The Clippers continue on their road trip against the East-leading Cavs, who will surely be looking for payback after the Clippers beat them in LA.

Game Information

Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

When: 12:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

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

Cavs: D’Angelo Russell – Keon Johnson – Ziaire Williams – Noah Clowney – Nic Claxton

Injuries

Clippers: Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring), Cam Christie Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), Seth Lundy Out (G-League), Patrick Baldwin Out (G-League)

Cavs: Jaylon Tyson Questionable (Knee)

Clippers vs. Cavaliers Game Thread: A Tough one In Cleveland
Robert Flom

The Clippers host the team with the best record in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a game that will be a good indicator of where the Clippers are at as a team with a month to go in the season.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Cavs: Darius Garland – Donovan Mitchell – Max Strus – DeAndre Hunter – Jarrett Allen

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

Injuries

Cavs: Evan Mobley Questionable (Foot)

Clippers: Jordan Miller Out (Hip), Cam Christie Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), Seth Lundy Out (G-League), Patrick Baldwin Out (G-League)

The Big Picture

The Clippers’ mid-March turnaround has continued, as they racked up one of their biggest wins of the season on Sunday night against a rather pitiful Charlotte Hornets squad. It’s tough to take almost anything away from games against the dregs of the NBA in March, but the Clippers continue to get healthier (their injury report is clean outside of depth piece Jordan Miller), Kawhi is progressing, and James Harden and Ivica Zubac are playing some of their best basketball of the entire season. The rest of the West is doing them no favors, so the Clippers need to continue to win if they want to have any shot of avoiding the play-in.

The Antagonist

I thought that the Cavaliers would improve off their 2^nd round playoff appearance last year, especially with new head coach Kenny Atkinson. I did not, however, anticipate that they would be a 60+ win team with the best offense in the NBA. Donovan Mitchell is seemingly a lock for All-NBA First Team, Evan Mobley will make 2^nd or 3^rd Team All NBA, and Darius Garland has an outside shot at the Third team as well. Those three are bolstered by the ever-steady Jarrett Allen at center and a bevy of capable supporting role players. There might be some questions about how the Cavs will perform at the very highest levels of the playoffs, but there is no doubt they are an awesome team with great talent, strong depth, a terrific coaching staff, and good vibes. They are very tough out each and every night.

Notes

A Good Test: This game will be a phenomenal test of where the Clippers are at as we head into late March. The Clippers’ last few games have not been against the stiffest competition, making this one a measuring stick of their progress in the past couple weeks. Can they continue to play high-level defense and rotations against the best offense in the NBA? Can they break down the defense of a solid but not great Cavs squad? Do they have the perimeter defenders to contain both Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland? Will the Clippers settle for bad shots or continue to move the ball and get better looks? We need to see these questions answered in a game against a great team, and hopefully the answers are positive ones.

Full Roster Rotations: This will only be the second game that the Clippers have had their full rotation available since the trade deadline, and the first one unfortunately only lasted nine minutes before Norm Powell left with an injury. I’m thus curious to see what Ty Lue’s rotations are. We know four of the starters, but is the fifth starter Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., or Nic Batum? I’d lean Dunn for the Mitchell-Garland matchups, but who knows. After that, does Ty play all 10 of his top rotation guys, and if so, how does the staggering with Harden and Kawhi work? Do they not fully stagger, or are there bench players that just get really short shifts? Again, these are the questions that have to be answered in the coming days as the Clippers try to make their postseason push, and I’m fascinated to see what Ty Lue and his staff does with this deep team with lots of interesting lineup combinations.

Clippers vs Cavs Preview: A Test Against the Best
Robert Flom

The LA Clippers pulled off one of their best wins of the season with a 120-118 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.

Summary

By this point, Clippers fans are well-accustomed to the team’s lackadaisical starts during Sunday matinee games. But this season, at least as of late, it’s been home games in general that the Clippers have been struggling with.

Sunday’s game against the Cavs looked like it was going to follow the same script. The Clippers found themselves down 80-59 by halftime. As it turned out, all they needed was a heightened defense along with a little Paul George heroics.

The Clippers stifled the Cavaliers offense while riding a hot hand from George who scored 27 of his 39 points in the second half. Following the game, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue stated that he challenged the team at halftime to come out with a better defensive effort.

“In the first half they just ran wherever they wanted to go. It was our point of attack defense one-on-one to straight line drives and blow-bys with no resistance, no physicality,” Lue said. “We challenged our guys at halftime like we know we can score the basketball but can we get stops, can we pick our physicality up, can we guard our man one-on-one.”

The Clippers held the Cavaliers to only 38 points in the second half. Caris LeVert and Max Strus, who killed the Clippers in the first half with 18 points each, scored only a combined two points in the second half on 1-12 shooting.

And it was George who put the Clippers on his back, especially in the fourth quarter. He scored 23 points in the final period while shooting 6-10 from the field, 2-4 from three-point range and 9-9 from the free-throw line.

He also came up with the biggest shot of the game, a jumper with 7.1 seconds left to put the Clippers ahead. He followed that up with a game-saving block on a Darius Garland drive.

After the game, George spoke about being in the flow of the game and trusting his teammates while trusting his own offense.

“I thought I had some shots I didn’t trust. I thought I rushed some shots and took some shots that I could have let the play develop or rushed some shots. I was kind of mindful of those,” George said. “At that point, I was just trying to read the game and get the best shot possible in those possessions.”

Notes:
-James Harden didn’t play the entire fourth quarter. Lue opted to go with his bench of Russell Westbrook, Norman Powell, Amir Coffey and Mason Plumlee for the majority of the fourth. Ultimately, Plumlee was subbed out for Terance Mann. Following the game, Lue said that Harden was fine. In any case, the move paid off as the bench group got the team back in the game.

Clippers vs. Cavs Game Recap: Comeback of the season
David Yapkowitz

The Clippers will try to keep their momentum going into the last week of the regular season in a matinee game against the visiting Cavaliers.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

When: 12:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, Bally Sports SoCal

Tickets: For great deals on Clippers tickets, check out Barry’s Tickets!

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Terance Mann – Paul George – PJ Tucker – Ivica Zubac

Cavaliers: Darius Garland – Donovan Mitchell – Max Strus – Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen

Injury Report

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard out (knee), Joshua Primo out (ankle).

Cavaliers: Ty Jerome out (ankle), Dean Wade out (knee), Isaac Okoro out (toe).

The Big Picture

It was about two weeks ago when the Clippers hit a low point in the season as they suffered back to back home losses against the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers and the average Indiana Pacers. Tyronn Lue was frustrated and the team was talking about not having an identity.

Flash forward to this weekend and the team has returned home after a successful 3-1 road trip and a spirited comeback win at home against the Denver Nuggets. Sure, the Nuggets didn’t have Jamal Murray, but the Clippers didn’t have Kawhi Leonard. It evened out.

The Clippers seem to be clicking as the final week of the regular season approaches. James Harden, who had been in a semi-slump recently, put up a triple-double against the Nuggets. Russell Westbrook has brought the same spark off the bench he had before his injury.

The main cause of concern though in Clipperland is the status of Leonard. After playing the first three games of the road trip, Leonard was ruled out against the Sacramento Kings with knee soreness and was sent back to LA for further treatment.

Obviously, anytime Leonard is out of the lineup, it causes a mild panic among Clippers fans. But there doesn’t seem to be any heightened sense of alarm amongst the team. Ultimately though, the Clippers are going to need him in the lineup when the playoffs begin in two weeks.

The Antagonist

The Cleveland Cavaliers come to town having dropped the first end of a back to back against the Los Angeles Lakers. Like the Clippers, the Cavaliers are also fighting for playoff positioning.

The Boston Celtics have locked up the No. 1 seed in the East, but the Cavaliers are in a tight race with the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and New York Knicks for the second seed. A mere two games is all that separates the Bucks who are currently at No. 2, and the Knicks who are at No. 5.

The Cavs might have the best chance at surpassing the Bucks, but they’re going to need a few more wins this week. They have two explosive guards in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell who can give the Clippers problems.

They have a strong defensive frontline with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. They’re going to look to shrug off the Lakers loss and get a win. Matinee games have never been the Clippers friend, and they’ve got to be ready from the get-go.

Disclaimer: 213Hoops may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this post.

Clippers vs. Cavaliers Game Preview: Playoffs Approaching
David Yapkowitz

The one team’s hot run had to end on Monday night, and it turned out to the Clippers’. The Cavaliers narrowly outpaced the Clippers all game but took control in the fourth quarter. Despite a late Clippers’ push, they fell to the Cavs, 118-108.

Summary

Kawhi Leonard was fantastic, once again. He finished the game with 30 points on 13/25 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Unfortunately, though, none of his fellow front men showed up: Paul George and James Harden combined to go 6/19, collectively scoring fewer than Kawhi by himself (23).

The Clippers’ lack of size hurt them; not only are they down Ivica Zubac, but they also elected to play small. As a result, the Cavaliers’ big men showed out: Evan Mobley had an efficient 10 points (on 5/7 shooting) and nine rebounds and Jarrett Allen had 20 points, 17 rebounds, and was +11 in a game that the Cavs won by just ten.

Neither team shot particular well; the free throws and turnovers were even; and both teams only had one player in significant foul trouble. The difference in this Clippers-Cavaliers game was Cleveland’s six more shot attempts, a product of winning the offensive rebounding category by five.

Notes

Paul George, Take a Break: Paul George has been limited in respect to production and availability since he re-aggravated his groin. Moreover, after the game, Ty Lue said that he has been playing through pain. With the Wizards and Pistons next up on the road trip, the Clippers ought to consider resting George to fully address this injury before it gets worse. [To be clear, I am not saying the Clippers’ can take those games lightly overall.]

Standings Watch: The Clippers have already dropped from the third seed to the fourth; with a win tonight, they would have been tied with the Nuggets for the second seed. Overall, the Clippers did get a gift with the Timberwolves vs. Thunder game: one team had to pick up a loss, thankfully (if only they both could have lost). That game resulted in the Thunder dropping to 15 losses. Unfortunately, the Bucks could not beat the Nuggets, so they stayed at 15 losses as well. The top of the West is very crowded.

Clippers fall to crusading Cavaliers, 118-108
Kenneth Armstrong

The Clippers’ Grammys trip continues on in Cleveland, as the Clippers visit the likewise-hot Cavaliers. Check out our preview below:

Game Summary

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio

When: 4:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Paul George – Terance Mann – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Cavaliers: Donavan Mitchell – Max Strus – Issac Okoro – Dean Wade – Jarrett Allen

Injuries

Clippers: Paul George, Probable (Groin); Ivica Zubac, Out (Calf); Moussa Diabate Out (Hand); Jordan Miller, Doubtful (Achilles)

Cavaliers: Evan Mobley, Out (Knee); Darius Garland, Out (Jaw); Ty Jerome, Out (Ankle)

The Big Picture

The Clippers took care of business in Boston with surprising dominance. Most teams go into the second game of a road back-to-back with an excuse in their back pocket: it’s just a schedule loss; it’s OK if we do not have it tonight. Well, the Clippers did not adopt that mentality; instead, they punched first (and second and third) while keeping everyone under 30 minutes.

The Clippers will need those legs against this Cavaliers team, but they do have a talent advantage. The Cavaliers will be without Even Mobley and Darius Garland—two of their best players. Moreover, Cleveland does not have a clear set of individual defenders who can take on Harden, George, or (especially) Kawhi.

The Antagonist

The Cavaliers are rolling right now: They have won nine of their last ten, are 15-8 at home (the Clippers are just 11-10 on the road), and have beaten the Bucks twice in the last two weeks. Moreover, their team defense is third overall over the course of the season and they are obviously not missing Mobley and Garland too much over the last few weeks. With a home court and pretty big rest advantage, the Cavaliers will be a tough opponent.

Notes

Standings Watch: The Clippers got a massive assist from the Detroit Pistons, who beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. That means, going into Monday’s slate of games, the Clippers are tied with the Thunder and Timberwolves in the loss column (14 losses each). Because the Clippers have played two fewer games than both of those teams, LA is still one game back overall, putting them in the third seed. Moreover, the Clipper do not have much space behind them, as the Nuggets are just a half-game back in the fourth seed. While the Clippers have been on an incredible run, they still have a lot of work to do to cement themselves as a lock for a top-two seed. Oh, and hopefully this is a reminder not to take the Piston lightly when they see them this trip.

VIBES: One cliche that comes up every year is the idea that road trips are an opportunity to build “chemistry.” The Clippers clearly have chemistry on the court, but hopefully they are getting an opportunity to have fun and build friendships. Although things have gone well so far, it is undeniable that James Harden and Russell Westbrook have been prickly (to put it charitably) in other situations. Keeping things light and collaborative will be important for when the Clippers inevitably hit a rough patch in the second half of the season.

Clippers vs. Cavaliers Game Preview
Kenneth Armstrong

The Clippers were even more short-handed than expected tonight against the Cavaliers. With both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard out for rest, the starting line up was: Terance Mann, Norman Powell, Amir Coffey, Nicolas Batum, and Ivica Zubac.

Updated Injury Report:
OUT: Reggie Jackson (achilles), Morris (ribs), George (rest), Leonard (rest), Covington (personal), and Wall (abdominal).

With Donovan Mitchell back on the lineup, the Cavaliers were ready to take care of business against the Clippers. See our recap below:

Summary

The Cavaliers doubled-up the Clippers in the first quarter, 31-15. Donovan Mitchell (9 in the quarter) established himself early and the Cavaliers shot 55% as a group. The Clippers struggled to find an offensive flow, shooting only 21% from the field and missing all nine of their first-quarter threes.

The second quarter was not much better. The Clippers lost the quarter by 14 and found themselves down by 35 at one point. Norman Powell led all scorers with 11 at half time, but that was a third of the Clippers’ total points. Notably, Mann and Batum only played nine and six minutes respectively in the first half, which suggests that Ty Lue did not want to chase this game.

The second half was slightly better for the Clippers, but only because the outcome was already decided. The Clippers won the second half 65-58 and lost 122-99. Batum, Kennard, and Powell never returned after half time and the bench-plus-G-League crew handled most of the remaining minutes.

Notes

Well, at least this happened: Boston and Coffey had season-highs in points. Brown had a season high in rebounds. And Preston set his career high in points with 12 (6/12 from the field).

Around the NBA: The Clippers are now 28-25. They went into the game as the fourth seed, but the standings will shift by the end of tomorrow’s slate of games. Here are the Clippers’ rooting interests for Monday:

• Nets over Lakers
• Thunder over Warriors
• Pistons over Mavericks
• Raptors over Suns
• Hawks over Trail Blazers
• Kings over Timberwolves (in my opinion, at least)

That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ loss against the Cavs. As always, check out The Lob The Jam The Podcast and Clips ‘N Dip for analysis throughout the week, and follow us on Twitter to watch the game with us!

Resting Clippers fall to Cavaliers, 122-99
Kenneth Armstrong

The Clippers play the second game of this back-to-back in Cleveland after beating the Hawks in Atlanta to increase their win steak to five. Today, they will try to get to six with a win over the Cavaliers. Check out our preview below:

Game Information

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH

When: 4:00 PM PT

How to Watch: ClipperVision, Bally Sports SoCal

How to Listen: AM 570 KLAC

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Terance Mann – Luke Kennard – Paul George – Nicolas Batum – Ivica Zubac

Cavaliers: Darius Garland – Caris LeVert – Isaac Okoro – Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen

Injuries

Clippers: 
QUESTIONABLE – Marcus Morris, Sr. (ribs); Robert Covington (personal)

OUT – Kawhi Leonard (rest); John Wall (abdominal); Brandon Boston Jr (G-League); Moses Brown (G-League); Jason Preston Out (G-League)

Cavaliers:
QUESTIONABLE – Donovan Mitchell (groin); Kevin Love (back)

OUT – Dylan Windler (ankle)

The Big Picture

Although the Cavaliers will have home court and rest advantages, they are coming off of a three-game, three-state road trip, so those advantages will be somewhat blunted. Donovan Mitchell may be out once again as well, as he has missed five of the last six games for the Cavs and is listed as questionable.

In respect to matchups, the Cavs will have the upper hand in the front court (which we’ll discuss more below), but the Clippers have superior wings and can hold their own at the guard spots. Terance Mann will try to stick Darius Garland, while the Cavs will struggle to find someone to take on Paul George.

The Antagonist

On the other hand, the Cavs’ front court is among the best in the league. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are All Star caliber bigs who are effective on both ends. Of course, one of the Clippers’ greatest weaknesses is their lack of big-man depth. Ivica Zubac will have his hands full on the boards and trying to defend pick-and-roll actions. This disadvantage will be amplified if Covington, Morris, and Kawhi are not available.

Cleveland also has the second best plus-minus in the league, the second best defensive rating, and are a league best in points allowed. If Kawhi sits as expected, the Clippers will have their hands full, even if Mitchell is unavailable.

Notes

Paul George’s Big Run: Over the last five games, Paul George is averaging 24.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 35 minutes on 55.6/43.8/90 splits. He has looked explosive and aggressive. Really, if he could lower his 2.2 turnovers per game, he would see his 12.8 plus-minus swell, given that so many of his turnovers are live-ball giveaways that lead to fast breaks for opposing teams.

Moussa Diabate Check-In: With Moses Brown pushing up against his 50-game cap, Diabate has been getting spot minutes on the main roster. Sometimes they do not come until garbage time, but he has been given a few opportunities with the core rotation. So far, this month, he has appeared in five games, playing an average of 8.3 minutes. He is shooting 28.6% from the field, is only grabbing 1.4 rebounds, and is a -4.8 plus-minus. His defense has also been an issue, prompting Ty Lue to sit him in the second half against the Hawks after giving him first half minutes. Diabate has a future with this team, but these last few games has quelled the notion that he could be the Clippers’ fix for the backup center position right now.

That about does it for this preview of the Clippers’ upcoming game against the Cavs. As always, check out The Lob The Jam The Podcast and Clips ‘N Dip for analysis throughout the week, and follow us on Twitter to watch the game with us!

Clippers vs. Cavaliers Game Preview: Make it 6?
Kenneth Armstrong

The LA Clippers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night in what ended up being their best game of this young season. Paul George—the reigning Player of the Week—put up 26 points on 10/20 shooting from the field (5/11 from the three) with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in 40 minutes.

In our preview, we noted that the Clippers might be (even more) short handed than normal. But Reggie Jackson did in fact start despite his thigh/patella contusion and Luke Kennard came off the bench after missing a game and a half due to chest discomfort.

Check out our recap below:

Summary

Both teams came out on fire: through 12 minutes, the Clippers were shooting 52% from the field (53% from three) and the Cavaliers were at 67% (56% from three). The Clippers were led by—who else?—Paul George, who had 11 first quarter points, while the Cavs were led by Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley (14 and 12 respectively). Neither team was playing particularly tight defense, evidenced by the fact that there were only two total fouls called in the first quarter.

Despite their sharp shooting, the Clippers carried a six point deficit into the second quarter. But the Cavs’ biggest lead to that point was 12, and the Clippers’ continued to fight back, eventually evening up the score at 64 by halftime. Paul George ended the half with 18 points, and Mitchell and Mobley had 16 each.

Both teams slowed down a bit in the third quarter, as the Clippers barely edged out the Cavs, beating them 24-23. Paul George’s jump shots were not not falling at the same rate, but Marcus Morris, Sr. (who finished with 20 points), Reggie Jackson (18 on the night), and Mann (16) all helped keep the Clippers afloat.

The four quarter was a rollercoaster. The Clippers won the quarter by 1 point, but it took a 19-5 run in the final 4:37 to secure the win. Norm Powell tied it up with just over one minute to go, Paul George put the Clippers ahead about 20 second later, and then they were able to survive the foul-and-free-throw possessions to win the game by two.

Notes

Another Positive Norm Powell Game: Norm had an efficient 17 points (5/6 from the field; 6/7 from the FT line) and two steals in 28 minutes. Moreover, as noted above, he had two of the biggest shots of the game. Not only did he tie the game on a driving lay up, but he also hit a three with 8:46 to go that kept the Clippers within two possessions and made six free throws in the fourth quarter.

Paul George’s Team?: Much of the Clippers Nation discourse, understandably, revolves around Kawhi Leonard and his availability. But what Paul George has brought to the team over the last five games has been incredible and justifiably celebrated. After his stellar play last year (before he got hurt) and his recent production, though, it will be interesting to see if the Clippers have made a permanent shift to a PG-led team, instead of a Kawhi-led team. We won’t know the answer until Kawhi comes back and gets reintegrated but it is becoming increasingly clear that PG is still a superstar who should not see his usage diminished at all—even when Kawhi is 100% healthy. PG might not be the “clear number 2” after all.

That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ game against the Cavs. As always, check out The Lob The Jam The Podcast and Clips ‘N Dip for analysis throughout the week, and follow us on Twitter to watch the game with us!

Clippers Upset Cavaliers in Thriller, 119-117
Kenneth Armstrong

The LA Clippers will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in LA on Monday night, coming off a loss against the Jazz on Sunday. Check out our preview below:

Game Information

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Reggie Jackson* – Terance Mann – Paul George – Marcus Morris, Sr. – Ivica Zubac

Cavaliers: Darius Garland – Donovan Mitchell – Caris LeVert – Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen

Injuries

Clippers: *Reggie Jackson, questionable (knee); John Wall, questionable (rest); Luke Kennard, questionable (chest); Kawhi Leonard, out (knee injury management)

Cavaliers: Ricky Rubio, out (knee); Dylan Windler, out (ankle)

The Big Picture

This will be a back-to-back for both teams, though the Cavaliers will have a seven-or-so hour rest advantage. But the Clippers have started to find more consistency by embracing Paul George as the tip of the spear, Ivica Zubac as a 30mpg anchor, and Luke Kennard taking on a larger role.

Moreover, even with all of the Cavaliers’ defensive length in the front court, they still do not have a wing who can guard Paul George on a possession-by-possession basis. If Paul George can keep up his stellar play, the Clippers will have an opportunity to force the Cavaliers to make decisions about their rotations. Although the Clippers’ season has been a rollercoaster, what is still true is that George is an elite scorer who can change the landscape of a game.

Finally, the Cavs’ supporting cast does not particularly inspire fear. They only played three reserves more than 10 minutes on Saturday, and only Kevin Love took a significant number of shots. If the Cavs continue to play all of their starters 30+ minutes, the Clippers’ bench—led by John Wall and Normal Powell—might have an opportunity to run them off the floor.

The Antagonist

The Cavaliers are really good. They are 8-1 so far this season, which puts them second in the east and a top three team in the league. They also are strong where the Clippers are weak: they have two elite big men in Mobley and Allen, who have made them one of the best defensive teams in the league. Moreover, they have two guards in Garland and Mitchell who can attack the rim and find shooters (both averaging about 7 assists per game).

The Cleveland bigs and guards will both create problems for the Clippers. The Clippers only have one true center who gets consistent minutes, and their guards are both on the smaller and older ends of the spectrums. Reggie Jackson and John Wall will have to rise to the occasion by fighting through screens and trying to force Garland and Mitchell to give up the ball. And the Clippers as a whole will have to help Zubac on the boards and stay in front of their assignments on defense. If Zubac is forced to switch onto driving guards, Mobley and Allen will feast on hand offs and lobs.

Finally, at the time of writing this preview, it is unclear who will be available for the Clippers on Monday. Luke Kennard is still dealing with his chest issue, Reggie Jackson did not play the last quarter-and-a-half on Sunday night because he banged knees with someone, and John Wall has been sitting back-to-backs so far this year.

That about does it for this preview of the Clippers’ game against the Cavs. As always, check out The Lob The Jam The Podcast and Clips ‘N Dip for analysis throughout the week, and follow us on Twitter to watch the game with us!

Clippers vs. Cavaliers Game Preview
Kenneth Armstrong