Following a strong win over the Indiana Pacers to kick off their three-game road trip, the 213-less L.A. Clippers (38-18) will try to keep their six-game winning streak rolling and sweep the Detroit Pistons (16-38) Wednesday. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Pistons game preview.
Clippers vs. Pistons Game Information
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
When: 5 p.m. PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports West, AM 570 L.A. Sports, 1330 AM Tu Liga
Projected Starting Lineups:
L.A. Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Luke Kennard – Terance Mann – Patrick Patterson – Ivica Zubac
Detroit Pistons: Cory Joseph – Josh Jackson – Saddiq Bey – Jerami Grant – Mason Plumlee
Injury Report:
L.A. Clippers: Patrick Beverley – OUT (Left Hand Fourth Metacarpal Fracture), Serge Ibaka – OUT (Lower Back Tightness), Paul George – OUT (Rest), Kawhi Leonard – OUT (Sore Right Foot), Marcus Morris Sr. – OUT (Rest)
Detroit Pistons: Rodney McGruder – OUT (Right Elbow Sprain), Dennis Smith Jr. – OUT (Left Knee Inflammation)
The Big Picture
As the postseason winds continue to draw near, the Clippers have remained locked in as the owners of the NBA’s longest active win streak and the victors of 13 of their last 16 games. Despite continuing to miss two starters for an extended stretch of the season, L.A. hasn’t missed a beat, seeing impressive contributions from just about top-to-bottom while posting three straight games with at least 30 assists. To supplement its historic offense, the Clippers’ defense has continued to rank in the Top-10 with Ivica Zubac in the starting lineup.
With Ty Lue reiterating Tuesday that the team will prioritize health heading into the playoffs, it makes a lot of sense to rest Paul George on the backend of yet another back-to-back. Coming off of four-straight games with at least 30 points, George played a game-high 38 minutes and 29 seconds in Indiana, including virtually all of the fourth quarter. With Kawhi Leonard also remaining out, however, the Clippers will playing without their star 213 duo for the first time since their 114-96 loss to the Utah Jazz back in February. The Clippers are 3-2 this season without PG-13 and The Claw in the starting lineup.
The Antagonist
After trailing by as much as 12 points to Detroit in the third quarter last Sunday, the Clippers should have no lack of motivation to come out with a sense of urgency against the Pistons tonight. Despite sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Detroit has shown the ability to elevate their play to the level of their opponents with wins over Boston, Phoenix, Miami and Philadelphia.
In addition to Cory Joseph, Josh Jackson and Saddiq Bey, who each had nice showings for Detroit last time around, the Pistons appear to be getting Jerami Grant (Knee) back for this one. After departing from the Denver Nuggets as a free agent in hopes of taking on a larger role, Grant has taken a sizeable step with Detroit, leading the team in scoring (22.5 PPG) with decent efficiency on career-high volume.
Clippers vs. Pistons Game Notes
- Next Mann Up: While having to go back to playing without your main guys always stinks, the Clippers have taken a lot of strides since then. They’ve been playing better as a unit and with the depth of guys such as Ivica Zubac, Reggie Jackson, Nicolas Batum and Terance Mann still in the lineup, the Clippers could still have a great chance to squeak out a win here before heading off to Philadelphia.
- Hitting the Brakes: The main stat that jumps off of an otherwise uninspiring page of numbers for Detroit this season—the Pistons are 9-4 when shooting 50% or better. As shown by the 53/47/90 percent shooting splits the Pistons put up on the Clippers the last time out, Detroit quietly has the ability to catch fire and stay hot the entire night. With the Pistons looking to return the favor after leading the Clippers for the majority of the first three quarters and putting up 124 points in a loss, L.A. will need to tighten it up on the defensive end or else Lucas will have to bring out the ice cream again.
- Check Your Local Listings: For the first and only game of the season, the local Clippers TV broadcast will be hosted on Bally Sports West, as opposed to its usual spot on Bally Sports SoCal.
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 Detroit Pistons. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!
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