After their worst performance with Kawhi in recent memory, the Clippers look to right the ship against another Pacific Division rival in the Phoenix Suns.
Game Information
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
When: January 8th – 7:30PM PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden — Terance Mann — Paul George — Kawhi Leonard — Ivica Zubac
Suns: Bradley Beal — Devin Booker — Grayson Allen — Kevin Durant — Jusuf Nurkić
Injury Report:
L.A. Clippers: Moussa Diabate, Out (Hand)
Lakers: Eric Gordon, Questionable (Knee); Bol Bol, Questionable (Ankle)
The Big Picture:
To say that the Clippers and Suns don’t see eye to eye is quite the understatement. There is bad blood between the teams, and the sentiment is shared amongst their respective fans. That being said, after both teams’ games last night, I’d imagine we all had the same collective response: Oof.
For those who missed it, the Clippers played one of their ugliest games in recent memory, where they ultimately lost to the Lakers 106-103. Outside of the first 5 minutes of the game, they had an uncharacteristically sloppy and inefficient game on both sides of the ball.
The good news for the Clippers is that they are still solidly in 4th place and a win tonight could bring back the good vibes. In their previous meeting against the Phoenix Suns last week, the Clippers got the better of them and came home with the win 131-122. Let’s hope they can do the same tonight!
The Antagonist:
The Suns have had a less than ideal season so far, as they sit in 9th place in the Western Conference standings. They’re coming off of a tough loss to the Morant-less Grizzlies, so similar to the Clippers, they’re looking to get back on track tonight.
As seen with last night’s result, the Clippers shouldn’t overlook the Suns, who are 5-2 in their last 7 games. A lot of the early season woes going on in El Valle have been due to injuries and inconsistent lineups—a pain all too familiar with Clipper fans. Luckily for fans of basketball, tonight seems to be the night where we finally see a mostly healthy matchup between these two star studded teams.
Notes
- The Real Deal: You thought this was going to be a note on Bradley Beal based on rhyme scheme, right? Wrong. Similar to opponents circling Norman Powell on their scouting report, the Clippers should be doing the same for Grayson Allen. The infamous Duke star is currently averaging 13/4/3 while leading the league on 3P% at 47%. He’s been a game changer for them, and they’ll need to take him seriously.
- Bol Bol: The 7’3” center from Kansas gave the Clippers a very hard time last time they met. He finished with 14/5/2 on 6-7 shooting and a perfect 2-2 from deep. He’s currently listed as day-to-day, but if he does end up suiting up, the Clippers should be looking to take advantage of his defensive deficiencies far more than they did last game.
- Kawhi’s Minute Restrictions: After surprisingly getting pulled in the final 2 minutes due to a previously unshared minutes restrictions, Kawhi Leonard is slated to play tonight. It will be interesting to see if he has any restrictions tonight if the game comes down to the wire.