Serge Ibaka Out (Back), Amir Coffey Out (Health Protocols)
The Big Picture
The Clippers are increasingly likely to be the 3 seed, as they’re two losses ahead of the Nuggets from 4th, and three losses behind the Suns for 2nd. The Clippers are also finally getting healthy, with all key players but Serge Ibaka back (sorry, Amir Coffey doesn’t count) and looking good. The final games of the season, then will be all about Ty Lue experimenting with some lineup combinations and tactics before the playoffs start, and about getting the key Clippers as many reps as possible while remaining healthy.
The Antagonist
The Knicks are probably the most surprising team in the NBA this year. Projected to be a lottery team, or at best a fringe play-in squad, the Knicks have been a legitimately good team all season, and sit at 4th in the East, though they’re also not that far ahead of the Hawks, Celtics, or Heat. They have thrived based on their defense, which has been strong all year, with their offense being largely reliant on Julius Randle. That’s a strategy that has worked however, because Randle has been flat-out awesome, a likely All-NBA player. They’re not at a contending level, but they are very good, and can definitely beat any team on a game-to-game basis.
That about does it for this preview of the Clippers’ game against the Knicks. Comment on the game below!
