The Clippers will close out their road trip with one of the hardest games on their calendar, a second game of a back-to-back against the East-leading Pistons.
Game Information
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
When: 4:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac
Pistons: Jaden Ivey – Ausar Thompson – Duncan Robinson – Isaiah Stewart – Paul Reed
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Ankle), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)
Pistons: Cade Cunningham Questionable (Wrist), Jalen Duren Out (Ankle), Tobias Harris Out (Hip)
The Big Picture
The Clippers’ win last night Friday was a big one – even though the Nets are better than expected, they are still one of the worst teams in the NBA, and the Clippers basically need to win all of their games against such teams if they are going to get into the postseason. James Harden also had his best game in a minute, dicing up the Nets defense and shooting efficiently from the field. Outside of a third-quarter, it was another solid team win, with players across the roster contributing to the victory. The starters had to play a few more minutes than I would have liked considering it was the first night of a back-to-back, but nobody played an insane minutes load, and the 4th quarter was not particularly hard fought. Hopefully the Clips are not too burnt out for this one tonight against a much better team in Detroit.
The Antagonist
The Pistons are a bit banged up right now, with their best player (Cunningham) questionable, their second-best player (Duren) out, and another starter down with a medium-term injury (Tobias). Even without those guys they won their most recent game on Wednesday, with Isaiah Stewart and Daniss Jenkins leading the way. One of the Pistons’ strengths is their depth; even without several key players they are still a dangerous, feisty team. Still, if Cade and Duren are out, the Pistons lose a ton of their offensive punch. This game flips from a really tough game for the Clippers to a “should-win” if Cade can’t go.
Notes
How do the Pistons Guard Kawhi: A couple weeks ago, Kawhi Leonard had maybe his best ever regular season performance, and it came against this very Pistons team. Kawhi just could not miss, and made shot after shot over every single defender Detroit threw at him. That may have been a very rare performance by Kawhi, but still, one would imagine that would flavor the defense the Pistons set against him tonight. I’m curious if they start out one-on-one on him, if they mix in zone coverage, or if they start sending doubles almost immediately. My guess would be the former, and that the Pistons will wait to see if Kawhi is scorching again before sending a ton of help his way, but it’s also possible they are still scarred by that beatdown.
