The Clippers have won six games in a row, but will face a pretty tough challenge in continuing their streak in a back-to-back on the road in Chicago against a competent Bulls team.

Game Information

Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kobe Sanders – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Bulls: Coby White – Isaac Okoro – Matas Buzelis – Jalen Smith – Nikola Vucevic

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

Bulls: Noa Essengue Out (Shoulder), Zach Collins Out (Toe), Josh Giddey Questionable (Hamstring), Patrick Williams Questionable (Ankle)

The Big Picture

The Clippers have won six games in a row, making them officially the hottest team in the NBA. Most of their wins in that stretch have been ugly, and last night’s game was certainly no different. A monster James Harden performance plus just enough from role players was able to get the Clippers over the finish line against the Wizards, but that level of play will not suffice against better teams. On the other hand, with so much talent out due to injury, it’s fair to question how much more the Clippers can really muster with the guys they have on hand. As long as they play hard, and with energy, and get star-level outings from Harden, they should at least be able to compete, and that’s all you ask for until Kawhi returns.

The Antagonist

The Bulls have significantly outperformed their advanced metrics this year, as their -3.0 Net Rating would indicate a fairly bad team and the Bulls are 20-22. The reason for the discrepancy (similar to the Lakers) is simple: the Bulls have won a lot of clutch games. The result is another season of mediocrity, with the Bulls once again seeming destined for the play-in tournament. Even worse, the Bulls have done their “winning” largely on the back of veterans without much upside or that will stick long-term with the team: Nikola Vucevic, Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, and Jevon Carter are all heading into free agency this summer. Meanwhile, rookie lottery pick Noa Essengue played just six minutes before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Josh Giddey (solidified as a decent starter) and Matas Buzelis (nice improvement in his sophomore campaign) are the only long-term building blocks, and that’s not exactly the most promising core. The Bulls are decent, and fun enough to watch, but this feels like the definition of a gap season.

Notes

More from Zu: I continue to think this has been a disappointing season from Ivica Zubac. Zu’s raw stats are only down a bit: his raw performance numbers are still quite good. But he just hasn’t seemed as forceful this year as last, and the number of truly dominant performances is way down. Zu has had plenty of 14 and 10, 12 and 8, and 15 and 11 type games, and that’s good starting center level play. But last year Zu got All-Star and All-NBA buzz for a reason, and it was for exceptional two-way play he has not unlocked this year. Zu’s defense, in particular, does not seem as impactful to me (advanced stats and the Clippers’ overall dip on defense bear this out). The Clippers will need Kawhi to get healthy to make a push for the postseason, but if they want to actually make any noise they need the Zu of last year to show himself more consistently.

Clippers vs Bulls Preview: A Six-Game Win Streak on the Line
Robert Flom

It’s hard to say any road game in the NBA is truly a gimme, but serious teams should beat the tanking Wizards, and the Clippers have looked like a serious team for close to a month.

Game Information

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

When: 12:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kobe Sanders – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Wizards: Bub Carrington – Tre Johnson – Khris Middleton – Kyshawn George – Alex Sarr

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

Wizards: Trae Young Out (Quad), Cam Whitmore Out (Shoulder), Bilal Coulibaly Questionable (Back), Tristan Vukcevic Questionable (Knee)

The Big Picture

The Clippers pulled off maybe their best team win of the season on Friday night, eking out a gritty overtime victory on the road over the Raptors despite missing over half of their preseason rotation (to be fair, the Raptors were also missing several key guys). The Clippers received several strong performances from young guys, notably Jordan Miller, Kobe Sanders, and Cam Christie. The Clippers’ finally getting young guys who can provide rotation minutes right when a bunch of their veterans got injured or fell off a cliff is either cruelly ironic or extremely fortuitous if you’re thinking glass half empty or full. None of the Clippers’ young guys look like stars, but having at least some cheap, young-ish rotation players on the roster is somewhat of a balm for a disappointing season.

The Antagonist

The Wizards had a stretch of competence in late December and early January, but that has quickly been put behind them, as they’ve lost six games in a row and are embracing the tank. To be fair, the Wizards nearly won their last game on Saturday against the surging Nuggets… but found a way to lose nonetheless. The Clippers just saw the Wizards last week, and even short-handed they should be able to pick up a win on the road.

Notes

Kawhi Out: Yesterday morning Chris Haynes reported that Kawhi would be sent home the last two days of the road trip due to a troublesome knee. This report was quickly followed up by an official statement from the Clippers saying more or less the same thing. The initial reaction from Clippers (and general NBA fans, honestly) was to panic. Quite frankly, it’s hard to say that panic isn’t justified when it comes to Kawhi and mysterious injuries, especially lower body injuries. That said, there’s been no indication so far of anything more serious – just a contusion followed by soreness. Even if there is no structural damage, the Clippers will likely keep Kawhi out as long as he’s feeling any sort of serious discomfort in his knee, and for good reason. So, this is bad for the short-term, and maybe even medium-term if Kawhi sits a handful of games, but right now there’s no need to think this is a long-term issue. That can always change, however. Hopefully it’s nothing major.

Clippers vs Wizards Preview: Get an Easy Win in Washington
Robert Flom

The Clippers will look to continue their winning streak in a tough game on the road in Toronto against a good Raptors team.

Game Information

Where: Scotiabank Center, Toronto, Canada

When: 4:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Raptors: Immanuel Quickley – Jamal Shead – Brandon Ingram – Scottie Barnes – Collin Murray-Boyles

Injuries

Clippers: Ivica Zubac Questionable (Ankle), Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Ankle), John Collins Questionable (Groin), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

Raptors: RJ Barrett Out (Ankle), Jakob Poeltl Out (Back), Ja’Kobe Walter Out (Hip), Jamison Battle Doubtful (Ankle), Immanuel Quickley Questionable (Back), Sandro Mamukelashvili Questionable (Illness), Garrett Temple Questionable (Back)

The Big Picture

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Clippers picked up a relatively easy win over the Wizards on Wednesday, pushing their win streak to four games. That win combined with a Grizzlies loss yesterday has the Clippers dead even with the Grizzlies for the 10^th seed in the Western Conference: if the Clippers win this game, they will officially be in postseason position halfway through the season. The driver of the Clippers’ success continues to be Kawhi Leonard, who powered a fairly low-strength Clippers team on Wednesday and has been playing at a superstar level for about a month now. The Clippers now have to hope that the rest of their roster can get and stay healthy, as Ivica Zubac and John Collins missed the game on Wednesday and are questionable tonight. Just about every time it seems as though the Clippers are reaching closer to full strength, someone else goes down. Let’s hope that Collins and Zu return and the Clippers field close to their full complement of players against Toronto.

The Antagonist

The Raptors are one of the most surprising teams in the NBA. Largely projected as a mediocrity, the Raptors are 4^th in the East with a 25-17 record, and are just a game back of the 2^nd-place Knicks. The Raptors have largely won games on their defense, as they sit at 5^th in the NBA on that end while their offense is only 19^th. The Raptors are led by Scottie Barnes, who is finally living up to his supermax contract and early-career hype by transforming into an All-Defense caliber player that contributes in a variety of ways on offense. The Raptors have also been helped by a shockingly healthy Brandon Ingram season; even though Ingram has always been (and is still) overrated, his ability to just get buckets has helped a Raptors team that does not score easily. Add in feisty, young defenders like Jamal Shead and Collin Murray-Boyles and you have a team that plays with a lot of energy and is kind of annoying to play against. The Raptors don’t quite have the juice to be a contender, but they are a solid playoff team no matter how you slice it.

Notes

The King in the North: We are closing in on seven years since the Raptors’ title in 2019, but expect the cheers for Kawhi Leonard to be as loud as ever. Despite some fans’ misgivings about Kawhi leaving Toronto right after winning a championship to go to the Clippers (Raptors fans might be the most pro Pablo Torre, anti Clippers fanbase in the league), Kawhi is still beloved in Toronto, and he will almost certainly get a big ovation at the start of the game. The way he’s been playing of late has been reminiscent of 2019 Raptors Kawhi, and it would be great if he could give the Toronto crowd a nice throwback performance (resulting in a Clippers’ win of course).

Feed Zu: If Zu plays, this is a game the Clippers should go to him early and often. The Raptors’ usual starting center, Poeltl, is out, and while Collin Murray-Boyles is a really fun, promising player, he’s giving up a ton of size against Big Zu. The Raptors, of course, will do their best to front the post and prevent Zu from catching the ball in his favorite spots, but the Clippers have to push past that and continue to give Zu the rock. If the Clips give Zu a steady diet of touches in this game, I’d be pretty surprised if he didn’t reward them. Of course, if he’s out, that shifts the entire gameplan, but let’s hope he’s active and ready to go tonight.

Clippers vs Raptors Preview: A Tough Test in Toronto
Robert Flom

The Clippers have continued to play well, but need to make sure to grab the win tonight in one of the easiest games on their calendar all season, a home contest against the young and tanking Wizards.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Wizards: Tre Johnson – Khris Middleton – Kyshawn George – Bilal Coulibaly – Alex Sarr

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Wizards: Trae Young Doubtful (Knee), Cam Whitmore Out (Shoulder)

Clippers: Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

The Big Picture

The Clippers are 8-2 in their last 10 games, making them the hottest team in the NBA outside of the Phoenix Suns. The Clippers’ winning streak has carried them up the standings, as they have moved from a tie for dead-last all the way up to just a game out of the 10^th seed. The Clippers’ offense has done the bulk of the work in carrying the Clippers to victory, with the season-long ranking now sitting at 12^th. Defense remains a bit more inconsistent: the Clippers are certainly better on that end than they were to start the season, but remain worse than the sum of their parts compared to last season’s ferocious defense. Still, the Clippers have retained competence for several weeks now, and it sure seems as though that competence is here to stay this time.

The Antagonist

The Wizards have a good argument to be the worst team in the NBA. The Pelicans, Kings, and Pacers all have slightly worse records, but the Wizards are dead last in Net Rating, boasting the 27^th ranked offense and 29^th ranked defense in the league. If Trae Young was playing, things might look different, at least on offense, but it doesn’t seem as though Trae will play any time soon, meaning the only veterans in the Wizards’ rotation are Khris Middleton (a shell of his old self) and Marvin Bagley III (a fine bench big). The Wizards do have some real young talent, especially with the mobile and defensively potent Alex Sarr and the sweet shooting Tre Johnson, but that talent is a long ways away from winning NBA games regularly.

Notes

Is Jordan Miller the Clippers’ Needed Bench Scorer: In the five games since Derrick Jones Jr. went out again and Miller was inserted into the rotation, he’s averaging 11.8 points per game. For the season, on a per-possession basis, he is the Clippers’ fifth best scorer behind only Kawhi, Harden, Zu, and Collins. More importantly, Miller is getting his scoring done without relying too heavily on foul baiting, which we’ve seen at times in the G-League, Summer League, and last year in the NBA. I wish the three-point shooting volume was higher, but he’s 15-35 so far this year from deep (42.9%) and looks confident shooting out there. Miller’s ability to get into the paint and finish at the rim is something nobody on the team outside of Kawhi or Harden has really flashed, making him a breath of fresh air. Miller might head out of the rotation if/when Bogi returns, but if he keeps playing like this it will make it awfully hard for the Clippers to turn away from him. They’ve needed scoring punch off the bench all year, and Jordan is providing it. Let’s hope he can keep his current play moving forward.

Clippers vs Wizards Preview: Getting the Easy Win
Robert Flom

The Clippers have won two games in a row on the road and now return home to face a Hornets team that they crushed earlier in the season.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 4:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Hornets: LaMelo Ball – Kon Knueppel – Brandon Miller – Miles Bridges – Moussa Diabate

Injuries

Clippers: Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

Hornets: Mason Plumlee Out (Groin), Pat Connaughton Questionable (Illness)

The Big Picture

The Clippers continued their recent trend of winning ugly, salvaging an awful start against the Pistons with their first 4^th quarter comeback of the season. The Clippers rode their forward duo of Kawhi Leonard and John Collins, the lynchpins of their turnaround, while getting just enough defense from Kris Dunn and scoring from Ivica Zubac to move over the finish line. The Pistons were down their four best players, sure, but the Clippers were on the road on the second night of a back-to-back, so it was a great win regardless. Ty Lue’s 35-20 comment when the Clippers were 6-21 sounded delusional at the time, but the Clippers are now well on their way to fulfilling that mark.

The Antagonist

The Hornets have been mostly competent this season despite their record, and have been downright good when they’ve had all their best players healthy. That might sound off to Clippers fans, as the Clippers destroyed the Hornets earlier in the season and the Hornets have a 14-25 record that has them firmly in the lottery. But the Hornets’ net rating is a -0.2, as they have the 10^th best offense and 21^st best defense in the NBA (ahead of the Clippers on both ends). Kon Knueppel is already one of the best shooters in the NBA, LaMelo has mostly stayed healthy, and Miles Bridges, Collin Sexton, and Brandon Miller score points relatively efficiently. Even the Hornets’ big man situation, which was much maligned before the season, has turned out ok, as Moussa Diabate has continued to develop and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner has been solid. The Hornets aren’t bad!

Notes

Standings Watch: The Clippers are still in 11^th in West, where they’ve sat most of the past couple weeks, but the standings have shifted around them. At the very bottom, the Clippers have gained considerable distance from the celling-dweller Pelicans and Kings, who seem locked into 15^th and 14^th. The Clippers are also now two games ahead of the Jazz, who appear to have started tanking, and 1.5 ahead of the Mavs, who just lost Anthony Davis for a considerable period of time. Thus, barring some devastating injuries, the Clippers should be safe from falling below 11^th. Above the Clippers, things are a little less peachy: the Trailblazers and Warriors have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games while the Suns are 8-2 in their last 10. The Clippers are just one game back of the Grizzlies in 10^th, but they will have to continue winning at a really good clip to get higher than that anytime soon.

Clippers vs Hornets Preview: Back Home, Win Streak Loading?
Robert Flom

The Clippers will close out their road trip with one of the hardest games on their calendar, a second game of a back-to-back against the East-leading Pistons.

Game Information

Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan

When: 4:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Pistons: Jaden Ivey – Ausar Thompson – Duncan Robinson – Isaiah Stewart – Paul Reed

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Ankle), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

Pistons: Cade Cunningham Questionable (Wrist), Jalen Duren Out (Ankle), Tobias Harris Out (Hip)

The Big Picture

The Clippers’ win last night Friday was a big one – even though the Nets are better than expected, they are still one of the worst teams in the NBA, and the Clippers basically need to win all of their games against such teams if they are going to get into the postseason. James Harden also had his best game in a minute, dicing up the Nets defense and shooting efficiently from the field. Outside of a third-quarter, it was another solid team win, with players across the roster contributing to the victory. The starters had to play a few more minutes than I would have liked considering it was the first night of a back-to-back, but nobody played an insane minutes load, and the 4^th quarter was not particularly hard fought. Hopefully the Clips are not too burnt out for this one tonight against a much better team in Detroit.

The Antagonist

The Pistons are a bit banged up right now, with their best player (Cunningham) questionable, their second-best player (Duren) out, and another starter down with a medium-term injury (Tobias). Even without those guys they won their most recent game on Wednesday, with Isaiah Stewart and Daniss Jenkins leading the way. One of the Pistons’ strengths is their depth; even without several key players they are still a dangerous, feisty team. Still, if Cade and Duren are out, the Pistons lose a ton of their offensive punch. This game flips from a really tough game for the Clippers to a “should-win” if Cade can’t go.

Notes

How do the Pistons Guard Kawhi: A couple weeks ago, Kawhi Leonard had maybe his best ever regular season performance, and it came against this very Pistons team. Kawhi just could not miss, and made shot after shot over every single defender Detroit threw at him. That may have been a very rare performance by Kawhi, but still, one would imagine that would flavor the defense the Pistons set against him tonight. I’m curious if they start out one-on-one on him, if they mix in zone coverage, or if they start sending doubles almost immediately. My guess would be the former, and that the Pistons will wait to see if Kawhi is scorching again before sending a ton of help his way, but it’s also possible they are still scarred by that beatdown.

Clippers vs Pistons Preview: Closing out the Road Trip
Robert Flom

The Clippers continue their road trip with a visit to Brooklyn to talk on the young and shockingly feisty Nets.

Game Information

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

When: 4:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Nets: Egor Demin – Ziaire Williams – Michael Porter Jr. – Noah Clowney – Day’Ron Sharpe

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Ankle), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

Nets: Michael Porter Jr. Probable (Knee), Haywood Highsmith Out (Knee), Ben Saraf Out (Knee)

The Big Picture

The Clippers had one of their first “good losses” of the season on Wednesday. Most of their defeats have been somewhere between frustrating and disastrous, with a combination of laziness, sloppiness, and inconsistency leading to awful losses. The loss to the Knicks, however, was fine; the Clippers mostly played hard, they looked competent on defense, and fell to a very good team on the road. Obviously, a win would have been nice, but it was a tough draw and they performed fairly well. It’s also not a game you’d expect the Clippers to win when charting standings; they’ll just need to continue to win they games that they should.

The Antagonist

The Nets are not good. However, they are better than people thought they’d be, as they have an 11-23 record and have some quality wins over good teams. Surprisingly for a younger team, the Nets are better on defense (20^th) than offense (25^th), and have had stretches of defensive excellence. The Nets’ best player by far has been Michael Porter Jr., who has had an All-Star caliber season as a go-to scorer that has dominated without holding the ball in his hands. Porter Jr. is shooting the ball lights out, and is utilizing coach Jordi Fernandez’s extensive playbook to consistently get open looks even with opposing defenses scheming to stop him. Supporting MPJ are the Nets’ duo at center Sharpe and Nic Claxton, who are both at the “solid starter” level, and former Clipper Terance Mann, who is providing his usual competence. The Nets’ rookies (they have five of them) have been up and down, but Egor Demin has come to the forefront as a shooter and playmaker.

Notes

Containing MPJ: Easier said than done, but for the Clippers to have a good chance of winning this game they need to keep Porter Jr. in check. That doesn’t mean limiting him to 0 points, or even 10 points. But if he gets to 30 on his usual efficiency, the Clippers might be in trouble. There are a few keys to defending MPJ. Like all great shooters, the Clippers have to avoid fouling him on jumpers as much as possible, especially threes. Second, while MPJ loves to get open from deep, he’s also a fantastic cutter that the Clippers can’t let get repeated looks at the rim on backdoor runs. Finally, they have to make him put the ball on the deck and make plays for others. MPJ has improved as a passer this year, but it’s definitely not his forte, and he’s at his most comfortable when he’s looking to score.

John Collins, Surging: Outside of Kawhi Leonard’s turn towards unstoppable superstar, no Clipper has had a bigger impact on the team’s improved play than John Collins. Collins was frankly a disaster for the first six weeks of the season, but in the past few weeks has looked like the player the Clippers thought they were getting. Collins has been making his spot-up threes, he’s been solid on defense, he’s crashed the glass on both ends, and he’s limited turnovers by avoiding dribbling and isolation attacks. Far from a hindrance, Collins has been a plus on both offense and defense of late, and the Clippers will need him to continue that level of play to continue winning games at a steady clip.

Clippers vs Nets Preview: Clips Need to Get This One
Robert Flom

Coming off a mostly successful home stand, the Clippers are going back on the road, and will have to defeat one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference to keep their good vibes going.

Game Information

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York

When: 4:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Knicks: Jalen Brunson – Mikal Bridges – OG Anunoby – Karl-Anthony Towns – Mitchell Robinson

Injuries

Clippers: James Harden Questionable (Shoulder), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

Knicks: Josh Hart Out (Ankle), Landry Shamet Out (Shoulder)

The Big Picture

The Clippers’ win over the Warriors on Monday night was a big one, getting them to just two games back of the 10^th seed Grizzlies and five back of the Warriors themselves. Celtics’ blowout aside, the team continues to look mostly competent, even with a dearth of on-court talent due to prolonged injuries. As long as James Harden’s shoulder injury isn’t too bad (and it shouldn’t be, as he’s questionable for the game tonight), the Clippers should be in a position to keep moving up the standings. The big thing for now will be to keep playing defense with the same intensity and precision they did against the Warriors.

The Antagonist

The Knicks have dropped four games in a row after being one of the best teams in the East for the bulk of the season to this point. Now, those four losses have coincided with injuries to Josh Hart (still out) and Mitchell Robinson, who are two of their six best players, but still, it’s been a disappointing stretch for the Knicks. On the season the Knicks are still quite good, especially at home (15-4), and have a big advantage in overall top-end talent. Where the Knicks can be shaky is their bench, as someone like Jordan Clarkson can look great when the shots are falling and unplayable when they aren’t while Tyler Kolek is still going through young player growth periods. The Clippers are catching the Knicks at a bad time, as they will be eager to erase their losing streak in front of the raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden. The Clippers will need to have a very strong showing to get the win tonight.

Notes

Jordan Miller Time?: Jordan Miller hasn’t played much this year, appearing in only 14 games and logging just 171 minutes (fewer than Kobe Brown, barely more than YKN). Jordan did, however, play 22 minutes against the Warriors with James Harden out, and was mostly excellent, scoring 9 points on 5 shots while chipping in 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal and finishing at a team-high +10. Miller has been superseded in the rotation by Kobe Sanders (who was fantastic against the Warriors), but with Bogdan and Derrick Jones Jr. out he should have a chance at some rotation minutes. Jordan has his flaws – the defense is not as good as I’d want it to be, and he can have blinders on when attacking the rim – but his ability to get downhill and draw fouls is valuable on this Clippers team, and he offers size and athleticism on the wing that the Clippers could use. Hopefully he plays well during this stretch and gives himself a real shot at sticking in the Clippers’ rotation.

Clippers vs Knicks Preview: On the Road Again
Robert Flom

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 20^th in the NBA. The Warriors are, however, excellent on defense, placing 5^th in the league and just a hair behind the 3^rd 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.

Clippers vs Warriors Preview: Getting Back on Track
Robert Flom

The Clippers will look to stretch their win streak to seven games against the surprisingly excellent Boston Celtics.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Celtics: Payton Pritchard – Derrick White – Jordan Walsh – Jaylen Brown – Neemias Queta

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Celtics: Jayson Tatum Out (Achilles)

Clippers: Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

The Big Picture

The Clippers’ six-game win streak has pushed them into 11^th place in the Western Conference and has them sitting just 1.5 games back of Portland for the last play-in spot. The Memphis Grizzlies are also within a reasonable distance (three games ahead), but after that the Warriors (5.5 games ahead) and Suns (7 games ahead) will require a longer, sustained stretch of excellence to run down. Thursday’s win over the Jazz was not encouraging in that regard, as the Clippers were basically dragged over the finish line against a depleted Utah squad by Kawhi Leonard’s superstar shotmaking and nothing more. If this is just who Kawhi is the rest of the season than the Clippers should continue to rise up the standings, but they’ll need more of the well-balanced efforts they’ve had at times in their win streak to truly get back into the thick of the playoff picture.

The Antagonist

To me, the Celtics are the most surprising team in the NBA this season. I thought they’d have enough veterans and desire to win to be competent, but pegged them for a play-in type team with around 35 wins or so. Au contraire. The Celtics are 21-12 with the 3^rd best record in the Eastern Conference about 40% of the way through the season, and very little of their success seems like a fluke. In fact, the Celtics’ advanced metrics are even better than their record, as they boast the 4^th best Net Rating behind only the Thunder, Rockets, and Nuggets (and they’re just a hair back of Denver). The Celtics are middling on defense (15^th) but fantastic on offense (4^th) and pretty good on the glass (11^th), remarkable for a team missing their best player (Tatum) and that shed a bunch of good players this summer. Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard have done the heavy lifting, but the Celts have gotten shocking contributions from Neemias Queta, rookie Hugo Gonzalez, and hitherto little-used young guys Josh Minott and Jordan Walsh. It’s been a stunning success.

Notes

Zu Back: Shams reported yesterday that Ivica Zubac is available to return today, marking just a two week absence for the big fella. Despite the Zu haters coming out of the woodwork during the Clippers’ winning streak, I would be stunned if he didn’t immediately start. There are two questions, however. The first is how much does he play/does he have a minutes restriction. The second is whether Brook Lopez or Yanic Konan Niederhauser will be his backup. As Zu’s injury was just an ankle sprain, I think he might not have a minutes restriction. And I’d lean Brook as the backup, though YKN getting the role wouldn’t shock me.

The Defensive Matchups: The Celtics’ three-headed dragon on offense poses some challenges for the Clippers on defense. Zu will guard Neemias Queta, probably, though the Clippers could try stashing him on Jordan Walsh. If Zu does take Queta, then Harden will almost certainly be on Walsh. That seems fine enough. The challenge is that means John Collins will have to guard one of Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, or Jaylen Brown, and he’s not ideally suited for any of those guys. Kawhi on Jaylen makes some sense, but Jaylen’s explosiveness could be a lot for Kawhi to deal with at this stage, where he’s better as a help and rotation player than on-ball. The Clippers normally put Kris Dunn on the other team’s best player, but he’s a bit undersized to be an ideal match on Brown. I really have no idea how the Clippers will line up on that end, and am curious to see what Ty Lue and Jeff Van Gundy have in store for the Celtics on defense.

Clippers vs Celtics Preview: A Good Test on Defense
Robert Flom