The Clippers have had a few days off, and now get a bad Pistons team on the road before the end of December schedule gets very tough.
Game Information
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
When: 4:00 PM PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Terance Mann – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
Pistons: Killian Hayes – Jaden Ivey – Saddiq Bey – Bojan Bogdanovic – Isaiah Stewart
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Load Management), Brandon Boston Jr Out (G-League), Moussa Diabate Out (G-League), Jason Preston Out (G-League)
Pistons: Cade Cunningham Out (Leg), Isaiah Livers Out (Shoulder)
The Big Picture
The Clippers have had a couple days to stew after their loss to the Sixers, but got some good Christmas news yesterday, as the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Suns all lost, pushing the Clips into a tie for 4th place in the Western Conference. Their defense has remained ferocious as a top-five unit nearly all season, which is fantastic both for the regular season and the postseason. The offense, while it has improved from league-worst, is still just 28th in the NBA, which is, quite obviously, not good. The offense should continue to improve as Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Norm Powell play more, but we are closing in on the halfway mark of the season, and having a bottom-three offense is a bad sign. Still, the Pistons’ awful defense is a good game for the Clippers to boost their stats a bit.
The Antagonist
The Pistons have a good argument for worst team in the NBA. They have the worst record (8-27) in the league by far, the second-worst defense, fifth-worst offense, and second-worst overall net rating. Prized sophomore Cade Cunningham has played just 12 games, and is done for the season with a leg injury. Lottery rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren have showed a lot of promise, though Duren doesn’t play nearly as much as Ivey. Bojan Bogdanovic has been awesome – but the question is how much longer he’ll be on the Pistons, as playoff teams are likely to circle as the trade deadline approaches. Third-year guy Saddiq Bey has disappointed a bit, remaining poor defensively and with awful efficiency, while third-year guard Killian Hayes, given a new lease on rotation life with Cade out, has taken a step forward as a scorer and playmaker (though his efficiency is also abominable). In short, the Pistons have some talent, but it’s a very, very young team, and young teams are not usually very good at NBA basketball. These Pistons are no different.
Notes
No Kawhi, Yes Wall: John Wall is back after a game off, while Kawhi Leonard is out for tonight on the first of a back-to-back. Presumably, Kawhi will play tomorrow and Wall will be off against the Raptors. The Clippers clearly (and rightly) hope that they can beat the Pistons without Kawhi’s services, but will need him against the wing-heavy Raptors. I also like getting Wall without Kawhi, as they are two players who do have opposing play styles. It’s been a brutal December for Wall, who isn’t shooting well from anywhere on the court, so getting him more minutes and touches with no Kawhi against an awful Pistons’ defense is a nice strategy to get him going again.
Nico Scorching: The Clippers’ offense has been buoyed by some renewed offense from superstar role player Nic Batum. After averaging 4.5 points per game over the first two months of the season, Nico is up to 10.4 points in December (on somewhat but not hugely increased minutes). Batum is shooting 52% from the field in December, and 50% on threes, which checks out as 62 of Batum’s 75 shots in the month are from three. Every single three of his looks like it’s going in, and that’s without counting the little connective stuff he does on offense. Oh, and he’s probably the best (or most versatile, anyway) defender on the team, showcased by guarding both James Harden and Joel Embiid for extended stretches. The Clippers would be lost without Nico: while Norm Powell is the Clippers’ third scorer, and Ivica Zubac has been great, the Clippers’ third most important player might well be the 34-year-old veteran from France.