The Clippers face off against the Rockets again, 24 hours after their loss last night in Houston.

Game Information

Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Rockets: Amen Thompson – Tari Eason – Kevin Durant – Jabari Smith Jr. – Alperen Sengun

Injuries

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Rockets: Fred VanVleet Out (Knee), Steven Adams Out (Knee)

Notes

New Rotations: Bennedict Mathurin’s first game in a Clippers jersey yesterday saw some pretty major shifts to the rotation. First, Cam Christie, who’s been playing rotation minutes for a bit, was moved out of the lineup. Not that big a deal. More surprisingly, Nic Batum did not enter the game yesterday. There have been points the past year or so that Nico has faded out of the rotation, but it was something to keep note of. The Clippers trust Batum and he’s still been a valuable role player this year, so I think him getting phased out is more just that the Clippers are confident he can plug and play, and want to see other combinations for the moment.

Clippers vs Rockets Game Thread: Run it Back
Robert Flom

The Clippers pulled off an incredible road win on Sunday night and will face another challenging road game against the Rockets.

Game Information

Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

When: 5:00 PM PT

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

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Rockets: Reed Sheppard – Amen Thompson – Jabari Smith Jr. – Kevin Durant – Alperen Sengun

Injuries

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Rockets: Fred VanVleet Out (Knee), Steven Adams Out (Ankle)

The Big Picture

The Clippers pulled off probably their most shocking win of the entire season on Sunday, routing the Wolves on the road in Minneapolis. Kawhi Leonard was absolutely dominant, as he has been for two months, John Collins was very solid, Kris Dunn played great defense on Anthony Edwards, and the Clippers got just enough scoring from the supporting cast to stay ahead of the Wolves. The Clippers’ defense was particularly impressive in limiting the Wolves’ attack, continuing their recent trend of improved play on that end. They won’t always be so good in their execution, but their level of effort alone will keep them winning games if they keep up what they’ve been doing.

The Antagonist

The Rockets are somewhat similar to the Clippers’ previous opponent, the Timberwolves, in that they have a very impressive record (32-19) and strong advanced metrics but are much worse than that in the vibes department. There have been a number of instances over the past month or so where coach Ime Udoka has been frustrated with his team, and a similar number of occurrences of the players being frustrated with each other. The Rockets are just an odd team that reshaped itself around offensive rebounding after the preseason injury to Fred VanVleet, but has lost that element with the season-ending injury to Steven Adams. The Rockets have a lot of talent, but the lack of shooting on the roster outside of Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard has been glaring, as has the absence of a steady ballhandler. Their defense is legit, and Durant and Sengun are a good one-two punch, but the Rockets don’t seem like they have the firepower to be a true contender this year.

Notes

Reinforcements Are Here: Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson will be active for the Clippers tonight for the first time. I don’t think that Jackson will be in the rotation (Brook is locked in as the starter and Yanic is playing too well as his backup), but we should get a long look at the Mathurin. My guess is that Mathurin comes off the bench for the Clippers, at least initially, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he started and Derrick Jones Jr. moved back to the bench. Mathurin has real flaws as a playmaker, defender, and decision-maker, but his raw scoring ability is needed on a Clippers team that has lacked juice on offense for much of the season. I would expect 20+ minutes for Mathurin right away, with Dunn, Kobe Sanders, and Jordan Miller all probably shedding a few minutes and Cam Christie probably leaving the rotation. I’m curious to see how Mathurin looks on a new team.

Rebound the Ball: The Rockets are not quite the offensive rebounding juggernaut the way they were earlier in the season when Steven Adams was starting, but they are still very good at collecting their own misses. They have size, length, and athleticism, and can dominate games on that end. The Clippers are a fine defensive rebounding team but will need to really hone in on the glass – if you force the Rockets into just a single shot, they aren’t going to generate a ton of good offense.

Clippers vs Rockets Preview: Another Tough Road Game
Robert Flom

The Clippers are traveling from sunny California to frigid Minnesota and will face a corresponding scale-up in level of opponent compared to the hapless Kings.

Game Information

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

When: 12:00 PM PT

How to Watch: ESPN, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Wolves: Donte DiVincenzo – Anthony Edwards – Jaden McDaniels – Julius Randle – Rudy Gobert

Injuries

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bennedict Mathurin Out (Trade), Isaiah Jackson Out (Trade), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Wolves: Terrence Shannon Jr. Questionable (Foot), Ayo Dosunmu Questionable (Trade), Julian Phillips Questionable (Trade)

The Big Picture

The Clippers are coming off a win on Friday night against the Kings that was not as easy as one might think. The shorthanded Clippers largely struggled on offense, particularly in the first half, before putting the Kings away down the stretch. They are still going to be without several key players in this one, and are facing a much, much tougher opponent in the Timberwolves. Kawhi Leonard and John Collins are playing great and will need to be on point against a Wolves team that plays two big men at nearly all times. The good news is that Kris Dunn has historically been one of the best Anthony Edwards defenders in the NBA, and if he continues that trend tonight the Clippers should have a real chance at pulling off the upset.

The Antagonist

The Wolves have had a rollercoaster of a season, mixing together stretches of dominance with some utterly baffling losses. They had one of those defeats on Friday, prompting Rudy Gobert to call out the team’s effort – and more specifically, the effort of the leaders (Julius Randle and Edwards). The Wolves’ coach, Chris Finch, pushed back on that criticism on Saturday, which probably didn’t make Rudy happy. In short, despite having a very good record and underlying metrics, there are some bad vibes and interpersonal tensions. Still, the Wolves might have their new pieces ready for action, and are just a much more talented team than the Clippers at this point.

Notes

Kobe Converted: Yesterday, news broke that the Clippers had converted Kobe Sanders’ contract from a two-way deal to a full minimum contract with a team option for next season. Outside of rewarding Kobe for his play by giving him more money, the Clippers will be able to keep playing Kobe (he was near the end of his limit for games played as a two-way guy) going forward. It’s nice to see this for Kobe, who has had ups-and-downs but has been quite reliable in general for a late second-round rookie. Hopefully he can keep up his play as the second half of the season progresses.

Clippers vs Timberwolves Preview: An Icy Visit to Minneapolis
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ trade of Ivica Zubac on Thursday at the trade deadline didn’t just mark the end of the tenure of one of the Clippers’ best players in franchise history, it signified the end of a whole era. Zubac was the longest-tenured player on the team, the last remnant of the pre-Kawhi Clippers. With Zu gone, Jordan Miller (in his 3^rd season!) is now the second-tenured Clipper behind Kawhi. This team has been torn down to the studs the past couple years, and continues to pivot into the future.

Zu was moved (alongside Kobe Brown) for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, the Pacers’ 2026 1^st round pick (protected 1-4 and 10-30), the Pacers’ 2029 1^st round pick, and the Mavs’ 2028 2^nd round pick. While Zu has been a pillar of this team for seven years, that is a package that I think was just impossible to pass up. If we’d found out the Clippers had received that offer and declined it, I think the general tenor of the fanbase would have been displeased.

It’s tough to let go of Zu. He grew up with the team, arriving as a somewhat raw but promising young player and departing as one of the sturdiest and most reliable starting centers in the NBA. A stout defensive player for much of his career, Zu has matured on the offensive end, becoming a quicker decision-maker and cleverer scorer around the rim. He’s a double-double machine who offers plus play on both sides of the ball, something that not very many big men can provide. Zu is also constantly available; he’s rarely been injured, and almost never suffered anything serious. That availability has been huge for the Clippers over the years as they dealt with unreliable stars.

All that said, why trade Zu now? He’s on a fantastic contract (just over $40M over the next two years when he’s worth much more than that), will be 29 in March, and has a game that should age well. One part is the sheer value – he was never going to net more in a trade than this. The other is that even though Zu is in his prime, this Clippers’ team was clearly not going anywhere. While they’d made great strides over the past two months to move back into the play-in in the West, the Clippers deduced (correctly) that this team’s ceiling was a first-round playoff loss (and probably not a competitive one). With Harden and Kawhi aging, and no true young difference makers on the roster, the chances of turning the Clippers around in the next couple of years seemed unlikely. By the summer of 2027, when the Clippers are hoping to find their next superstar, Zu would be 30 and going into the last year of his deal. It’s possible Zu could have been around for the next great Clippers’ team, but the Clippers decided that the value they are getting from him would be more likely to help create that new era.

Let’s look at what the Clippers got. The prize is clearly this year’s Pacers’ pick. It will only go to the Clippers if it lands in the 5 to 9 range in the draft, but the chances of that are around 50-50 unless the Pacers start winning a lot the second half of the season (unlikely). If the Pacers stay as one of the three worst teams in the league, the Clippers’ chances of getting the pick will hover around 48-50%, but it will be most likely they’d get pick 5 or 6 if it does convey. If the Pacers win more and get the fifth, sixth, or seventh best lottery odds, the Clippers’ chances of getting the pick goes into the 60s, but it will be more likely picks 7-9. Regardless, that’s an immense asset in an absolutely loaded 2026 draft. Pick 5 would be ideal, of course, but the Clippers would have a chance at a star player anywhere in their range. If it doesn’t convey this year, the Clippers will get the Pacers’ unprotected 2031 pick, which is also extremely valuable: Pascal Siakam will be retired, Zu will be in his mid-30s, and Haliburton will be in his 30s as well. If, on draft day, the Clippers were offered pick 5 or even 6 straight up for Zu, I’d probably say yes. That the Clippers got a lot of other stuff shows the value of this deal.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Bennedict Mathurin. Benn can score, absolutely no doubt about it: in his four NBA seasons, he’s never averaged less than 14.5 points per game. This season, Mathurin is averaging career highs in points (17.8), rebounds (5.4), assists (2.3), three-point volume (5.6 attempts), and three-point percentage (37.2). That all sounds promising! The problem is that despite being a highly athletic, full-sized shooting guard (6’5, 210), Mathurin has consistently rated as a poor defender. He’s also a flawed playmaker, averaging just under one assist to turnover in his career and with consistent blinders on during drives. It’s hard to be a starting level player as a guard with those flaws – we have seen Norm Powell excel as that type of player but with clear weaknesses that were frustrating, and Norm is the optimized version of Mathurin.

All that said, Mathurin is just 23 years old (turns 24 in June), and plenty of players have made leaps later in their career. His three-point shooting improving significantly this year is a massive deal. If he can continue this level of outside shooting, that shooting packaged with his driving and ability to get to the free throw line will make him at the least an efficient bench scorer. The Clippers can get a look at him the rest of this season and then have the chance to re-sign him in restricted free agency this summer. I’m skeptical Mathurin will turn into a star (his impact numbers are really bad), but there’s certainly a chance he could be an excellent sixth man or starting-level player that could be around the Clippers for the long haul.

Isaiah Jackson is not nothing, either. The 22^nd pick of the 2021 Draft, Jackson has been with the Pacers his whole career in a backup center role. His best season was 2024, when impact metrics valued him as one of the better backups in the entire league. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles five games into the 2025 season, and has not been quite the same this season. However, Jackson is just 24 years old, and a torn Achilles is a two-year injury. He signed to a 3-year, $21M deal last summer, so the Clippers have him under contract for two more seasons at a very reasonable cost. I think he can definitely return to being a solid backup big man those two seasons, and having that type of player under a cheap-ish contract is a nice throw-in to this deal, even if Jackson probably doesn’t offer much more upside as an undersized big.

Add in to all these items the Pacers’ unprotected first round pick in 2029 (far enough out that it could be good) and a second round pick in 2028 (probably not that valuable but useful as trade ballast) as well as the Pacers taking back Kobe Brown (maintaining an open roster spot) and the deal moves into the “stunningly good value” range for me. Ivica Zubac is awesome and I will miss him on the Clippers, but this trade could turn the Clippers’ franchise around either through a top pick in this draft, through moving off of the acquired assets for a star in a future deal, or even through a Mathurin breakout. I’ll write more about Zu (as well as Kobe Brown!) in our annual end-of-season exit interviews, but it’s hard for me to give this trade anything other than a long round of applause. Kudos to Lawrence Frank and the rest of the Clippers’ front office in pulling this deal off.

The Clippers Trade Ivica Zubac for Picks, Mathurin, Jackson
Robert Flom

The Clippers have completely revamped their roster, but because of those trades will be very shorthanded in an otherwise gimme game on the road against the miserable Kings.

Game Information

Where: Golden One Center, Sacramento, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Amazon Prime, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Kobe Sanders – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Kings: Russell Westbrook – Zach LaVine – DeMar DeRozan – De’Andre Hunter – Domantas Sabonis

Injuries

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bennedict Mathurin Out (Trade), Isaiah Jackson Out (Trade), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Kings: Keegan Murray Out (Ankle), Domantas Sabonis Questionable (Back)

The Big Picture

Well, the Clippers had an eventful trade deadline. I already wrote about the James Harden trade at length, and will write about the Ivica Zubac deal in the next day or day, but for now, their team has been overhauled. Despite clearly shifting to the future with Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin, the Clippers still have no incentive to tank, as their pick remains in OKC’s hands. Thus, I’d expect the Clippers to continue to try to win games to some extent and at least make the play-in. I don’t think they’re going to ride Kawhi Leonard hard or anything, but they’re not going to actively try to lose games. This Kings game is one of the easiest games on their schedule in the next month, so I think they’ll go pretty hard to win this one.

The Antagonist

The Kings are really, really bad – the worst team in the Western Conference. Even worse, they were unable to dump almost any of their veterans to get draft picks or get younger – the only guys they traded away were Schroder (signed this summer) and Keon Ellis (foolishly underpaid). DeMar DeRozan, Zach Lavine, Domantas Sabonis, Russell Westbrook, and Malik Monk are all somehow still on this roster. Thus, the Kings are in a weird situation where they have a bunch of vets but need to tank. They’ll probably win a handful of games the rest of the year, but even with a very short-handed roster this is a game the Clippers should win.

Notes

YKN Time: Something a lot of Clippers’ fans will be excited about is that the Zu trade will open up minutes for rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Early reports from Law Murray are that the Clippers intend to start Brook Lopez (yuck) and play YKN as the backup center, with newcomer Isaiah Jackson in a bench role. Honestly, even though I’m not even a huge Yanic fan, I’m not sure why the Clippers shouldn’t start him (maybe after the All-Star Break when he can get more practice reps in) with Jackson as the backup – this iteration of the Clippers is clearly on its last legs, and Brook won’t be a part of any future Clippers’ contender while Yanic and Jackson theoretically could. We will see if Brook as the starter lasts, but I’m not excited for that experience. Hopefully YKN has a good back half of the season and establishes himself alongside Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller as a rotation player going forward.

Clippers vs Kings Preview: Post Trade Deadline Blues
Robert Flom

The Clippers have a home game against the Cavs that could be extremely awkward, as the two teams just made a massive trade by swapping James Harden for Darius Garland.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Cavs: Donovan Mitchell – Sam Merrill – Jaylon Tyson – Dean Wade – Jarrett Allen

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Kobe Sanders – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Cavs: James Harden Questionable (Trade), Evan Mobley Doubtful (Calf), Dennis Schroder Questionable (Trade), Keon Ellis Questionable (Trade), Max Strus Out (Foot)

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe) Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

The Big Picture

Clippers fans were rocked Monday night by the sudden news drop that the Clips were exploring a trade with the Cavaliers to swap James Harden and Darius Garland as starting point guards. The news seemed to come out of nowhere, with the Clippers playing well and Harden fitting in snugly as the lead orchestrator and number two guy behind Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers went on to lose to the Sixers in a game that was not as close as the final score indicates. In a vacuum, the loss wasn’t a bad one: it was the second night of a back-to-back for the Clippers, and the Sixers are really good. But now, the team coming out so flat makes sense, as it’s been reported the Clippers got a whiff of the Harden trade possibility before the game started and it leaked to the media. With the trade consummated, who knows what will happen in this one.

The Antagonist

The Cavs are the team on the other side of the Harden deal, but they are coming at it from a very different perspective. After a rocky first half of the season, the Cavs have surged as of late (with Garland missing the past few weeks), and are getting an All-NBA First Team type season from superstar Donovan Mitchell. Thus, it makes sense for them to swap the injured Garland for the more durable (and frankly, better) Harden despite the latter’s age and playoff performance issues. It’s a win-now type of trade by the Cavs, who are doing everything they can to keep Mitchell happy so he signs a long-term extension with the team this summer. Maybe they think Harden will help them do that; or at least, give them a better chance of winning something this year. Outside of the Harden deal, the Cavs made another move over the weekend by trading De’Andre Hunter for Schroder and Ellis. I quite liked that deal for the Cavs, and the Clippers have to hope those guys are out tonight to make the Cavs as shorthanded as the Clippers are.

Notes

Kawhi All-Star: After all the hubbub around Kawhi Leonard not being named to the All-Star team a few days ago, it turns out the fuss was for nought, as the NBA announced Kawhi would be an All-Star after all to balance the rosters for the ridiculous new format the league is trying. Kawhi was an insane snub, so I’m glad he got recognized as an All-Star, but as for the game itself, I couldn’t care less and I’m sure most of you feel the same.

DJJ Back: Derrick Jones Jr. is back about a month after his last knee injury. DJJ is a key part of this team’s defense, and having him back in the lineup will be a huge help to a Clippers’ team that is going to be shorthanded on offense until Darius Garland is able to play. Hopefully DJJ looks good and is able to give the Clippers 20 solid minutes tonight.

No Bogi: Bogdan Bogdanovic was active the Clippers’ last two games, but did not enter either game despite the presence of garbage time in both contests. Max Christie played over Bogi in the rotation with Harden out, which to me is a pretty obvious sign that he’s going to get traded, or at least that the Clippers are shopping him heavily. The Clippers moving on from Bogi makes a ton of sense: he’s barely played this year, when he has he’s been bad, and the Clippers’ two most promising young guys play his position. Considering Bogi is on an expiring deal, the Clippers should be able to move him, the question is for what.

Clippers vs Cavs Preview: Trade Rumors Swirling
Robert Flom

The news that the Clippers were in advanced talks with Cleveland on a trade of James Harden for Darius Garland hit last night like a thunderbolt. Most Clippers fans were expecting a fairly quiet deadline: maybe swapping out some role players, but nothing major. So much for that. Less than 24 hours later and the trade is official: Harden for Garland plus the Cavaliers 2^nd round pick in this year’s draft. The James Harden era in Los Angeles is over.

Quite honestly, even though I was not expecting Harden to get traded at this deadline, I think this trade makes sense for all parties. This trade was clearly precipitated by Harden’s frustration with the Clippers not making any promises about giving him a medium-term (two year) contract this summer with his 2026-2027 salary only partially guaranteed. While the Clippers have not had playoff success with Harden, he’s been a regular season monster and has been extremely durable: it makes sense that he feels he deserves some job security. I will basically never reject any player’s decision to do what’s best for their bank account and future, even for someone like Harden who’s already made a ton of money on and off the court.

From the Clippers perspective, they are moving on from an aging, declining star for a two-time All Star in Garland who is a full decade younger than Harden (Garland just turned 26). Garland has his own issues, namely being injury-prone and having a playoff track record that makes Harden look like Michael Jordan, but he’s very good and is in his prime. If you’d said before the season that the Clippers would not just swap Harden for Garland but get a 2^nd round pick for their trouble, I think most Clippers’ fans would have been gleeful.

Let’s talk about Garland for a bit. He’s had a bit of a down year (still 18 points and 6.9 assists on reasonable good efficiency), struggling with a toe injury that first surfaced in last year’s playoffs and has limited his burst. Still, he was excellent last year, and is at an age where a precipitous drop off in play should not happen. Garland is an excellent shooter, scorer, and playmaker, making him just an overall extremely well-rounded offensive player. He’s also quite fast and quick twitch, the first player of that ilk that the Clippers have had in many years (early Eric Bledsoe?).

When Garland is rolling, he’s both a traditional playmaker that can run an offense as well as consistently get his own buckets. Sound familiar? Garland is not nearly as strong as Harden or as explosive as prime Harden, so he gets downhill in different ways and isn’t the foul-drawing machine Harden is, but in some ways, they are similar players. The major difference is that Garland has only been the true driver of a good team’s offense once (in 2021-2022, his first All-Star appearance): since then, he’s rode shotgun to Donovan Mitchell. His career high in points per game is 21.7, again, a far cry even from this year’s Harden. He’s just not quite that level of bucket.

Garland is unfortunately similar to Harden in another way, which is that he’s a major defensive liability. Garland is quicker than Harden, but is very undersized and is prone to getting bullied by larger opposing players. He’s also not very disruptive and can lose track of players off ball. As brutal as Harden has been on defense this season, Garland is probably just as bad, just in somewhat different ways. The Clippers will still need to cover up for their star point guard on that end of the court. Unlike Harden, however, Garland is not quite that level of offensive engine: I’m not sure if the Clippers will be able to survive with Kris Dunn, for example, next to Garland. The Clips will probably need a more traditional two-guard next to Darius, whether its Kobe Sanders, Jordan Miller, a different trade acquisition, or a summer move.

After this season, Garland has two more years on his contract, making just over $42M in 2026-2027 and $44.8M in 2027-2028. If he returns to last year’s level of his play, that contract is reasonable if not downright good. The reason this is notable is that for years the Clippers have signaled their plan is to create cap space for the summers of 2026 and most importantly, 2027. Garland’s deal will impact that plan – the Clippers will no longer be able to create two max player slots in free agency. On the other hand, All-Star level players don’t change teams much, and getting Garland in his prime is probably better than a second-level guy the Clippers could have gotten in summer free agency anyway. This is a play for the future as much as now. In fact, it’s unclear what Garland’s status the rest of this season even is, as he’s played just 26 games and has been out for several weeks. It’s possible he comes back soon and plays the rest of the year, and it’s also possible he will be out a while longer.

For the Clippers, this is a bet that Garland’s toe/foot injuries are not a long-term issue, and that even if he misses a lot of the rest of this year, he’ll be back to playing at an All-Star level next season and the following season. Having just turned 26, Garland could be a Clipper for a while if he does play well the next couple of years, and even if he’s not a Batman, he could be a capable Robin if the Clippers find a superstar lead to replace Kawhi in the next summer or two. I don’t know anything about Garland’s medicals, but I think it’s a reasonable bet. The downside is that for a player that does rely on quickness, even a small drop in speed could have a real impact in overall play. Knock on wood that’s not the case.

As for Harden, I’m not sure what more I have to say that I have not written about on here or said on The Lob The Jam The Pod. Harden has been a warrior for the Clips, playing in 72 of 79 possible games in 2024, 79 of 82 last year, and 44 of 49 this season, with two of those absences coming in the last two games. Considering the Clippers’ stars over the years have included mostly injury-prone players, Harden’s reliability on a night-to-night basis was downright refreshing. Harden was also just pretty damn good for the Clips, averaging 21.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 8.5 assists while logging 35 minutes per game. The turnovers could be an issue, as could the defense, and the raw shooting splits don’t look great – but Harden’s combination of three-point shooting and foul-drawing kept him quite efficient. The playoffs were disappointing, but 2024 was not on Harden at all, and 2025 was a team collapse that Harden played a role in but was not the primary driver of.

More than anything else, Harden was shockingly fun to watch as a Clipper. He did have his moments where he foul-baited, the turnovers could be inexplicable, and the effort on defense waxed and waned. But he put this team on his back on offense for great stretches of the last 2.5 years, and did so through a combination of brilliant playmaking, electric scoring, and crafty smarts. I will miss watching Harden play ball.

It also must be said, importantly, that all of the reports about Harden as a teammate, fan-facing presence, and culture-setter were nothing but positive. Maybe articles come out going forward that change his perception, but all the fans I know who have interacted with him have said he’s great, and nearly all of his teammates have sworn by him. That is not something I would have anticipated from Harden before he became a Clipper, as he’s so famous for his drama and team-switching.

I know I will not be alone in rooting for Harden on the Cavaliers. I hope he’s able to make a deep playoff run in Cleveland – and get paid by them this summer to boot. He deserves one last bag. On the flip side, I’m excited to watch Darius Garland on the Clippers: he’s going to bring speed and quickness that has been missing from this roster for a very long time, and is an excellent offensive player. It’s a deal that truly makes sense from all sides, and I hope it works out well for everyone involved.

Clippers Trade James Harden for Darius Garland
Robert Flom

The Clippers are coming off one of their best wins of the entire season on the road in Phoenix, but have to travel home to play a good Sixers team in a back-to-back.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Peacock, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Sixers: Tyrese Maxey – Quentin Grimes – VJ Edgecombe – Dom Barlow – Joel Embiid

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

Injuries

Sixers: Paul George Out (Suspension), Joel Embiid Probable (Ankle)

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

Notes

A lot of this game might rest on the availability of James Harden. This is true of a lot of Clippers games, but tonight is even more important, as the Clippers played last night, and most of their key players logged big minutes – except for Harden, who was out with personal reasons. Hopefully Harden and his family are ok, and he’s able to go tonight. And if he can, hopefully he’s fresh and in a good mind state. The Sixers are a young and athletic team, and playing them on the second night of a back-to-back is a tough draw for the Clippers even though they’ll be at home.

Clippers vs Sixers Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers can’t dwell too long on their loss to the Nuggets in their last game, as they have another very challenging road matchup tonight against the rival Suns.

Game Information

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, Arizona

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

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

Suns: Collin Gillespie – Grayson Allen – Royce O’Neale – Dillon Brooks – Mark Williams

Injuries

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

Suns: Devin Booker Out (Ankle)

The Big Picture

The Clippers’ good vibes took a hit on Friday night in an all-too-familiar loss to the Denver Nuggets. It was a classic Clippers-Nuggets matchup, with the Nuggets largely looking like the better team, getting shooting luck (Tim Hardaway Jr. went off while the Clippers missed a ton of open looks), and receiving some favorable calls. It all added up to a fairly resounding loss, but losing to the Nuggets on the road with Jokic and Murray in the lineup (the Nuggets are missing some other key players but so are the Clippers) is not a bad loss. The Clippers just need to get the Nuggets out of their brain and focus on their upcoming games, which aren’t walks in the park either.

The Antagonist

This Suns season is perhaps the most inexplicable I can remember in my 15+ years of being a diehard NBA fan. When you look at their roster, even factoring in excellent seasons from Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie, and Grayson Allen, you think of a competent, decent team. The Suns are far, far better than that, with a 30-19 record that has them tied for 5^th in the West and just a half-game out of 4^th. Not only that, but the Suns’ advanced stats would indicate they are just as legit as their record, with a 15^th rank on offense and 5^th on defense. Jordan Ott has proved to be an ace in his first coaching season and has to be the frontrunner for Coach of the Year. Brooks is a fringe All-Star this season, Mark Williams has been healthy, Gillespie has been a steal, and Allen, Royce O’Neale, and Jordan Goodwin have provided solid role player contributions. It must be said that the Suns have had excellent health: outside of Jalen Green (who stinks), the only one of their top players who has missed real time is Grayson Allen, who has still played in 32 games. The rest of their top nine players in minutes per game have all logged at least 41 (out of 49) games played. Still, it’s been an incredibly impressive season by the Suns, who play hard, play cohesively, and are tough as nails.

Notes

Match the Toughness: The Suns have punked a lot of teams this year, and while the Clippers have had good teams in the Kawhi Leonard era, they certainly have not always matched teams in toughness. They can’t let the Suns bully them with physicality. There’s not much in Xs and Os here: the Clippers have to stand their ground, be physical with the Suns, and demonstrate more energy than they did against the Nuggets, when they lost 80% of the 50-50 balls. The Clippers are old and slow so they generally don’t do well with those hustle plays, but they need to be better tonight.

John Collins Surging: The most underrated part of the Clippers’ move up the standings has been John Collins’ play. And, while there were some slip-ups on defense, Collins played quite well against the Nuggets, hitting his threes and detonating a couple of big dunks. The Suns generally play on the smaller side, so this is a matchup that Collins should be able to do some damage inside as a scorer and rebounder. It would be great to see him continue his strong play on the road against a division opponent.

Clippers vs Suns Preview: A Tough Divisional Matchup
Robert Flom

The Clippers continue their road trip in Denver, the start of a brutal stretch that will last for all of February.

Game Information

Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

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

Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Jalen Pickett – Peyton Watson – Spencer Jones – Jonas Valanciunas

Injuries

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

Nuggets: Nikola Jokic Out (Knee), Cam Johnson Out (Knee), Aaron Gordon Out (Hamstring), Christian Braun Doubtful (Ankle)

The Big Picture

The Clippers cleaned up against the easy part of their schedule, moving all the way up to 22-24 as the calendar creeps towards February. They won as they have for the past five weeks, powered by Kawhi Leonard’s two-way superstardom, James Harden’s offensive orchestration, Kris Dunn’s defense, John Collins’ energy, and the injection in youth from Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller. The Clippers have moved their Net Rating all the way to a flat 0.0, a huge accomplishment considering how underwater they were at their lowest point. The Clippers’ offense has remained good (12^th, where it’s been for a bit) while their defense has moved up to 20^th. The Clippers have moved all the way firmly into “serious team” and are getting talked about like it. They’ve come a long way.

The Antagonist

The Nuggets have not only remained afloat without superstar Nikola Jokic, but have thrived. They’ve gone 9-6 since their best player went down, and while their schedule in that time was quite easy, it’s still an impressive record considering they were not only without Jokic but without large chunks of their rotation for much of that stretch. Peyton Watson has broken out from a decent depth rotation player to starting-level force, and his jump is probably the most important of any of the Nuggets’ guys. Other fringe players like Jalen Pickett and Zeke Nnaji have played well too, with the Nuggets getting unusual contributions on most nights to pull off one surprising win after another. Jamal Murray is rightfully going to earn his first All-Star berth, as the Canadian guard has put together by far the best regular season of his career. Really, the Nuggets this year have shown just how much more than Jokic they are.

Notes

Go Hard: The Clippers have done a good job at not playing down to the level of opposition during their winning run, and will have to continue that mindset tonight. The Nuggets, of course, are well above the Clippers in the standings, but are missing a bunch of players, which has caused many opponents to take them too lightly. Nobody should be more familiar with the Nuggets than the Clippers at this point, so I’d hope this is not a concern, but still. A flat start could give the Nuggets life at home at altitude, and that’s not what the Clippers need.

Clippers vs Nuggets Preview: Fight in the Mile High City
Robert Flom