The Clippers will hope to continue their winning ways against the tanking Nets on the road in Brooklyn.
Game Information
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
When: 4:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Nets: D’Angelo Russell – Cameron Johnson – Ziaire Williams – Noah Clowney – Nic Claxton
Injuries
Clippers: Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring), Cam Christie Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), Seth Lundy Out (G-League), Patrick Baldwin Out (G-League)
Nets: Noah Clowney Probable (Wrist), Ziaire Williams Questionable (Illness), Trendon Watford Questionable (Illness), Cam Thomas Out (Hamstring), Day’Ron Sharpe Out (Knee)
The Big Picture
The Clippers just continue to win games. The first quarter against the Knicks was rough, but the last three were mostly pretty good, as the Clippers came from 14 points down early to a fairly comfortable win down the stretch. Once again, it was the trio of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac that led the way, and a real “Big 3” seems to be coalescing in Inglewood. Norm Powell also had his best (offensive) game since his return from injury, which is a positive, and the Clippers showed they could win against a good team even without much from Bogi. It is a little scary how good the vibes are with the postseason less than a month away. That’s not usually how we feel about the Clippers at this time of year.
The Antagonist
After starting the season as a relatively competent and feisty team under new coach Jordi Fernandez, the Nets have fully entered tank mode in the second half of the season, going 3-16 since the All-Star Break to fall towards the bottom of the standings. The Nets still have real NBA talent on their roster, but when they play, how much they play, and how hard they play are all question marks on a game-to-game basis. Oddly enough, both of their last two wins have come against the Hawks and Lakers, two good teams that are trying to win games, so the Nets definitely can surprise against teams that have their guard down. Still, this is a franchise that is trying to lose as many games as possible through the end of the year.
Notes
Get the Win: I’ve said this all year when the Clippers have played bad teams, and the Clips have nearly always obliged. This will almost certainly be the easiest game left on the Clippers’ calendar – the only chance they get an easier one is if one of the Kings, Warriors, or Rockets are fully locked into their seed by the time of those last three games and are resting all of their guys. Thus, this is a game the Clippers simply have to win. Ideally they win in a blowout and can rest their key players in the second half, but at the end of the day the win (and no injuries) is all that matters.
Programming Note: I am going to be on vacation the next week or so without my computer, so there won’t be any full game coverage in that time, just prescheduled game threads. Go Clippers!
