The Clippers, coming off one of their best wins of the season, will take on a slipping Warriors team without Steph Curry. Admiral Ackbar voice: it’s a trap!
Game Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Norman Powell – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac
Warriors: Dennis Schroder – Buddy Hield – Andrew Wiggins – Draymond Green – Trayce Jackson-Davis
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Terance Mann Out (Finger), Kobe Brown Out (Back), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League)
Warriors: Steph Curry Out (Knee), Gary Payton II Out (Calf), Draymond Green Questionable (Back)
The Big Picture
The Clippers have continued to hold serve without Kawhi Leonard. Their defense has been in the 4-9 range most of the season, and currently sits at 5th. Their offense has been in the 19 to 25 range much of the year, and now places in at 21st. That gives the Clippers the 11th best Net Rating in the NBA – not bad for a team that has played 30 games without their theoretical best player. The Clippers’ depth also remains damaged, as both Terance Mann and Kobe Brown are still out, but the Clippers have been able to survive the lack of forwards with strong defensive play, led by Ivica Zubac, Derrick Jones Jr., and Kris Dunn. With the news Kawhi will miss the three road games after this one, his max games played for the season is 48 – and his actual number will likely be well under that. If the Clippers make the postseason, as they are on course to do, it would be a huge accomplishment.
The Antagonist
The Warriors’ 10-2 start seems like a distant memory. They have gone 5-12 since then, and are currently hanging out in a three-way tie for 8th in the Western Conference. The Warriors have slipped on both sides of the ball, placing at 9th on defense and 15th on offense. Golden State has received a strong bounce back campaign from Andrew Wiggins, but young guys such as Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody have not taken expected steps forward, and offseason acquisitions Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson have cooled after hot starts. At the end of the day, the Warriors are still very reliant on Steph Curry on offense and Draymond Green on defense, and those guys are not the same players they were 7-10 seasons ago. The Warriors are still dangerous, but they don’t look like the contending-level team they appeared to be early this year.
Notes
No Let Down: You may have noticed up above, but Steph Curry is out for this game. That changes this contest from “tough” to “trap game”. The Warriors have plenty of talent without Steph, especially if Draymond plays, but any time a Hall of Famer is out opponents tend to relax. The Clippers can’t do that. They are not talented enough themselves to relax on any given night and have been very good at taking care of business against lesser teams this year. Without Steph, the Warriors are firmly in that category. If the Clippers are focused, play with energy, and reach their usual level on defense, this should be a win. They just can’t have any slippage because Steph isn’t squaring off against them.
Norm Powell, Resurgent: Norm Powell had a bit of a slump in late November and through early December. That slump, however, appears to be over. In his last four games, Norm has scored 29, 29, 28, and 29 points, and all but the 28-point outing in the loss to the Mavs were highly efficient performances. The threes are falling, the rim attacks are succeeding, and free throws are being drawn. With Gary Payton II out, the Warriors are down their best guard defender. Norm should have an open season on whoever is guarding him, and I’d expect the Clippers to feed him early and often in this one.
