The Clippers, coming off a tough win over the Pelicans, will have a quick turnaround before having to square off against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on the road in San Antonio.
Game Information
Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
When: 4:00 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Norman Powell – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac
Spurs: Chris Paul – Devin Vassell – Jeremy Sochan – Harrison Barnes – Victor Wembanyama
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Terance Mann Out (Finger), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), Cam Christie Out (G-League)
Spurs: None
The Big Picture
The Clippers narrowly avoided an awful loss to the Pelicans last night, settling instead for a frustrating – yet rousing – win. Norm Powell and Ivica Zubac saved the Clippers’ bacon, just as they have so many times this year, with Norm’s shooting and Zu’s dominance on the glass pushing the Clips to victory. A win is a win, especially on the road, but the Clippers’ turnover issue is back in full force right now, and their defense in the first half was not nearly to the level that this team needs to win games. Hopefully an evening or two in New Orleans had something to do with the sluggish play, as most teams will not give away games like the Pelicans did. Still, even with the frustrations, the Clippers continued to show their mettle in fighting back from a double-digit deficit to hold onto a win on the road.
The Antagonist
The Spurs continue to punch above expectations, placing in as a .500 team close to 40% of the way through the season. The Spurs are around average on both offense and defense, making their Net Rating quite in line with their actual record. The Spurs are led on both ends by burgeoning superstar Victor Wenbanyama, who is a top candidate for defensive player of the year while scoring 25.5 points per game and taking 9.4 threes per contest. The supporting cast is better than last year, largely due to the still-calming presence of Chris Paul, but can be inconsistent. The Spurs play hard, have a nice homecourt, and don’t back down from anyone, making them a consistently tough out despite their youth and shaky depth. Give them a year or two and they will be cooking with real gas.
Notes
Tired Legs: The Clippers are going to be at a pretty big disadvantage in this game. Not only did they play last night while the Spurs rested, but they are playing both sides of the back-to-back on the road and had to travel from New Orleans to San Antonio. On top of all that, Ty Lue really pushed in the chips for the Pelicans win, playing an 8.5-man rotation (Mo Bamba didn’t play in the second half) and pushing Norm Powell to 40 minutes with Harden and Zu at 36 and Dunn and DJJ at 32. Ty will probably have to go deeper into his bench in this one, and even that might not be enough against a young and rested Spurs team. This is a schedule loss if ever there was one.
Kobe Back: Quietly, Kobe Brown was moved off the injury report for the Pelicans game. Kobe has missed a few weeks with a back injury but is now seemingly available for Ty Lue. Of course, Kobe wasn’t in the rotation even when he was healthy, and is not going to be in the rotation now, but he is an option, and will help at minimum in balancing garbage time units. With Kawhi’s return approaching, Kobe will be further out of the rotation forever – yet it’s still good to see him suited up and ready to go.
