The Clippers return to action tomorrow against the Phoenix Suns, who are 2-0 in the NBA bubble thus far. Before diving into the preview and matchups, here’s the injury report on the Clippers and Suns.

Clippers

Lou Williams – Questionable (Quarantine)

Montrezl Harrell – Out (Out of bubble)

The big change here is Lou Williams moving from “out” to “questionable”. He should be officially out of quarantine, and is ready to start working out with the team again. However, even if he’s technically cleared to play, it’s quite possible Doc Rivers and the Clippers want him to get more practice and conditioning reps before thrusting him back into NBA action. Lou’s presence has been sorely missed, as the Clippers’ bench has been mostly unable to create shots on their own, and watching him handle the ball and score will be a very welcome sight.

Montrezl Harrell remains out following the passing of his grandmother last week. Doc Rivers and the Clippers have emphasized that he is going to be given plenty of time to grieve, and that there’s no time limit on his return. Even when he does make his way back towards the bubble, he will then have to quarantine again. In short, don’t expect Trez back any time super soon.

Suns

Kelly Oubre – Out (Right knee)

Aron Baynes – Questionable (Quarantine & COVID-19 recovery)

Jalen Lecque – Questionable (Quarantine)

The Suns are dealing with some major injury issues of their own. Kelly Oubre, one of their starters and their third-leading scorer (just a hair behind DeAndre Ayton), remains out while recovering from a knee surgery. Meanwhile, Baynes, a crucial reserve, and Lecque, an occasional backup, are recovering from COVID-19 and progressing through practice with the team before they return. They should be physically cleared to go, but whether Monty Williams deems them ready is another story.

Well, that’s about it for this Clippers and Suns injury report. Stay tuned for further updates, and get excited for the Clippers’ 3rd bubble game.

Clippers-Suns Injury Report: Lou Will Back?
Robert Flom

In this episode of The Lob The Jam The Pod, Lucas and Rob review the Clippers loss to the Lakers and win over the Pelicans, give their biggest takeaways from the first two games, discuss other developments in the NBA bubble in Orlando, and then answer some Twitter questions.

Check out the podcast here! Also, remember to subscribe to us on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or another podcast distribution method of your choice.

While you’re there, please leave us a 5 star rating so that our wonderful (heh) voices can reach other Clippers and NBA fans, and if you’re feeling in a really good mood, leave a review! As always, thanks for listening and your support!

Please leave comments below regarding the Clippers loss to the Lakers or their dominating victory over the Pelicans, or any other topic discussed in the pod!

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

TLTJTP: Lakers Loss, Pelicans Win, and the NBA Bubble
Robert Flom

After a mid-season break that lasted over four months, the NBA will officially return to action tomorrow as the Clippers and Magic scrimmage in Orlando. Each of the 22 teams participating in the NBA’s Orlando bubble restart will play three scrimmage games before regular-season “seeding” games begin next week.

Game Information

Where: Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida

When: Wednesday, July 22, 2020 @ 3 PM ET

How to Watch: Prime Ticket, Fox Sports West

Projected Starting Lineups

Orlando: Markelle Fultz – Wesley Iwundu – James Ennis – Aaron Gordon – Nikola Vucevic

Clippers: Patrick Beverly – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – JaMychal Green – Joakim Noah

Injuries

Orlando: TBA

Clippers: Ivica Zubac (absent); Montrezl Harrell (family matter); Landry Shamet (illness)

The Big Picture

It feels self-important to break down this scrimmage beyond the obligatory I am so glad that that NBA is back sign of relief, but I do believe we will learn a few key things during this match up between the Clippers and Magic.

Primarily, we will get to see the team: we’ll see who looks like they quarantined in a closet, without access to a gym, and those who were on the apparent Kawhi-plan, who the Clippers feared was working out too hard. Moreover, as Paul George highlighted to the press on Saturday, the Clippers’ overall health ought to look better. 

It will also be interesting to see what the Clippers have in Joakim Noah, who is the only Clippers center currently in Orlando. There was a strategically posted picture of Noah, in which he looks in great shape, but Doc Rivers will eventually need him to be able to compete with dangerous Western Conference bigs on the Lakers and Nuggets.

Ultimately, the Clippers need to come out of this scrimmage healthy and avoid anything that creates a distraction. The teams have, understandably, been secretive about what has been going on internally. With so many logistical components, the team has its hands full with getting their roster together; there is not much capacity, I would imagine, for drama or rumors.

This is a scrimmage, so we can reasonably hope that there will not be too much made of a win or a loss. I am nervous, however, to see the general timing of the Clippers’ offense. Specifically, with so much of the offense happening off of pick-and-roll or off-ball actions, there will be plenty of room for error, given that the team has been apart for so long.

Sure, the Clippers have a few great isolation players, but they will need to maximize their more sophisticated actions by the time the playoffs start. The Clippers missing an opprotunity to run these motions with Harrell and Zubac on the floor is unfortunate.

Notes

• Center: What is going on at center is above our heads; we will, however, get to see in these scrimmages what the Clippers plan to do if Zubac or Harrell are (god forbid) not available going forward. Noah, as previously stated, will have a chance to show if he still has gas in the tank. The team will be shorthanded as the Clippers and Magic scrimmage tomorrow in Orlando, but will hopefully get their normal big men back into the lineup soon.
• How deep can the Clippers go?: As Lucas noted in a recent post, we will likely get a chance to see the “third-string perimeter players” for extend time in this scrimmage. Obviously, Doc will be looking for backup plans in case Shamet is not able to rejoin the team soon, but this will also be an opprotunity see how deep his rotation can go in the playoffs. With such a unique playoff situation, I would not be surprised if the depth of teams proves most valuable.

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Game Preview: Clippers and Magic Scrimmage in Orlando
Kenneth Armstrong

The return of the NBA season is just over a month away, so today, the NBA announced the revised scheduled for the “bubble” teams in Orlando for the last eight games of the NBA season. Here are the games for the Clippers, with TV stations and times of games still only partially filled in.

Game 1 – Lakers, July 30 at 6:00 PM PT on TNT

Game 2 – Pelicans August 1 at 3:00 PM PT on ESPN

Game 3 – Suns, August 4 at 1:00 PM PT on NBA TV

Game 4 – Mavericks, August 6 at 3:30 PM PT on TNT

Game 5 – Trail Blazers, August 8 at 10:00 AM on TNT

Game 6 – Nets, August 9 at 6:00 PM PT on NBA TV

Game 7 – Nuggets, August 12 at 6:00 PM PT on ESPN

Game 8 – Thunder, August 14 at time TBD, TV Station TBD

The Clippers schedule is pretty damn great. The matchup against the Lakers will be tough, of course, but the Nuggets are the only other top 4 seed here. The Mavs and Thunder are pretty good as well, but the other four teams are some of the worst in the bubble. All of the teams present in Orlando are at least decent (outside of maybe the Wizards), but considering how tough some of the teams are, this schedule is not bad at all, and should give the Clips the lead for the 2 seed.

With the schedule released, we can start thinking about matchups, game previews, and potentially vital contests for playoff seeding. All that and more coming over the next month on 213Hoops!

The Clippers’ Orlando 2020 NBA Season Schedule Has Been Released
Robert Flom