The Clippers are traveling for a road game on the second day of a back-to-back against the Trailblazers, which sounds bad, but Kawhi Leonard will be back in the lineup for this one.
Game Information
Where: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
When: 6:00 PM PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Russell Westbrook – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
Trailblazers: Damian Lillard – Anfernee Simons – Matisse Thybulle – Jerami Grant – Jusuf Nurkic
Injuries
Clippers: Norm Powell Out (Shoulder), Brandon Boston Out (Tailbone), Moussa Diabate Out (G-League), Jason Preston Out (G-League)
Trailblazers: Justise Winslow Out (Ankle), Jerami Grant Questionable (Illness), Nassir Little Questionable (Illness)
The Big Picture
The Clippers dropped a really bad game yesterday to the Magic without Kawhi Leonard, and are now 10-18 without their best player on the season (making them 27-16 with him). Fortunately, the Fun Guy will be back in the Clippers’ lineup against the Trailblazers on the second night of a back-to-back, and with him the scoring, offensive gravity, and size and physicality on defense that makes him such an awesome player. The Clippers mostly underperformed against the Magic, with Russell Westbrook and Paul George combining for 12 turnovers, Ivica Zubac shooting just 7-16 from the field with an off defensive game, and a quiet 3-8 outing from Eric Gordon. Kawhi will push everyone to proper spots on the pecking order, though it would be nice to see Robert Covington get some minutes even in a healthier rotation after his 11-point, 3-steal, team-leading +6 game against the Magic (I am highly skeptical it happens). The Clippers remain a mixed bag on both ends of the floor, but Kawhi papers over a lot of weaknesses.
The Antagonist
The Trailblazers have lost five in a row and eight of their last 10 to fall to 13th in the Western Conference. They’re still just two losses back of the play-in, but nothing outside of Damian Lillard’s brilliance suggests this team is bound for anything but the lottery. The Blazers are ranked 8th in offense, as Lillard is having one of the best seasons of his career, Simons remains a dangerous scorer, and Jerami Grant is having a career year as well. The reason they aren’t winning is on the other end – the Trailblazers are 27th in defense, ahead of just the tanking Pistons, Spurs, and Rockets. The Blazers aren’t a bad team, but it’s hard to imagine the Lillard-Simons pairing going far with how small and poor they are as a defensive duo, especially with Nurkic slipping over the years. They’re capable of beating any team on a given night due to their offense, but even on the road and on a back-to-back, the Clippers need to win this one.
Notes
Guarding Dame: Damian Lillard is averaging an absurd 32.4 points per game on a ridiculous 64.8% True Shooting, and seems a lock for one of the top two All-NBA teams. The Clippers, however, have always had his number, as his 19.6 point scoring average against them is by far his lowest against any team – the next lowest, incredibly, are Boston and Memphis at 22.4. Unsurprisingly, his 53.4% True Shooting against the Clips is tied for his lowest with Boston. In the Lob City era, it was Chris Paul who consistently outplayed Dame. In the 213 era, it’s the size and length of Paul George and Kawhi that has flummoxed Dame. If the Clippers can keep a wrap on Lillard, the Trailblazers should be fairly easy prey.
Closing with Russ: Before the Magic and Warriors games, Ty Lue had gone away from closing with Russell Westbrook. Against the Warriors, the closing unit with Russ was great. Against the Magic, not so much – the Clippers gave up 39 points in the quarter due to awful point of attack and help defense, and had some nightmarish offensive possessions with poor spacing. Without Kawhi Leonard and Norm Powell I understand why Ty wanted Russ’ ball-handling and downhill attacking out there, but the Clippers could have had some of that, a lot more defense, and more shooting with Terance Mann instead alongside George and Eric Gordon. When Norm returns, guard minutes are going to be even more congested, making Ty’s decisions on who to play and close with that much tougher. It’s not an easy job, but we can acknowledge when bad decisions are made, and closing with Russ tonight (14 points on 5-14 shooting with 6 turnovers and poor defense) was one.
