The Clippers close out their 2025 Summer League with a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The game is scheduled at 5 PM ET, and there are only a few games today, so that timing should be roughly accurate. The game is only being televised on ESPNU, so it might be tough to access for people that don’t have League Pass or Clippervision.

These late Summer League games are somehow even more useless than the rest of Summer League, as so many guys have already been sent home (including nearly all top first and second-year players) and competitive drive is at a low. Thus, I wouldn’t take nearly anything away from this game.

All that being said, this is the last Clippers’ basketball we will see for close to two and a half months, so we may as well enjoy. Let’s hope the Clippers send out all of their actual roster players and they show out in their last opportunity in Vegas.

Clippers 2025 Summer League Game 5 Thread
Robert Flom

The 3-0 Summer League Clippers take on the Denver Nuggets for their final game of “group” play before the Summer League Playoffs. The game has a start time of 8:00 PM PT that will probably be more like 8:20, and will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center on ESPN2.

If the Clippers win this game, their 4-0 record will get them into the Summer League Playoffs, not like that means very much. Still, it’s always fun to see players try hard in games that matter, and for these Summer Leaguers, winning the championship would be cool.

As for the Clippers themselves, Game 3 was one of the worst games of basketball I’ve ever seen, and that includes many years of watching Summer League. The Clippers’ defense was good (Trentyn Flowers was particularly impactful in that game) but their offense was abysmal. They will need to score more than 63 points to win any other game in Vegas.

For this one, I’d like to see Cam Christie and Pat Baldwin continue to score in ways that aren’t jump shots, Jordan Miller do some playmaking, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Flowers bring energy and offense in transition.

Clippers 2025 Summer League Game 4 Thread
Robert Flom

The 2025 Summer League Clippers are 2-0 heading into their game tonight against the Lakers, which is on at 7:30 PM PT on NBA TV and ESPN+. Just as with previous games, this one will likely start late, so I’d expect 7:45 PM at earliest.

The Clippers had a solid win yesterday against the Bucks, with a dominant start to the 4th quarter giving them the edge to get the win. The Clippers received 20+ point games from Cam Christie, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and Jordan Miller, all of whom played quite well. For other notable Clippers’ summer leagues, Kobe Brown sat out with his ankle sprain, while Trentyn Flowers and Kobe Sanders had nice outings off the bench. The lone Clippers’ roster player who did not have a great night was Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who had a loud dunk and block in the 4th quarter but was quiet the rest of the game.

Hopefully the Clippers play well again tonight and get the win. Even in Summer League, it’s nice to beat the Lakers.

Clippers 2025 Summer League Game 3 Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers play their second game of the 2025 Summer League tonight at 6:30 PM PT against the Bucks.

The game will be on NBA TV and ESPN+, and is located at Cox Pavillion (the smaller of the two Vegas courts). As always with Summer League, games can run quite late, so don’t anticipate the game actually starting at 6:30.

Kobe Brown left the Clippers’ first Summer League game with an ankle injury, but after the game the Clippers said the withdrawal was precautionary, so I’d guess he plays in today’s game. Similarly, Patrick Baldwin, who missed the first game due to his own ankle injury, said that he is hopeful he’ll be able to play some minutes today.

That’s about all! Every year it gets harder for me to take Summer League very seriously, but hopefully the Clippers have another strong outing tonight.

Clippers 2025 Summer League Game 2 Thread
Robert Flom

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with reserve guard Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Basic Information

Height: 6’5

Weight: 220 pounds

Position: Shooting Guard

Age: 32

Years in NBA: 8

Key Regular Stats (for Clippers): 11.4 points, 3.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 1.2 turnovers in 25.0 minutes per game across 30 games played (4 starts) on 47.4/42.7/87.5 (4.8 3PT attempts, 1.1 FT attempts) shooting splits (60.8 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: 6.4 points, 2.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 0.4 steals, and 1.6 turnovers in 16.7 minutes per game across 7 games played (zero starts) on 36.4/29.2/85.7 (3.4 3PT attempts, 1.0 FT attempts) shooting splits (47.8 True Shooting)

Expectations

When the Clippers traded for Bogdan Bogdanovic at the trade deadline, the expectations for him were clear: be the Clippers’ sixth man and lead scoring option off the bench. He was replacing both Terance Mann and especially Kevin Porter Jr. in the rotation, as despite not being a point guard, his ballhandling and playmaking were seemingly on par or better than either of the two departed Clippers. Although “Bogi” had been going through a truly brutal 2025 season before the trade, the hope was that a new context and further time removed from his injuries would allow him to return to his sixth-man award-level form.

Reality

After looking very, very rough for a few games, Bogi settled into a fairly nice rhythm on the Clippers. He was not nearly as good as he was several years earlier with the Hawks or Kings, but also far better than he had been earlier in the season. As anticipated, Bogi was a sniper from deep, nailing nearly 43% of his shots from deep on high volume, and providing much-needed spacing. When the Clippers needed creation with Harden off the floor, Bogi stepped up, having several big scoring performances and showing nice chemistry in the pick and roll with Zu. The defense was bad, but it usually didn’t cost the Clippers, especially with all of the plus defenders on the court. It was a promising 30 games.

Then the playoffs happened. Bogi went 1-11 from the field in the first three games, scoring 2 points combined while turning the ball over 6 times in 37 minutes and getting hunted on defense. He improved somewhat as the series went along, but his only true standout performance was in Game 5 – which was a blowout loss. Quite frankly, Bogi looked outmatched physically and athletically by the Nuggets, even though he did contribute at least a bit on the glass and was still a valuable spacer on offense. Bogi’s poor play was not the reason the Clippers lost, but a better series from him could have gotten them a win in Games 1 or 4 – and therefore the series. A really brutal last look at Bogi before heading to the offseason.

Future with Clippers

Bogdan is under contract for just over $16M for next season, and has a team option for a similar amount for the 2027 season. Considering his injuries over the past year or two and his playoff performance with the Clippers, the trade market for Bogi might be limited. Then again, he is essentially an expiring contract, as his team option will almost certainly be declined pending a strong bounce-back campaign.

Thus, it’s relatively likely Bogdan will be a Clipper for at least the start of the 2026 season. He will probably serve in a similar role as a lead scorer off the bench, though hopefully with fewer ballhandling and playmaking responsibilities. His play in the regular season was good, and a promising sign that with a full training camp and integration into the team he can continue to be a positive contributor to the Clippers. I’m excited to see how Bogi will look on the team next year.

2025 Clippers Exit Interviews: Bogdan Bogdanovic
Robert Flom

The Clippers and Nuggets square off in Denver for a Game 7 of what has been a highly entertaining and competitive series.

Game Information

Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado

When: 7:00 PM PT

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

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Christian Braun – Michael Porter Jr. – Aaron Gordon – Nikola Jokic

Injuries

Nuggets: Da’Ron Holmes Out (Achilles), Michael Porter Jr. Probable (Shoulder), Russell Westbrook Probable (Foot)

Clippers: None

Notes

Final Rotation Tweaks: Ty Lue’s rotations continued to evolve in Game 6. Kris Dunn only played 10 minutes in the Clippers’ win, with Nic Batum starting after halftime and Dunn not checking in during the second half. Ben Simmons didn’t play at all, meaning Ty went with a 7-man rotation in the second half. I don’t think he’ll do that for an entire game, so I’d expect Dunn to play at least a bit in Game 7, but I have no idea whether he’ll start or not. Ty could also keep Dunn on the bench but turn back to Simmons for small-ball center minutes. Regardless, Nic Batum is going to play a huge role, and Bogdan Bogdanovic and Derrick Jones Jr. will get some minutes. I don’t think there will be any final curveballs, not in Game 7, but who knows with Ty Lue.

Norm on the Road: There’s no Clippers player that has had bigger swings between road and home games in this series than Norm Powell. At home, he’s averaging 22 points per game while shooting 57.5% from the field and 37.5% from three while getting to the line 4.3 times per game. Pretty great! On the road, Norm is averaging 12.3 points while shooting 39.5% from the field and 37.5% from three (on fewer attempts) while getting to the line 1.3 times per game. That’s pretty bad! Norm’s shooting and downhill driving have been huge for the Clippers all year, and when he’s off the Clippers just lack the firepower to beat a team like Denver regularly. If Norm can play to the level he’s shown at home, the Clippers should be in the game.

Can DJJ Do it Again: One of the biggest differences in Game 6 outside of general shooting and energy was the play of Derrick Jones Jr. DJJ, who was such a critical part of the Clippers for most of the season as a starter, had barely been a presence in the series. The first half looked to be more of the same, as Jones missed several wide-open threes and seemed to droop. But Ty Lue stuck with him, even over Kris Dunn, and a nice layup after getting the ball in the short roll got DJJ going. He then made two threes in the second half while playing his usual strong defense, and was a major factor in the Clippers’ excellent third quarter and start of the 4^th. A similar-level performance by DJJ would go a long way for the Clippers.

Rest vs Play Conundrum: This is always so challenging for coaches – whether to keep your best players in all the time so you have them on the court, or steal quick breaks for them in an attempt to keep them fresh. This is Game 7, so there’s no “saving minutes” for later in the series, but even in one game an extra minute or two of rest can make a difference. David Adelman has been playing his key Nuggets’ stars huge minutes the entire series while Ty Lue has held back a bit more, so it will be interesting to see whether Adelman presses even further in this game and if Ty Lue matches him or tries to buy more rest. We know James Harden is going to play 45+ minutes if the game is close, the question is whether Ivica Zubac, Kawhi Leonard, and even Norm Powell or Nic Batum get similarly high minutes loads. Harden was gassed at the end of Game 6, which led to the Clippers’ offense falling apart, while Zu being held out for an extended period in the 4th, although terrifying, resulted in him playing extremely good and high-energy defense on Jokic too close. It’s a tough tightrope to walk.

Clippers vs Nuggets 2025 Game 7 Preview: For All the Marbles
Robert Flom

The Clippers return to Los Angeles trailing the Nuggets 3-2 and are just one loss away from their 2025 season being over.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA

When: 7:00 PM PT

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

Projected Starting Lineups

Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Christian Braun – Michael Porter Jr. – Aaron Gordon – Nikola Jokic

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Nuggets: Da’Ron Holmes Out (Achilles), Michael Porter Jr. Probable (Shoulder), Russell Westbrook Probable (Foot)

Clippers: None

Notes

More Starting Lineup Questions: Going into Game 5, it seemed as though Ty Lue might pivot away from Kris Dunn in the starting lineup in favor of Nic Batum. And, while Dunn started, he missed a corner three and was then taken out of the game much earlier than usual in favor of Nico. However, Dunn checked back in the 2^nd quarter and was fantastic the rest of the game, making his threes as well as several scores around the basket. Going into this game, there is still talk around a change in the starting lineup, but with the replaced player being Norm Powell, who was awful again in Game 5 after good outings in Games 3 and 4. Powell’s lack of defense and rebounding has really dragged down the Clippers, and the Clips leaning more into the defensive mindset that got them 50 wins this season seems like a better bet than trying to juice their offense at the expense of the defense. Ty Lue is definitely not going to bench Norm entirely, but if he has another bad start and is getting roasted on defense and the glass, I hope Ty moves away from him quickly.

Better Energy: The Clippers’ season is on the line. If they lose, that’s it, and this team that everyone in the organization has said is very tight-knit and a great group that really gets along will be done. I hope that with that knowledge, and just based on sheer professional pride, the Clippers come out with a hunger and fight we really haven’t seen from them this series. Even in the games they’ve won, the Clippers have not played as hard as the Nuggets have, and that simply must change in this win-or-go-home game. I really hope the Clippers don’t lay an effort egg in what might be the last home game in Intuit Dome’s debut season.

More Aggression: The Clippers’ problems in this series have been less with strategy and rotations and more with effort and execution. As Lucas pointed out in the latest episode of TLTJTP, there have been too many instances where the Clippers have run a play halfheartedly, or gotten the switch they wanted and then not forced the issue, or been too content to let double teams arrive rather than attacking aggressively. Simply put, the Clippers have not been crisp. This is on everyone, but falls most heavily on their two best offensive players, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, who need to be more aggressive and forceful in attacking mismatches and getting shots up. Making the right play is nice, but taking control of games as a star player is better. Even if the Clippers lose, I want to see those guys make more of an impact than they have the past two games and really go out guns blazing.

Rotation Curveballs: Ty Lue went away from Ben Simmons in the second half of Game 5, playing Nic Batum and Kawhi Leonard as the small-ball centers. That was a relatively expected adjustment considering how ineffective Ben had been in the past couple games. However, it remains to be seen if the Clippers have more oddball decisions up their sleeve. Does Amir Coffey make a desperation appearance? Do the Clippers throw out someone even deeper? I’d be surprised if so, as it’s been so long since those guys have played real minutes and putting them into this kind of competitive environment would be a very difficult challenge. But maybe Ty Lue does something truly surprising with the season on the line.

Clippers vs Nuggets 2025 Game 6 Preview: On the Brink
Robert Flom

The Clippers go into a pivotal Game 5 in Denver locked with the Nuggets at 2-2. Whoever wins this game controls the rest of the series – you might just say it’s an important evening for the teams involved.

Game Information

Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO

When: 7:00 PM PT

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

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Christian Braun – Michael Porter Jr. – Aaron Gordon – Nikola Jokic

Injuries

Nuggets: Da’Ron Holmes Out (Achilles), Michael Porter Jr. Probable (Shoulder), Russell Westbrook Questionable (Foot)

Clippers: None

Notes

Does Ty Change the Starting 5: After Kris Dunn’s 1-9 shooting performance in Game 4, pressure picked up on Ty Lue (in media, fan, and probably other spaces) to move Dunn out of the starting unit, probably for Nic Batum. It does not seem likely that Ty adjusts the starting unit, though it would not shock me if he made that adjustment at halftime if the Clippers are not playing well on offense. I see both sides of the debate. Dunn has started most of the year, and his defense, energy, and connective playmaking have been big reasons for the Clippers’ success. Plus, his ability to at least bring the ball up the court relieves some burden on Harden. He’s also by far the Clippers’ best option on Jamal Murray and has been fantastic on defense in this series. Batum is, of course, the far superior shooter, and is someone the Nuggets can’t cheat off of to help on Harden and Kawhi. He’s also a good defender in his own right and adds more size to the starting unit to help with rebounding (though Dunn is technically a better rebounder in a vacuum). Nico is the steadier player and should play more than Kris unless Kris is really on a super impactful stretch, but I do feel Dunn’s presence in the starting unit is quite valuable, and I think Ty sticks with him one more game.

Playing Key Guys More: Ty Lue’s strategy through four games seems to be to take the long view approach and not overplay his players early. The Clippers have better, more trusted depth, and while Ty has certainly gone to his stars, he’s also given his deeper options more rope. Thus, the Nuggets, have played four players more minutes than the Clipper who has played the most (Harden, with 158 minutes): Jokic (169), Murray (169), Braun (161), and Gordon (159). Even Michael Porter Jr., who was benched in Game 1, has played more minutes (137) than any Clipper outside of Harden, Kawhi, and Zu. I think trying to keep an older, injury-prone team from shooting their wad too early in a series is smart, but I also think Ty has probably swung a little too far the other way. So far, none of them is even averaging 40 minutes per game for the series. If this game is close, Harden and Zu probably need to play 42+ minutes, and Kawhi should be at 40+. You know what’s more important than having gas in the tank for the next round? Actually making the next round!

Play Jokic Straight Up: It’s extremely demoralizing for Zu, the Clippers, and fans to watch Nikola Jokic hit seemingly impossible shots against great coverage. But just like against Luka Doncic when the Clippers went up against him, Jokic in “score-first” mode against single coverage is not as dangerous as sending help too early and allowing genius playmakers to carve up the defense. The Clippers just have to live with Zu’s (superb) defense on Jokic and hope that they score enough on the other end to win while limiting the rest of the Nuggets. And the scoring is the key: the Clippers’ defense has mostly been fantastic in this series. The reason they’re 2-2 with a narrow win in Game 2 is that their offense has not been able to consistently get out of the mud. If they can just get going on that end, the defense they’ve played is more than enough to win. So even if Jokic hits four straight mid-range jumpers in a row, keep playing him mostly straight up and don’t allow him to shift into playmaker mode.

Clippers vs Nuggets 2025 Game 5 Preview
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ 101-99 loss the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 was simply too devastating to do a blow-by-blow written recap for, so instead Lucas and I talked about it for 75 minutes in the latest episode of The Lob The Jam The Podcast.

We discussed the Clippers’ heartbreaking loss to the Nuggets in Game 4 at home, tying the series at 2-2 heading back to Denver. We went over the ins and outs of the game, debated the importance of the 4th quarter run that nearly stole the game for the Clippers, and lamented the unfortunate “make or miss” elements of the game of basketball – as well as looked forward to the back half of the series and what adjustments the Clippers might make.

Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, like Spotify or Apple. I’ve also included the Spreaker page below.

TLTJTP: Recapping the Clippers’ Heartbreaking Game 4 Loss to the Nuggets
Robert Flom

The Clippers are up 2-1 against the Nuggets after a rousing Game 3 victory, and can move their lead to a very advantageous 3-1 with another win at home.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 3:00 PM PT

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

Projected Starting Lineups

Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Christian Braun – Michael Porter Jr. – Aaron Gordon – Nikola Jokic

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Nuggets: Da’Ron Holmes Out (Achilles), Michael Porter Jr. Questionable (Shoulder), Russell Westbrook Probable (Foot)

Clippers: None

Notes

The Ageless Nic Batum: Nic Batum was not the Clippers’ “best” player in Game 3, but he was my player of the game. He made four of his six threes for 12 points, added five rebounds and two assists, and led the Clippers with three blocks. His combination of shooting, size, defense, and connective play is always outstanding, but his defense was particularly impressive in Game 3, and it seemed like every shot he hit was a huge one. The Clippers were +23 in his 27 minutes, and I’d imagine he continues to see minutes totals in that realm (or higher) for the rest of the series. It’s incredible that a role player of Nic Batum’s age (36.5) can still be such a difference maker on both ends, and I just marvel at his blocks and no-dip threes. Tres bien!

Norm’s Decision-Making: Norm Powell had by far his best game of the playoffs so far in Game 3, scoring 20 points on 7-12 shooting while making three threes and three free throws. However, I knew he would make his shots sooner or later. What was really encouraging about his performance was his overall floor game. He was patient and yet decisive when getting the ball in the short roll and attacking double teams – making his way to his spots while also delivering the right passes at the right times. His three assists to zero turnovers mark bears that out, and I also thought his defense was better than it had been in the first couple games. The Clippers won’t need him to score 20 every game, but the overall play they got from Norm is necessary for them to elevate their game on the offensive end.

Ben Simmons Holding Up: Ben Simmons is not playing much, but his ability to give Ivica Zubac 8-10 minutes of rest per game has been extremely valuable. Moreover, the Clippers are actually winning his minutes! Everyone thought that the non-Zu minutes would be a huge issue in this series (and in the playoffs in general) but that has simply not been the case so far. Ben’s quickness out on the perimeter has enabled him to hedge and recover effectively on the Murray-Jokic pick and roll, and he’s even held up at least to an acceptable level when Jokic tries to go at him one-on-one. Ben has provided very little offense, as he’s shared most of his minutes with James Harden and mostly just operated as a release valve, but his additional ballhandling has been useful at the least. If Ben can continue to serve his role in stemming the Jokic tide and giving Zu a breather, the Clippers will stand a much better chance at winning the series.

Clippers vs Nuggets 2025 Game 4 Preview: Trying to Widen the Lead
Robert Flom