The Clippers take on the Dallas Mavericks in a battle between two of the worst and most miserable teams in the NBA so far this season.
Game Information
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
When: 5:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – John Collins – Ivica Zubac
Mavericks: Brandon Williams – Klay Thompson – Max Christie – Cooper Flagg – Daniel Gafford
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Ankle), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)
Mavericks: Kyrie Irving Out (Knee), Dante Exum Out (Knee), Anthony Davis Questionable (Calf), PJ Washington Questionable (Shoulder), Dereck Lively Questionable (Knee)
The Big Picture
The Clippers have dropped six games in a row, pushing them to 12th in the Western Conference and giving them the second-longest active losing streak of any team in the NBA, ahead of only the hapless Wizards. They played a pretty good first half against the Nuggets on Wednesday before falling apart completely in the 3rd quarter, not the first time that has happened this year. The Clippers have made at least a couple of strides in their past few games, with the main one being cutting down on their turnovers: they now rank 29th in the NBA in turnover percentage, ahead of Charlotte and in a virtual tie with Houston. However, the Clippers’ defense remains broken, sitting at 26th in the league at that end despite that being their biggest strength last year. The longer their defense remains this bad, the more likely it is that last season’s defense won’t return.
The Antagonist
The Mavericks are one of the few teams that can be credibly argued as having a more miserable start to the season than the Clippers. They’re just below the Clippers in the standings at 3-9, and while their expectations weren’t quite as high, they certainly thought they’d be a decent team. The Mavs’ prized rookie, Cooper Flagg, has been quite good for the most part, but has been miscast as a lead ballhandler and playmaker. The Mavs have been beset by injuries, with guys up and down their roster missing time. Oh, and their general manager, Nico Harrison, was fired a few days ago because of how bad everything has been. The vibes are not good in Dallas, though with Nico gone and some of the injured players returning soon things could improve quickly. Still, it’s been a dismal few weeks for Mavs’ fans.
Notes
Enter the Young Guys: After Cam Christie and Kobe Brown played against the Hawks on Monday, Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders got extended reps against the Nuggets on Wednesday. Ty Lue said after the Nuggets’ game that he expects all of the young guys will be in the rotation going forward. I’m not really sure how that’s possible consider the positional overlap there, but it sure does seem as though the youngsters (if you can even call Miller and Brown that) will get chances in the coming weeks, especially until Kawhi returns. Jordan looked fantastic against the Nuggets, Kobe Sanders made a few shots (though his defense was dreadful), and Christie has had some moments in his stints as well. If I had to pick two of them to play it would be Christie and Miller, I think, but if the Clippers go all in on these young guys I’m not sure the actual quality of play will improve, even if the viewing experience does. We will just have to see how the young fellas perform – if even one of them truly separates themselves as a real rotation player, that would be a legitimate win.
Will Small Ball Return: Of all the Clippers’ disappointments, perhaps none has been so surprising to me as Brook Lopez. Even though Brook is very old by NBA standards, he was quite good last season for Milwaukee and seemed like a ready-made fit for the Clippers. While Brook has made some shots, his offense hasn’t been super effective, as teams just put smaller guys on him, take away the pick and pop, and that’s about it. It’s on defense, however, where Brook has been a huge let-down, as he’s just too slow to make rotations, quick decisions, or step up to guys. Considering his vet status and how much the Clippers are paying him (the full taxpayer MLE), I don’t think Ty Lue will bench him just yet, but if he doesn’t turn things around soon I can imagine a small-ball second unit happening at some point with Collins at center. And, honestly, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but small-ball can’t be much worse than what the Clippers are getting now.