The Clippers have had an up-and-down start to their season, and now face off against the West-leading Thunder on the second night of a back-to-back. It’s probably going to be a tough one.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 8:00

How to Watch: NBC, Peacock, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Cason Wallace – Lu Dort – Chet Holmgren – Isaiah Hartenstein

Clippers: James Harden – Bradley Beal – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Thunder: Chet Holmgren Questionable (Back), Lu Dort Questionable (Illness), Ousmane Dieng Questionable (Calf), Jalen Williams Out (Wrist), Kenrich Williams Out (Knee), Nikola Topic Out (Cancer), Thomas Sorber Out (Knee)

Clippers: Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring), Kobe Sanders Out (Knee)

The Clippers are playing at home and are much healthier than the Thunder, but the Thunder are 7-0 for a reason: they have the best defense in the league and boast a clear top-five player in SGA. The Clippers can definitely win this one, especially if Dort and Chet are out, but they will need to be better on defense and more turnover-conscious on offense than they have been to pull out the victory.

Clippers vs Thunder Game Thread: The Best in the West
Robert Flom

The Clippers will look to extend their first winning streak of the season to three games against their division rivals, the Golden State Warriors.

Game Information

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

When: 8:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBC, Peacock, KEIB 1150

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Bogdan Bogdanovic – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Warriors: Steph Curry – Brandin Podziemski – Jimmy Butler – Jonathan Kuminga – Draymond Green

Injuries

Clippers: Bradley Beal Out (Back), Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring), Kobe Sanders Out (Knee)

Warriors: Al Horford Probable (Toe), De’Anthony Melton Out (Knee), Alex Toohey Out (Knee)

The Warriors are playing quite well right now, making this game the biggest test for the Clippers of the young season.

Clippers vs Warriors Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers will look to continue building on their blowout win over the Suns on Friday night against the scrappy Blazers.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 6:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Blazers: Jrue Holiday – Shaedon Sharpe – Toumani Camara – Deni Avdija – Donovan Clingan

Clippers: James Harden – Bradley Beal – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Blazers: Scoot Henderson Out (Hamstring), Robert Williams III Out (Knee), Damian Lillard Out (Achilles)

Clippers: Bradley Beal Questionable (Back), Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring)

Clippers vs Blazers Game Thread
Robert Flom

Hello all. I am getting married on Sunday and thus will not be focused on Clippers basketball this weekend. Here’s a quick game thread for tonight’s game, and I will probably have something similar up for Sunday’s game. Hopefully the Clippers don’t have two more embarrassments.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, KEIB 1170

Projected Starting Lineups

Suns: Devin Booker – Grayson Allen – Dillon Brooks – Ryan Dunn – Oso Ighodaro

Clippers: James Harden – Bradley Beal – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Suns: Jalen Green Out (Hamstring)

Clippers: Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring)

I’m not sure how the Clippers could possibly be worse than they were in the season opener against the Jazz. Win or lose, hopefully this is a much better effort than that disaster.

Clippers vs Suns Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers will wrap up their 2026 preseason with an away contest against another division rival, the Golden State Warriors.

Game Information

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA League Pass

Notes

The Clippers’ dress rehearsal game ended up being on Wednesday against the Kings, and Ty Lue has already ruled out Kawhi and James Harden from this game. It is quite possible other key veteran Clippers don’t play either, though some of the new arrivals (Brook, Collins, CP3) logging minutes makes sense.

One of the only reasons to tune into this one is because there is at least a chance Bradley Beal makes his Clippers’ debut tonight. Honestly, I’d be a bit surprised if he appeared in preseason, but he has not been ruled out, and the Clippers might want to give him a few meaningless minutes with some teammates before being thrust into games that actually matter. If he does play, it will be interesting to see how he looks.

The only other semi-interesting plot thread here is if any of the younger players stand out enough to get the final two-way spot vacated by Trentyn Flowers. The smart money right now is on Jason Preston to get that last two-way slot, but if any of the other training camp guys has a terrific outing maybe it sways the Clippers in another direction.

That’s about it! After this, the games will actually matter, and I can’t wait for that!

Clippers 2026 Preseason Game 4: Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ 2026 preseason continues with a road contest against the Pacific Division rival Sacramento Kings.

Game Information

Where: Golden One Center, Sacramento, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA League Pass

Notes

The Clippers’ starting lineup is not known for this contest, as Bradley Beal and Bogdan Bogdanovic are out for the game and Ty Lue has said John Collins is not starting. Considering Harden, DJJ, Kawhi, and Zu are locked in as the other guys, some likely options are Kris Dunn, Nic Batum, or possibly Jordan Miller. I’d lean Dunn, but we will see.

The Clippers went really hard in their game against the Nuggets on Sunday, so I’m curious to see if they play just as intensely in this game. I can’t imagine this game is a full dress rehearsal, but maybe Ty does want to see all of his key players log true regular season style rotations beyond just the first half. If I had to guess, we won’t see Kawhi and possibly Harden after halftime, and the second half is another extended look at the young guys.

One item of note is that Trentyn Flowers was waived yesterday, which opens up a two-way spot. The Clippers don’t have to fill that spot right away, and could sign anyone who’s eligible to it, but it seems likely that the third two-way will be filled by one of the other guys at training camp. Maybe if one of the young guys really stands out tomorrow they are able to earn that final roster spot.

Clippers 2026 Preseason Game 3: Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers kick off their 2026 season with a preseason game against the Guangzhou Loong-Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Game Information

Where: Frontwave Arena, San Diego, CA

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Unclear, seems to be on League Pass

I have very, very little to say about any preseason game, especially on a Clippers team that knows who their rotation players are and have roles more or less mapped out.

Bradley Beal will miss this game as he recovers from a knee injury, but he’s practicing with the team and it seems like he will appear at some point in preseason. Everyone else is a go, even Kawhi Leonard, so the Clippers should be able to give just about everyone on their roster a couple minutes of action in this one.

Outside of coming out the other side healthy, the only thing I’d like to see in this game is some progress from the Clippers young guys: Jordan Miller, Kobe Brown, Cam Christie, Kobe Sanders, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, and Trentyn Flowers. Hopefully one or two of them look good, and if not them, then maybe an Exhibit 10 guy pops a bit.

That’s about all! I can’t wait for the games that really matter, which are about two weeks away!

Clippers 2026 Preseason Game 1: Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Los Angeles Clippers open up the 2022-2023 season on the “road” against their rivals from down the hall, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: TNT

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac

Lakers: Patrick Beverley – Russell Westbrook – Lonnie Walker IV – LeBron James – Anthony Davis

Injuries
Clippers: None

Lakers: Troy Brown Jr. out (lower back soreness), Thomas Bryant out (left UCL repair), Dennis Schroder out (right UCL repair)

The Big Picture

After a fairly successful preseason rotation-wise, the Clippers get their first crack at getting a win against a team they’ve beaten seven consecutive times. The last time the Lakers defeated the Clippers was back in 2020 on Christmas Day. The Clippers have undergone several changes since then as they look to keep their streak against their neighbor in tact.

This Clipper team is probably the deepest team they’ve had since they ushered in a new era following the removal of Donald Sterling. This Clipper team also represents the best shot at a championship they’ve ever had.

The one rotation spot that is still up for grabs, however, is the starting point guard spot. Up until the very end of the preseason, Tyronn Lue was non-committal in terms of who would start between Reggie Jackson and John Wall. Jackson is the veteran and fan favorite who has rejuvenated his career in LA. Wall is the one with something to prove and who had a very strong preseason. As of publishing, Lue indicated that he’d made up his mind as to who would start but would wait to reveal it until pregame availability.

Also, minutes restriction for Wall and for Leonard might be something to potentially watch for. The team has no real injuries to report other than Jackson is who is probable with a sore groin. Everyone is ready to go.

The Antagonist

If the Clippers are one of the deepest, most well put together teams in the league, the Lakers are anything but. They are a team that doesn’t seem to fit together and is lacking in certain areas, particularly when it comes to shooting the ball.

They have a couple of superstars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but Davis hasn’t been able to stay healthy nor replicate his 2020 playoff run. Russell Westbrook hasn’t been able to find his niche on the team. He went from coming off the bench in preseason to starting against the Golden State Warriors and exclaiming how his recent hamstring injury may have been caused by having to change his routine to playing off the bench.

The Lakers were utterly humiliated and run completely off the floor on Tuesday against the Warriors. Despite their outlook as a team, they still have some talent and some pride. They’re going to come out ready to play in front of the home crowd and look to end their losing streak against the Clippers.

Clippers vs Lakers Game Preview: 2023 Opener
David Yapkowitz

The Clippers wrap up their 2023 preseason against fellow Western Conference contenders, the Denver Nuggets.

Game Information

Where: Toyota Arena (Ontario, CA)

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: KTLA

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: John Wall – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac

Nuggets: Ish Smith – Bruce Brown Jr. – Michael Porter Jr. – Jeff Green – DeAndre Jordan

Things to Watch For

It’s the final preseason game for the Clippers, so there’s not much in particular to pay attention to. One thing though is the possible continued brilliance of John Wall. In the starting lineup last game, Wall looked strong and showed that he can bring exactly what the Clippers have been missing on the offensive end.

Other than that, don’t expect the main guys to get much playing time. Last game, Kawhi Leonard didn’t play the second half and that should be the same against the Nuggets provided that he plays at all.

This should, however, be a time to figure out the end of the bench roster spots. Moses Brown probably has the 15th roster spot sown up and he’ll probably get some extended playing time this game to see what he can do. The Clippers will almost assuredly go small when Ivica Zubac goes to the bench but Brown may be useful for some spot minutes here or there throughout the season. Doesn’t hurt to give him some solid minutes in the final preseason game.

The other roster spot up for grabs is the second two-way contract spot. Rookie Moussa Diabate has one of the two-way contracts, leaving Xavier Moon, Nate Darling, and Malik Fitts battling it out for the other one. All three have some history with the Clippers. Moon occupied one of the two-way spots last season while both Darling and Fitts have played for the Ontario Clippers with Fitts earning a 10-day call-up with the team during the 2020-2021 season.

This game represents the final audition for those three players to go out there and show why they’re worthy of the last two-way contract spot. Other than that, the main rotations and sets should already be set. This is the final tuneup before the season begins for real on Oct. 20.

Clippers vs. Nuggets Preseason Game Preview
David Yapkowitz

Well, the regular season is finally almost over. The Clippers will take on the Thunder in a game that will mean zilch and preview nothing, and the only goal will be for no players involved to get injured. Enjoy!

Game Information

Where: Disneyworld, Orlando, Florida

When: 3:30 PM PT

How to Watch: ESPN, Fox Sports Prime Ticket

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac

Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Hamidou Diallo – Darius Bazley – Danilo Gallinari – Steven Adams

Injuries

Clippers: Montrezl Harrell Out (Quarantine), Pat Beverley Out (Calf strain), Landry Shamet Out (Ankle sprain)

Thunder: Luguentz Dort Out (Knee sprain), Chris Paul Out (Hand sprain), Dennis Schroder Out (Out of bubble)

The Big Picture

The Clippers clinched the two seed with their win against the Nuggets on Wednesday, making this game essentially meaningless. This is even more true because the Clippers will still be missing Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley, so it can’t even serve as a mini test-run of the Clippers’ actual rotation before the playoffs begin. There is no reason for them to try to win this game, so expect the starters to play only a handful of minutes and for third-stringers such as Amir Coffey, Terance Mann, and Joakim Noah to get a ton of minutes. As long as the Clippers make it out of this one without any injuries, it will be a win for them.

The Antagonist

The Thunder are in similar situation. They are locked into either the 4 or 5 seed against the Houston Rockets, and since homecourt advantage is worthless in the Orlando bubble, they have nothing to play for either. Chris Paul, the Thunder’s best player, will sit out as a precaution with a banged up hand (how familiar does that sound?), and other key players such as Shai, Gallo, and Steven Adams will probably only play a few minutes as well. This Thunder team is legitimately good, and have a chance to win their 1^st round matchup against Houston, especially since Russell Westbrook is injured and will miss at least some of the series. To preserve their chances, the Thunder will take all precautions. Expect their third-stringers to get significant run in this one too, making this a battle of deep bench lineups.

Notes

Bizarro Clippers Prospering: Many Clippers fans tuned in frequently to Thunder games this year due to the abundance of ex-Clippers on the roster. If you didn’t, you missed one of the most fun teams in the NBA, a gritty, hard-fighting unit led by a resurgent Chris Paul. Shai is one of the better young players in the league, taking a huge leap after his rookie season to turn into a legitimate 20 point per game (ok, 19) scorer who can play defense and contribute across the board. Danilo Gallinari remains highly underrated, a deadly and highly efficient scorer who can play solid defense. And then there’s Paul, the Point God, who was one of the best players in the NBA this season at age 35. The Thunder don’t have enough depth or wings to make a real playoff run, but they’re a fun and dangerous team that could absolutely give a much more talented team a scare in the postseason.

Rodney McGruder Moving Up the Rotation: One of the few real rotation developments we’ve seen from the Clippers in the bubble has been the return of Rodney McGruder to Doc Rivers’ real lineups. While McGruder presumably won’t play when Pat Beverley and Landry Shamet are healthy, he’s proven himself able to help in limited minutes. Rodney has looked far more confident in the bubble, and his defense in particular has been much sharper than it was during the regular season. He’s been especially good at the point of attack, which has been useful as a replacement for Pat Beverley’s defense in that situation. After a really disappointing regular season, McGruder has turned things around, and if he can give the Clippers some positive contributions when they’re short-handed, his previous missteps will be forgotten.

Getting Lou Going: Lou Williams was fantastic against the Nuggets, looking both quick and confident, and it was great to see. When Lou is on his game, the Clippers are a far, far more dangerous team, gaining a completely different dimension to their attack. While he has his weaknesses on defense, the Clippers will need Lou at his best to win a championship. Hopefully he has a second strong outing against the Thunder and will be able to take some momentum going into the playoffs.

Well, that’s it for this Clippers-Thunder preview, the last preview for a regular season game in the 2020 season. The next preview on here will be for a playoff game! Comment on the game in the comments below.

Clippers-Thunder Game Preview: Don’t Get Injured
Robert Flom