The Los Angeles Clippers will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night as the team hopes to build off its first win of the season. Continue reading for our Clippers-Cavaliers preview.

Game Information

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

When: 7:30 p.m. PT

How to Tune in: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

L.A. Clippers: Eric Bledsoe – Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Nicolas Batum – Ivica Zubac

Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland – Collin Sexton – Lauri Markkanen – Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen

Injury Report

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Marcus Morris Out (Knee), Serge Ibaka Out (Back), Jason Preston Out (Foot), Keon Johnson Questionable (Illness)

Cavs: Isaac Okoro Doubtful (Hamstring)

The Big Picture

On Monday night, the Clippers became one of the few remaining winless NBA teams to record a victory when they dismantled the Portland Trail Blazers 116-86. The win was a combination of enhanced activity and energy on defense, spearheaded by Nico Batum on the opening possessions of the game, and a feeble effort from the Blazers, who turned the ball over 30 times. Nevertheless, the result was what the Clippers needed after an 0-2 start, and many of the happenings from Monday night should be transferable to Wednesday night’s matchup with Cleveland. Doing so would put the Clips back up to .500.

The Antagonist

The Cavaliers will strut into Staples Center with a mountain of confidence, having won two games in a row, including a Monday night win at Denver. The usually pedestrian Cavs have overachieved thus far by attacking the inside. Cleveland’s 54.0 PITP per game ranks fourth in the league, in large part due to Jarrett Allen’s 31/37 shooting start on the season.

Losers of the last seven LAC-CLE matchups, Cleveland hasn’t beat the Clippers since the 2017-18 season when LeBron James was still a member of the organization. The most two most recent outings last season were significant for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Paul George dissected the Cleveland defense in the first game, but it would be his last played game for a while due to bone edema in his foot he’d battle for parts of the season. Second, the first game provoked panic within the Clippers community regarding how the Cavs’ guards had some moments against the Clippers’ drop coverage. Such panic has since vanished.

Clippers vs. Cavaliers Game Notes

• Containing the Dribble: As alluded to earlier, the Cavs are one of the top paint-scoring teams in the league. A lot of the production comes from drives to rim and dishes to Allen for dunks. The Clippers will need to do a good job of containing Garland and Rubio.
• Aggressive Paul George: The Cavs start three big men (Mobley, Allen, and Markkanen), and one of those three is going to be guarding PG. It probably won’t be Allen, which means George will have either of Markkanen and Mobley. One is a rookie, and the other is slow-footed. Wednesday night should be a great opportunity for PG to get the guys off to a fast start.

That about does it for this preview of the Clippers game against the Cavaliers. Leave your comments below!

Clippers vs. Cavaliers Preview: Looking to go .500
Cole Huff

Here’s your Clippers vs Cavs game preview as the Clippers, fresh off back-to-back wins in Minnesota and Chicago, look to extend their winning streak to 3 without Paul George.

Game Information

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV, Fox Sports Prime Ticket

Projected Starting Lineups

Cavs: Darius Garland – Collin Sexton – Isaac Okoro – Taurean Prince – Andre Drummond

Clippers: Patrick Beverley – Reggie Jackson – Kawhi Leonard – Nicolas Batum – Serge Ibaka

Injuries

Cavs: Larry Nance Out (Finger), Kevin Love Out (Calf), Matthew Dellavedova Out (Ankle)

Clippers: Paul George Out (Foot)

The Big Picture

Despite some shakiness with Paul George out, the Clippers are in a pretty good spot. They sit only three games behind the Utah Jazz for 1^st place in the highly competitive Western Conference, even though the Jazz have won a ridiculous 18 of their past 19 games. The Clips have also managed to keep a slim lead over the teams lumped together below them in the standings, with the Suns two games back. More importantly, the Clippers’ record matches their overall play – their 7.4 Net Rating is 4^th overall behind just the Jazz, Bucks, and Lakers. With the 2^nd ranked offense and 11^th ranked defense in the league, the Clippers are a well-rounded squad that can beat teams in several different ways. They have issues – an inconsistent defense, shallow bench, and lingering issues – but on the whole have had an excellent first third of the season.

The Antagonist

After a surprising start to the season, the Cavs are now exactly where most pundits predicted they would be before the season – down at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They are now just 10-17, have lost six games in a row, and their best player this season (Larry Nance) is out until April. They also now have the worst Net Rating (per NBA.com) in the entire NBA, with the 20^th ranked defense and 30^th ranked offense in the association. In short, they are quite bad, and while their backcourt is quite capable of going off for big games, the Cavs’ overall lack of shooting and shot creation means they struggle to score. Even without Paul George, this should be a win for the Clippers if they show up and mean business.

Notes

The Clippers’ 3^rd Scorer: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the alpha and omega of the Clippers’ offense, but the rest of the pecking order is much more fluid. The Clippers have four players averaging double figures in scoring after their two starters, all lumped together between Nic Batum’s 10 points per game and Marcus Morris’ 11.9. Lou Williams is the recent riser, and is probably the guy who will settle in as the third leading scorer overall as he shakes off his early rust and injury, but Batum, Morris, and Serge Ibaka are all good candidates to be that third option in any given game. While that could be confusing (teams can sometimes do better with a very clearly defined hierarchy on offense), having that many options is obviously a good thing.

Getting Luke Going: While the play of Lou Williams and Terance Mann lately has been highly encouraging, that of Luke Kennard has been worrying. In six games in February, Luke is averaging a mere 5.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while playing only 16.9 minutes per game. The eye test might be even worse than that – when Luke is not shooting an open catch-and-shoot three, he’s not doing much if anything to help the team. While Luke is coming off a knee injury, adjusting to a new team, and settling in to a different role, the Clippers could really use more scoring and playmaking from Luke. If he keeps playing like this, Ty Lue could be in a real dilemma when Paul George returns on whether to play Mann, Reggie Jackson, or Luke next to Lou Williams off the bench. Kennard has the most talent, Mann is the best defensively, and Reggie is the best Reggie (not a typo). Ultimately, Kennard has been outplayed by both other guards in the past few weeks, and while the Clippers have invested a lot more in him, Lue has shown he’s not afraid to go away from Luke when he’s not playing well. Today could be a good game to get Luke back on track against a Cavs’ team that is weak (to put it politely) defensively on the perimeter.

Well, that’s about it for this preview of the Clippers’ Sunday night contest against the Cavs. Check out the Chase Down podcast for Cavs’ takes, and follow along on this post for the game thread.

Clippers vs Cavs Preview: Grabbing an Easy Win
Robert Flom

The Clippers close out their six-game road trip with a visit to Cleveland and the pesky, young Cavaliers. Read on below for a full game preview of the Clippers’ match against the Cavs.

Game Information

Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Fox Sports Prime Ticket

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Nicolas Batum – Serge Ibaka

Cavs: Darius Garland – Collin Sexton – Taurean Prince – Cedi Osman – Jarrett Allen

Injuries

Clippers: Pat Beverley Out (Knee)

Cavs: Larry Nance Jr. Out (Wrist), Kevin Love Out (Calf), Andre Drummond Questionable (Back), Matthew Dellevedova Out (Back)

The Big Picture

The Clippers are coming off a tough loss to the Brooklyn Nets, but have to be satisfied with their play overall in recent weeks. Their defense has continued to tighten despite the absence of the All-Defense stalwart Pat Beverley, and the offense has retained its voracious ball movement through nearly a third of the season. There are issues, to be sure – depth remains a weakness, especially at forward and big man, and roster moves (probably the trade of Mifondu Kabengele) are certainly coming. Additionally, the Clippers are getting to the rim and to the free throw line less this year, a dangerous indicator against top-tier defensive teams who won’t allow a million wide open threes and instead force Kawhi Leonard and Paul George into mid-range jumps. But still, these are just blips on the radar right now for a team that is playing well on both ends and appears every bit a championship contender.

The Antagonist

The Cavs were projected to be a bottom feeder yet again after two years toiling in the lottery after the departure of LeBron James. Instead, they’ve been feisty, sharp defensively, and sit at 7^th in the Eastern Conference with a 10-11 record. Now, their defense will certainly come back down to earth after an extremely lucky first few weeks of the season, but they are still competent at that end, largely through their forcing of turnovers. Unfortunately for them, the lynchpin of that defense, Larry Nance Jr. is out, and without him, they lose a lot of their ability to generate steals and get out in transition. Still, they are a dangerous team capable of beating anyone in the NBA when they are rolling. J.B. Bickerstaff is a good coach, and has done a very nice job in molding the Cavs’ young talent into a decent NBA team. The Cavs aren’t a contender, but their fight, energy, and effort should make this game a good preview for the Clippers in their ability to deal with more athletic teams.

Notes

Kennard Losing Minutes: Luke Kennard played just four minutes against the Nets yesterday, all in the first quarter. He took two shots, both threes, and misfired on each, while also recording one rebound. While this is by far the least he’s played so far this season, Luke’s minutes have been getting steadily curtailed since Pat Beverley’s injury. While in a way this doesn’t make sense, as Pat’s injury would seem to open up more guard minutes, Kennard’s struggles, the plus play of Reggie Jackson, and the lack of another positive defender to cover up for Luke’s defense has led to a reduction instead. Luke is still shooting 46.5% from the field and 43% on the season, but his lack of aggression and his inability to consistently impact the game in ways outside of scoring have been concerning. He’s certainly a good fit in a lineup with other ball-handlers and defenders who can make up for his flaws on that end, but he hasn’t been able to fill Lou Williams’ shoes as a playmaker at all. The Clippers have invested heavily in Kennard, so his minutes will come back around. Still, it’s been a disappointing season so far for the young guard out of Duke.

Containing Sexland: While the Cavs are powered defensively by Nance and Andre Drummond, their offense is mostly generated by their young backcourt, Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. Labeled “Sexland” by Chase Down Podcast hosts Justin Rowan and Carter Rodriguez, the Cavs backcourt is fun to watch and capable of explosive offensive nights. Sexton, averaging 24.1 points per game, is more of the scorer, while Garland is the playmaker and set-up man. They both have struggles on defense (though Sexton has improved a bunch there), but make up for it with shooting and passing on the other end. If the Clippers can contain Sexland, they should be able to pull out the victory.

Languishing Love: Five-time All Star Kevin Love has played in just two games for the Cavs this season, as he’s been limited by a pesky calf strain. The 32-year old has three more seasons left on his 4 year, $120M extension, and is on a completely different timeline from most of the roster. While he adds a valuable veteran presence and is beloved in Cleveland, Love is also a potential trade chip. He was bad in his two appearances this season, but was pretty good the two seasons previously (albeit no longer All-Star level), and would still be a good fit as a 3^rd or 4^th option on playoff contenders. It will be interesting to see if the Cavs trade him or Andre Drummond this season, or instead try to push for a playoff spot.

Well, that’s about it for this preview of the Clippers’ game against the Cavs. Comment on the game below, and check out our friends at the Chase Down Pod for Cavs-centric insights.

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Clippers vs. Cavs Game Preview: End of Road Trip
Robert Flom

Summary

If the Timberwolves game didn’t deserve much of a recap due to the effort the Clippers put out, this one deserves even less for the product that the Cavs had on the court tonight. The Cavs are really bad even in the best of times, and tonight they absolutely folded once the Clippers got out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter. By the mid-2^nd quarter they were barely even trying, and the Clippers continued to pour it on all game long. The regular rotation played the entirety of the third quarter, but the game was already over, and the last period was simply extended garbage time. The Clippers played quite well, for sure, but the end score of 133-92 had much more to do with the Cavs’ atrociousness than the Clippers’ excellence.

Notes

Marcus Morris Makes Clips Debut: We saw the good and the bad from Morris right away. He scored 10 points on 12 shots, more shots than Moe Harkless has probably taken in a single game all year, and actively created offense out of the pick and roll. That aggression and shot creation is a good thing. However, most of those shots and points came from mid-range isolation or bully-ball in the post, and neither of those are particularly efficient attempts. Worse, Morris is less willing of a passer than Kawhi or even Paul George, so those isolations rarely result in easier looks for teammates. Defensively, Morris was pretty solid, though he did lose three-point shooters a couple times behind the arc. Overall, a nice debut, albeit against a dreadful opponent.

Amir Coffey Enters Rotation: With Pat Beverley and Kawhi Leonard out, someone had to fill the former Jerome Robinson spot 10^th man minutes, and tonight, that player was two-way rookie Amir Coffey. Coffey actually played quite well in 25 minutes, running the floor hard in transition, defending smartly and with effort, and doing little things such as setting screens. It was, in fact, a more complete performance than all but a handful that the Clippers had received from Jerome over the past two seasons, and while again the “Cavs caveat” must be mentioned, it was a promising performance from Amir.

PG Looks Sharp: While Paul George has played well since returning from injury a few games ago, his shot hadn’t necessarily been falling. Tonight, it was, and how sweet a sight it was for Clippers fans. PG torched the Cavs all over the court, mercilessly draining stepbacks from tough angles to bury the Cavs. George hasn’t really shot the ball all that great since his first few weeks of the season, and if he could get back on track down the stretch, it would be a huge boon for the Clippers in their push for postseason positioning.

Next up, the Clippers take on the Sixers in Philadelphia on TNT on Tuesday night. Despite the Sixers’ struggles this season, they’ve been monstrously good at home, and are a very tough matchup for the Clips. That one should be much, much more entertaining than the glorified scrimmage we saw tonight.

Clippers Demolish Cavs 133-92 in Marcus Morris’ Debut
Robert Flom