The Clippers’ long home stand is over, and their first stop on the road is against the middling Indiana Pacers. Check out a full preview of the Clippers’ game against the Pacers below.

Game Information

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

When: 4:30 PM PT

How to Watch: TNT, Fox Sports Prime Ticket

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Luke Kennard – Paul George – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac

Pacers: Malcolm Brogdon – Caris LeVert – Justin Holiday – Edmond Sumner – Domantas Sabonis

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Foot), Pat Beverley Out (Hand), Serge Ibaka Out (Back)

Pacers: Myles Turner Out (Ankle), TJ Warren Out (Foot)

The Big Picture

The Clippers have won five games in a row behind improved defense and lights-out shooting, keeping them at 3rd in the West ahead of the surging Nuggets and within striking distance of the Suns at 2nd. Still, with every positive this season for the Clippers there has been a negative. Now, even with the Clippers’ playing better, they’re getting bad injury news, with Beverley out for at least a month with a broken hand, Kawhi Leonard sitting with a sore foot, and Ibaka looking no closer to a return from his back tightness. Paul George is playing great, and other guys on the Clippers have stepped up, but the continued lack of game reps is not great for a team hoping to make a stretch run. Still, the Clippers’ defense appears to be for real, and combining a pretty good defense with a historic offense has the Clippers as firm title contenders as we enter the final weeks of the season.

The Antagonist

The Pacers have had a disappointing season so far. A lot of that has been out of their control (lots of injuries, and the trade of a franchise player in Victor Oladipo for a guy in Caris LeVert who immediately had to have surgery), but still, it feels like they should be better (at least over .500) considering their talent level in the (L)Eastern Conference. Despite switching from the old-school Nate McMillan to the younger Nate Bjorkgren, the Pacers’ offense has remained middling, with a major weakness being their inability to get to the line. They’re good defensively, especially with Myles Turner on the court, but aren’t great on that end either. Simply put, they’re a mediocre basketball team, and even with TJ Warren out for the season, it feels like this core may be running close to its course.

Notes

Clippers Need to Attack: With Myles Turner out, the Pacers have a center rotation of Domantas Sabonis and Goga Bitadze. While Sabonis is a very good offensive player, and Goga is a fun young guy, neither of them are rim protectors, much less close to Turner’s level. Therefore, the Clippers should be going to the basket as much as possible, both to score and to try to draw fouls on Sabonis. Kawhi Leonard is the guy on the team most capable of getting downhill and to the free throw line, but Paul George should be able to eat around the basket in this one. So, too, should Ivica Zubac, who is bigger than Sabonis and can score over the top of him on rim runs. The Clippers can’t just settle for jumpers in this one, even if they’re hot.

Nic Heating Up: After a down month of March, Nic Batum has returned to his scorching ways in April. Nic is shooting 45.5% from three on nearly four attempts per game, and remains absolutely automatic from the corners. Combine that shooting with his defensive abilities, passing, and rebounding, and you have a guy who once again ranks third in most season-long advanced impact metrics on the Clippers’ roster. His skills as a defender on the perimeter as well as a help guy around the basket can’t be understated; Nic has probably been the Clippers’ best and most consistent perimeter defender this year. It’s great to see him rounding back into shape with the postseason approaching.

Can PG Get a Call: Paul George has had some explosive scoring games recently, stringing together four 30+ point contests in a row. He’s one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history, and a guy who can score with ease at all three levels. However, he curiously has an odd lack of respect from NBA officials. Despite his superstar status, George is drawing just 3.9 free throw attempts per game, his lowest mark for a full year since the 2013 season. His 0.231 free throw rate would be the lowest of his career as well. Interestingly, he’s actually attacking the basket and getting to the rim more than he did last year – while drawing fewer free throws. It would be nice if he got some more free throws.

That about does it for this preview of the Clippers’ game against the Pacers. Stick around for the game thread and comment on the contest below!

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