The LA Clippers (21-16) look to cap off 2022 and their five-game road trip with a win against the middling Indiana Pacers (19-17) Saturday afternoon. Read on for our full preview of the Clippers against the Pacers.
Clippers vs. Pacers Game Information
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
When: 12 p.m. PT
How to Tune in: KTLA, ClipperVision, AM 570 KLAC, KWKW
Projected Starting Lineups
LA Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac
Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton – Andrew Nembhard – Buddy Hield – Aaron Nesmith – Myles Turner
Injury Report
LA Clippers: Nicolas Batum – QUESTIONABLE (Left Ankle Sprain), Brandon Boston Jr. – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Moussa Diabate – OUT (G League – Two-Way), Reggie Jackson – QUESTIONABLE (Left Achilles Soreness), Jason Preston – OUT (G League – On Assignment)
Indiana Pacers: Kendall Brown – OUT (Right Tibia Stress Reaction), Trevelin Queen – QUESTIONABLE (G League – Two-Way), Daniel Theis – OUT (Right Knee Surgery)
Update: The Clippers have downgraded Nicolas Batum (Left Ankle Sprain) to OUT and upgraded Reggie Jackson (Left Achilles Soreness) to AVAILABLE.
Update No. 2: The Pacers have downgraded Trevelin Queen (G League – Two-Way) to OUT.
The Big Picture
Following a dramatic loss in Boston, the Clippers find themselves 2-2 on their current road trip and squarely in the middle of the dogfight that is the Western Conference standings. This last stretch of games has been rocky as ever for the Clips this season, with their win at Toronto perhaps being the lone showing instilling much confidence in their development so far as a full crew. Questionable lineups and minutes rotations have, unfortunately, buried the lead for what’s been the most important takeaway for LAC moving forward: Kawhi Leonard nearly being back in full force. The Klaw played a season-high 37 minutes on Thursday, showcasing a level of form on the offensive end that Clippers fans have surely missed seeing.
Although Nicolas Batum and Reggie Jackson appear to be hobbled after the last contest, remaining questionable to play at all this New Year’s Eve, this should be a good opportunity for the Clippers to finish off the trip in a strong way and get back on track — albeit it won’t serve as much of a litmus test as the games against Philly and Boston did. The Clippers are fifth in the league in Overall Net Rating over the last 10 games. Let’s keep it going.
The Antagonist
The Indiana Pacers come into this one hoping to leave their fans feeling happy heading into 2023, as well as avoid getting swept in the regular season by the Clippers. Back in November, the Pacers got destroyed by Ivica Zubac, who notably led LAC with 31 points and 29 rebounds without Leonard, George and Kennard. With the sixth-best record so far out east, the Pacers are in solid shape considering how low expectations generally were for them heading into the season. Indiana has split their last 10 contests, tallying wins over the Warriors (sans Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson), Celtics, Heat, Hawks and Cavaliers. In each of those wins, the Pacers scored 111+, delivering on their promise this season to score at a higher clip and play at a faster pace to maximize the skills of their young guard and athletic bigs.
Aside from getting another look at perpetual trade-deadline target Myles Turner, the Clippers will have to deal with third-year guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is putting together a pretty convincing All-Star bid so far (shoutout Wally Szczerbiak). In late November, Haliburton became the first player in NBA history to record 40+ assists and no turnovers over any three-game span, which included his 15-point, 11-assist performance against the Clippers in DTLA. Haliburton currently leads the NBA this season in assists with an average of 10.2 per game, and in points/assists double-doubles with 18. Since he was acquired by Indiana last February, Haliburton has appeared in 58 games with the Pacers and recorded 30 double-doubles.
Clippers vs. Pacers Game Notes
- Pacing the Perimeter: Indiana is 10-2 this season when at least six of their players score in double figures. As shown by their 135-126 win over Cleveland on Thursday, the Pacers have a lot of players who can shoot the three-ball if given the chance. Overall, 37.5% of Indiana’s points have come from 3-pointers, which is the fourth-highest percentage in the NBA this season. The Clippers have been one of the best teams in guarding the three this year (No. 3 in OPP 3P%) and will need to stay sharp in that regard, especially with Buddy Hield (No. 1 in 3PM) out there.
- Feed the Cool Hand: As pointed out by our very own Lucas Hann, Luke Kennard has now put up two scoreless games in a row after having just one all of last season. Kennard played just 17 minutes in both of those games, went 0-4 from the field against the Raptors and didn’t even get up a shot against the Celtics. The Clippers should look to get Luke going in this one, especially since he’s historically shot the lights out at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
- #FreeRoCo: As mentioned earlier, it’s hard to talk about the Clippers at the moment without mentioning the awkward omission of Robert Covington from the rotation. There could be a million different theories as to why Ty Lue has decided to not give RoCo any sort of meaningful minutes this season. Regardless, on a day where Batum and Reggie are dinged up and it’s the final game of a tiring road trip, I’d love to see RoCo play some basketball for once. Of course, this plea will probably be for nothing, which in that case, at least give Terance Mann some more minutes.
Feel free to stick around and chat down below as this article’s comment section will serve as our live game thread tonight against the Indiana Pacers. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!
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