The Clippers are coming off a blowout loss and now have to face one of their most lethal foes of the past 15 years in Golden State and Steph Curry.
Game Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: Peacock, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Warriors: Steph Curry – Moses Moody – Jimmy Butler – Draymond Green – Quinten Post
Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez
Injuries
Warriors: Al Horford Questionable (Back), Seth Curry Out (Back)
Clippers: Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Ivica Zubac Out (Ankle), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)
The Big Picture
The Clippers’ good vibes came crashing to a screeching halt on Saturday night. The Clips were blown out by a scorching hot Celtics team, undone as much by the Celtics’ shotmaking as by their own mistakes and limitations on defense. Worse, Derrick Jones Jr., who had only been back for a few games since missing six weeks with a knee injury, left the game with an injury to the same knee – which has now been reported to be an identical issue that will likely keep him out at least another six weeks. DJJ’s athleticism on both ends of the court have been hugely important for the Clippers in his 1.5 years on the team, and the Clips will miss him a lot. The Clippers just can’t seem to get all of their key guys healthy together at once, making building consistent rotations and rhythm difficult.
The Antagonist
The Warriors have had an odd season. They’re 19-17 and have not ever been much above or below a .500 record, but have cycled through numerous different rotations and have dealt with a lot of trade rumors. Surprisingly for the Steph Curry Warriors, Golden State is not a good offensive team, ranking just 20th in the NBA. The Warriors are, however, excellent on defense, placing 5th in the league and just a hair behind the 3rd place Heat. Steph has had another awesome, age-defying season, Jimmy Butler has been pretty good, and the young guys have mostly been fine. The issue is that none of their youngsters look like true difference makers, and Draymond Green has declined significantly on both ends of the court. The Warriors are solid, and will be in the playoff picture barring a Steph injury, but it’s tough to view them as a contender unless they make a big move.
Notes
Harden Slumping From Deep: The toll of carrying the Clippers for the first six weeks of the season seems to be weighing on James Harden. The Beard has shot 1-6 from three in each of the past three games, and a lot of those misses have not been close. In the four games before that, Harden shot 13-38 from three – a lot better, but still not great. Outside of taking fewer threes, Harden’s defense has gotten even worse; he looks like he’s moving in cement on defense most of the time. The Clippers don’t need him to be great on defense, and he probably won’t shoot as well from deep as he did to start the season, but the Clippers do need for him to be sharper to continue moving up the standings. I think he will be, and that this is just a classic mid-season lull. Here’s hoping, anyway.
Will Zu Start: Somewhat shockingly, Ivica Zubac came off the bench on Saturday in his return to action. He apparently volunteered this decision to Ty Lue, as the Clippers had been playing well with Brook Lopez starting and Zu did not want to upset the apple cart. Well, Brook was atrocious against the Celtics, and while Zu wasn’t great himself, he was clearly a more impactful player. I appreciate Zu’s unselfishness, but I think moving him back into the starting lineup is for the best.