I just want to add that it is unfair to try to incorporate Bogi and Ben in a scenario that has Powell and Kawhi banged up to some extent, and make useful conclusions.

I would also try to have more Bogi/Simmons, particularly when Dunn and DJJ had such a bad shooting night.

It is hard to have Bogi and Harden together in terms of perimeter defense. Only solution is to have a highly active player at the top. This worked to some extent with Kobe but I don’t think he is the right type of player to play so far out on defense. It was also tried with Batum but again, he is much more useful as a help defender down low.

Zu should have been used more and we don’t really know how to make Ben Simmons useful when he is not driving to the basket and kind of stops. No shot, no threat.

I would probably have started

 Harden, Simmons, Bogdanovic, Zu, DJJ.

TL insists on his rotation ideal but some days you just need to go with who is in form or whoever fits best, either situationally or in terms of energy. Beauchamps and Brown brought some of that missing energy but was late.

Dunn, DJJ, Coffey where just not great today and they all seemed to be lacking in enegy.

Harden was really great, but we are wearing him down.

Mann’s versatility and stamina was missed in this game. Bogi was trying but again he got mostly bad shots (at least from 3). We need to run some things for him to get him going.

Finally, I am not worried if Kawhi and Powell are healthy.

If they are NOT, I am worried.

Our defense at the 3 pt line continues to be garbage since Kawhi got back and Mann got downsized and traded (and KPJ also got traded). Our perimeter defenders try to cheat off of shooters, trap the baseline or sideline to get steals. Teams are simply waiting for Clipper defenders to turn their heads and the ball gets moved quickly to the 3pt line and we’re getting hammered from there. Opponent 3P % is among the highest in the league.

Indiana also just played ping pong with every made or missed basket, running someone up the floor, throwing the ball down the court, often with a trailer to help set up an easy basket.

Clippers struggled to get Zu the ball early. They did get him going in the 2nd qtr and he had an excellent offensive game. Harden was outstanding, but there’s only so much 2 guys can do when there are 3 dead spots on the floor.

Better lineup to start would’ve been Harden, Simmons, Bogdanovic, Zu + Dunn or Coffey. Could’ve matched up better defensively, taken Halliburton out of rhythm, and gotten Zu better looks earlier.

I thought Beauchamp looked decent.

Clippers are going to struggle to keep the #6 seed if Kawhi is going to be both unavailable and middling, and a player like Norm also has to miss time.

We had to find some defensive energy in Brown and Beauchamps…

We don’t have the spark today.