The Clippers have lost seven games in a row, but could have a chance to turn things around against the middling Pelicans in the friendly confines of the Intuit Dome.
Game Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
When: 6:00 PM PT
How to Watch: Clippervision, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears – Dejounte Murray – Trey Murphy III – Zion Williamson – Karlo Matkovic
Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Brook Lopez
Injuries
Pelicans: Yves Missi Out (Knee)
Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)
The Big Picture
The Clippers are 1-7 and have lost seven games in a row, the longest losing streak of the Ty Lue era. Despite their miserable record, the advanced stats indicate they are a bit better than a lot of the teams in their range, as the Clippers are 23rd in Net Ranking (18th on defense, 26th on offense) and have blown several close games. The Clippers are also gradually getting healthier: Max Strus is back, Brandon Ingram is close, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser hopefully isn’t too far behind. The Clippers should hopefully be significantly better once those guys are back in the rotation, but until that happens they are just going to have to play better, more complete games to scratch together wins.
The Antagonist
The Pelicans have been surprisingly competent this season for a team that many predicted would be towards the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Sitting at 4-5 through nine games, the Pelicans have a positive point differential on the season and rank 16th on offense and 13th on defense. The Pelicans definitely have talent: the question was always fit, and so far new coach Jamahl Mosley has made things work. The Pelicans are balancing playing vets in their primes (Zion, Dejounte, Trey, Saddiq Bey, Herb Jones) with their youngsters like Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, and have done well enough so far. The Pels have been competitive in almost every game they’ve played, and the Clippers will need to bring a solid effort to win this one.
Notes
Bennedict Mathurin Revenge Game: The Clippers’ old friend Bennedict Mathurin is now on the Pelicans, and we should all be prepared for him to go off. Not because he’s been good for the Pelicans (he’s averaging 6 points per game on horrible efficiency) but because that’s just what happens to the Clippers. I was not a Ben fan, but 2/16 seemed like such a cheap contract that I thought the Clippers should have kept him at that number. Now, with how much of a roster crunch the Clippers have at guard, I can see why they were fine with letting him walk. Still, it would be very tough to swallow if he had a big game tonight.
Playing Wagler: Keaton Wagler logged just 16 minutes of action against the Heat, with only 3 of those coming in the second half. Wagler’s minutes being so limited even before Brandon Ingram returns is highly concerning – the Clippers really need to keep giving him minutes all year. Not just because he was a high draft pick and that’s what teams like the Clippers should do, but because Wagler has actually been effective much of the time. I get the Clippers want to compete, and also that they want to showcase their veterans for trades, but limiting Wagler’s minutes is cutting off their nose to spite their face. I am fine with around 16 minutes for Wagler when Ingram returns and the team is fully healthy, but I sure hope it doesn’t dip much below that.