As we enter the last week of the NBA’s regular season, the Clippers’ fate is still up in the air–we know that they’ll at least make some kind of postseason appearance after clinching a top-10 finish in the West with Dallas’ loss Sunday. Currently, the Clippers are 3 losses behind the 4th-place Suns, 2 losses ahead of the 9th-place Minnesota Timberwolves, and 3 losses ahead of the 10th-place Oklahoma City Thunder. Technically, every spot from 4th to 10th is still in play for the Clippers, though 4, 9, and 10 are all extremely unlikely. Passing the Suns is impossible unless the Clippers win all 3 of their remaining games and the Suns lose all 4 of theirs. Similarly, the Thunder passing the Clippers would require the Clippers losing all 3 of their remaining games while the Thunder win all 3 of theirs (this would pull the teams into a tie, with OKC winning the regular season H2H series 3-1). Minnesota’s buffer is only slightly wider, as they could weather one Clipper win or Wolves loss and still pass LAC. But for now, I’m going to set them aside and revisit them later in the week if needed.

While those options aren’t mathematically eliminated, they’re obviously extremely unlikely to happen. The range of outcomes that are much more likely to be in play for the Clippers are spots 5-8 in the Western Conference, where they are currently in a dead heat with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and New Orleans Pelicans. All 4 teams currently have 38 losses, with the Warriors and Clippers both holding 41 wins and having 3 games remaining, while the Lakers and Pelicans each have 40 wins and 4 games remaining. The Clippers finish the season with games against the Lakers, Blazers, and Suns. The Warriors still have to play the Thunder, Kings, and Blazers. The Lakers have games left against the Jazz, Clippers, Suns, and Jazz again. And the Pelicans close out their campaign against the Kings, Grizzlies, Knicks, and Timberwolves. At this stage, any combination of these teams could end up tied–in fact, it would be surprising if there wasn’t a tie somewhere in this 5-8 range. So, let’s look at the lay of the land with the possible tie combinations involving the Clippers:

Clippers & Warriors tie

Status: Clippers lead
Win Condition: Clippers clinch with 1 of the following 3 results: Clippers beat Lakers, Kings beat Warriors, Clippers beat Suns
Loss Condition: Warriors clinch with all 3 of the following results: Lakers beat Clippers, Warriors beat Kings, Suns beat Clippers
Explantion: The Clippers and Warriors tied their regular season series 2-2. Since they’re in the same division, if they finish in a 2-team tie, the next tiebreaker is division record. The Clippers are currently 7-7 vs Pacific Division foes, while the Warriors are 6-9. If any of the above 3 games goes LAC’s way, the Clippers will win this two-team tiebreaker on division record. If all 3 games listed above go the Warriors’ way, we would move to the third tiebreaker, which is conference record. The Warriors are currently ahead in conference record and, by nature of the Warrior wins and Clipper losses required to tie the division record criteria, would win the two-team tiebreaker with the Clippers if it came to that.

Clippers and Pelicans tie

Status: Pelicans won
Explanation: The Pelicans clinched the 2-team tiebreaker vs the Clippers by winning the regular season series 3-0.

Clippers and Lakers tie

Status: Clippers won
Explanation: The Clippers clinched the 2-team tiebreaker vs the Lakers by taking a 3-0 lead in the regular season series, with 1 game remaining.

Clippers, Warriors, and Pelicans tie

Status: Pelicans 1st, Warriors 2nd, Clippers 3rd (clinched)
Explanation: In a 3-team tie, the first tiebreaker is combined head-to-head record. The Clippers and Warriors are 2-2. The Pelicans and Warriors are 2-2. The Pelicans beat the Clippers 3-0. Therefore, whether this tie was 5/6/7 or 6/7/8, the Clippers would be going to the Play-In-Tournament, likely either for a “home” game vs the Lakers (who would presumably finish 8th if this was a 5/6/7 tie) or a road game to the Warriors (who would finish 7th if this was a 6/7/8 tie).

Clippers, Warriors, and Lakers tie

Status: Clippers 1st, Lakers 2nd, Warriors 3rd (clinched)
Explanation: So, even though all of these teams are in the same division, we still start with their combined head-to-head records as the first tiebreaker. The Clippers are a combined 5-2 vs the Warriors and Lakers, while the Lakers are 3-4 and the Warriors are 3-5. If the Lakers beat the Clippers in the final game among this group, they’d have the 2nd-best combined H2H record. But even if they lose that game, they’d beat the Warriors for 2nd in this 3-team tie. Once a multi-team tie is broken by a criteria removing at least one team, the tiebreak process resets among the teams who are still tied. So, if on the first 3-team tie criteria the Clippers win and the Warriors and Laker are still tied, they don’t move to the 2nd 3-team tie criteria, they set the Clippers aside and run Warriors/Lakers as a 2-team tie. The Lakers won the regular season series 3-1 and have therefore already clinched 2nd in this hypothetical 3-way tie regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s game vs the Clippers. If this was a 5/6/7 tie, the Clippers would go on the road against the Suns in the first round while the Warriors hosted (presumably) the Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament. If this was a 6/7/8 tie, the Clippers would secure the 6 seed and the Warriors would have a road game against the Lakers in the Play-In Tournament.

Clippers, Pelicans, and Lakers tie

Status: Pelicans 1st (clinched), Clippers 2nd (currently lead), Lakers 3rd (currently trail)
Win Condition: Clippers clinch 2nd in this 3-team tiebreaker with a win over the Lakers
Loss Condition: Clippers clinch 3rd in this 3-team tiebreaker with a loss to the Lakers
Explanation: Again, we look at combined head-to-head. The Pelicans are currently 4-3, Clippers 3-3, and Lakers 3-4, with one Clippers-Lakers game remaining. If the Clippers win that game, they’ll tie the Pelicans at 4-3 and the Lakers will be alone in last at 3-5. The Lakers would then be removed from the tie, and the Pelicans would win the 2-team tie with the Clippers based on the 3-0 season series win. In that case, a 5/6/7 tie would give the Clippers the 6-seed, while in a 6/7/8 tie their only reward would be hosting the 7-8 Play-In game vs the Lakers.

But if the Lakers win Wednesday’s head-to-head with the Clippers, the Lakers would improve to 4-4 in the combined head-to-head while the Clippers would drop to 3-4. Once again, in a 5/6/7 tie, this would be massively important as the Lakers would be protected from the Play-In Tournament while the Clippers would (most likely) have to host the Warriors in the 7-8 game. If this was a 6/7/8 tie, the 7-8 game would be Lakers-Clippers regardless, and the Lakers getting 2nd in this tiebreaker would just change the designated home team for the game.

Clippers, Warriors, Pelicans, and Lakers tie

Status: Pelicans currently lead, Lakers currently 2nd, Clippers currently 3rd, Warriors clinched last
Win Condition: The Clippers will finish 2nd in this 4-team tiebreaker if they beat the Lakers on Wednesday
Loss Condition: The Clippers will finish 3rd in this 4-team tiebreaker if they lose to the Lakers on Wednesday
Explanation: So, even in the big one, we just add up the combined head-to-head records. The Pelicans and Lakers are each 6-5, while the Clippers are 5-5 and the Warriors are 5-7. Clippers-Lakers is the only remaining head-to-head among this group.

If the Clippers win that game, they’ll join the Pelicans at 6-5 while bumping the Lakers to 6-6. Assuming this is a 5/6/7/8 tie, the Lakers would finish 7th and the Warriors would finish 8th, setting up Warriors @ Lakers in the Play-In Tournament. The Clippers and Pelicans would reset as a 2-team tie, which New Orleans would win, placing the Pelicans 5th and the Clippers 6th.

If the Lakers win that game, they’ll pass the Pelicans, finishing 7-5 to New Orleans’ 6-5, the Clippers’ 5-6, and the Warriors’ 5-7. No further tiebreakers would be needed; the Lakers would be the 5-seed, the Pelicans would be the 6-seed, and we’d have Warriors @ Clippers in the 7-8 Play-In game.

The Timberwolves

I mentioned at the beginning that I would be setting aside the Wolves for now, and I hope that this post illustrates why–adding a 5th team to the mix creates a ton of additional 2-, 3-, and 4-team tie possibilities, in addition to the massive potential 5-team tiebreaker. Since they currently sit 2 losses back of the pack, it’s very likely that a lot of those scenarios will be closed off in the coming days. But if any Clippers-Wolves scenarios are still play heading into the final weekend of the regular season, I’ll be sure to break down the possibilities either in an article here or on my Twitter, where I am doing daily live tweeting of standings watching. For now, it might just be useful to know that the Wolves are 2-2 vs the Warriors, 2-1 vs the Clippers, 2-1 vs the Lakers, and 1-1 vs the Pelicans with a potentially massive final game vs New Orleans on the last day of the regular season.

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.

Western Conference Playoffs: a look at the Clippers tiebreaker situation
Lucas Hann

The Clippers were projected to have a full roster tonight; however, a few hours before the game, Marcus Morris, Sr. (elbow) and Ivica Zubac (calf) were ruled out. But I am not sure those two could have inspired a better shooting night for the Clippers tonight against the Warriors. Check out our recap of the Clippers’ fourth straight loss below:

Summary

Ty Lue elected to start Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee in place of Morris and Zubac, with Nicolas Batum as tonight’s sixth man. Norman Powell and Terance Mann also finished the quarter, protecting the Clippers’ very narrow first quarter lead. The score was 27-26 after 12 minutes and the game was just as back-and-forth as the score suggests: there were eight lead changes and six ties.

The Clippers’ offense had to adjust to the Warriors’ decision to essentially not guard Russell Westbrook and have his defender (generally, Draymond Green) play as a free safety. This, of course, created major spacing issues because Westbrook was (rightfully) unwilling to shoot every possession. But he was able to keep the Clippers’ offense running with some nice assists and by pushing the pace.

The Clippers extended their lead in the second quarter, culminating in a 56-45 score at the half. Leonard led the way with 15 points, followed by eight each from George and Westbrook. Mason Plumlee also had 14 rebounds. The Warriors’ first half was led by Klay Thompson, who had 16, and Green and Jonathan Kuminga, who each had seven. Neither team shot well from three: The Clippers were 6/21, while the Warriors went 3/22 (0/9 in the second quarter).

The Warriors chipped away at the Clippers’ lead and tied it by the 5:30 mark of the third quarter. The Clippers’ offense started to slump and turn the ball over, allowing the Warriors to push the pace and find open shooters—who started to remedy their earlier struggles.

But it got worse from there—much worse. The Clippers found themselves down 15 at the end of the third quarter, getting outscored 42-16 in the frame. LA had seven turnovers in the quarter, Leonard stopped hitting shots, and George had to sit after picking up his fourth foul.

The Clippers continued to struggle hitting shots to start the fourth quarter. And by halfway through the frame, Ty Lue emptied the bench. Why the Clippers came out so flat in the second half is truly a mystery, but we can at least identify the consequences: They were sloppy with the ball; they chucked deep threes without any true offensive process; and they could not keep up with the Warriors in transition (the Warriors had 29 points off Clipper turnovers).

Notes

Eric Gordon Struggles: In his first 26 minutes, Gordon scored just seven points on 3/11 shooting (1/7 from three). He also had zero rebounds, zero assists, one steal, one turnover, and three fouls. It is extremely hard to win a game—against anyone—when the starting shooting guard cannot produce anything on the offensive end. He ended up playing in garbage time, so his stat line looked a little better, but his impact on the meaningful minutes were de minimis—and even hurtful.

Norman Powell Struggles: Norm likewise struggled. He finished with just two points in 21 minutes on 1/9 shooting (0/7 from three) and just two rebounds, one assist, and one turnover. As the TNT crew mentioned after the game, Norm has not been in a rhythm because he is not getting as many touches as he was pre-trade deadline. Ty Lue needs to find a way to get him going because the Clippers will not win games without him playing at a Sixth Man of the Year level.

That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ loss against the Warriors. 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 continue to spiral, lose to Warriors, 115-91
Kenneth Armstrong

The Clippers traveled up to San Francisco to take on the Warriors on Thursday night for a prime-time TNT game. This game has huge implications for the Western Conference standings and, more generally, the fate of this Clippers team. Check out our preview below:

Game Information

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: TNT

How to Listen: AM 570 KLAC

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Russell Westbrook – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris, Sr. – Ivica Zubac

Warriors: Jordon Poole – Klay Thompson – Donte DiVincenzo – Draymond Green – Kevon Looney

Injuries

Clippers: 
G-LEAGUE ASSIGNMENT: Brandon Boston, Jr.; Moussa Diabaté; Jason Preston

Warriors: 
PROBABLE – Jordan Poole (knee)

OUT – Stephen Curry (lower leg); Andrew Wiggins (personal); Andre Iguodala (hip)

The Big Picture

The Clippers will have the better roster tonight. The Warriors will be without Curry and Wiggins, and Jordan Poole is nursing a knee bruise. Moreover, the Clippers will have matchup advantages over the Warriors’ remaining roster: The Warriors will have to rely on Draymond Green to guard Kawhi Leonard all game again, DiVincenzo or Thompson will have to chase Paul George, and the Clippers will have the superior bench.

LA also only has to look back a few weeks to find a blueprint for approaching this game: Before the All Star Break, the Clippers took care of business against the Curry-less Warriors. They won that game by keeping turnovers low (only 8), knocking down threes (47%), and getting strong scoring production from Kawhi, Norman Powell, and George.

The Antagonist

While the above sounds logical in theory, this Clippers team has found ways to defy gravity and lose winnable games over the last week. The Clippers are 4-6 in the last 10 games, including a three game losing streak. The rotations have been confusing, turnovers have reemerged as a serious problem, and the defense is still on the All Star Break.

Paul George has put up decent numbers since the ASB, but he has not been the elite player the Clippers have needed (especially with the costly turnovers). Marcus Morris, Sr. has also been in a shoot slump for almost a month, except for a few double-digit games.

The biggest concern, however, has been the questionable rotations and in-game coaching by Ty Lue. Without getting too far into it, it seems reasonable to say that there have been too many guard-heavy lineups, Mann’s minutes are too low and poorly dispersed, and Morris’ are too high. The Clippers will need Ty to be disciplined tonight: when something is not working, do not wait too long to fix it.

Notes

Xavier Moon was signed to a two-way contract on Wednesday after Keaton Wallace was waived. Wallace’s waiver follows a similarly short stint by Nate Darling, another Ontario Clippers stand out. 213Hoops’ Lucas Hann theorized on Twitter that the Clippers always wanted Moon (who was playing with the USA team), but gave Darling and Wallace the opportunity to be on the “main” roster in the meantime as a reward.

That about does it for this preview of the Clippers’ upcoming game against the Warriors. 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. Warriors Game Preview
Kenneth Armstrong

With the game tied at 104 with less than four minutes left, the lead changed hands five times before the L.A. Clippers’ 19-point comeback bid fell just short to the Golden State Warriors, 115-113 Thursday at the Chase Center. Stephen Curry dominated the opening and closing moments of this one, collecting 45 points (16-25 FG, 8-13 3PT, 5-5 FT) and 10 rebounds. Paul George led the charge for L.A. with 29 points (12-23 FG, 5-11 3PT), 11 rebounds and six assists. In his second Clipper debut, Eric Bledsoe emerged as the second most impactful player on the floor for LAC with 22 points (10-16 FG, 1-4 3PT), three boards, two assists, three steals and a block. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Warriors game recap.

Summary

As hinted at in the preview for tonight’s game, the Clippers weren’t exactly heading into tonight’s game in a steady rhythm, nor did they have the optimal personnel to check Stephen Curry. By way of the “scary” ball movement both Tyronn Lue and Paul George mentioned LAC needed to be weary of heading into tip-off, the Warriors had 10 assists in the opening frame. Andrew Wiggins got it started for Golden State, going flawless on three wide open threes. After Eric Bledsoe picked up two quiet fouls about five minutes in, No. 30 began to percolate to the tune of 25 points (9-9 FG, 5-5 3PT, 2-2 FT) in the period’s entire 12 minutes. Ultimately, letting Curry get loose like that usually spells doom and ruins a team’s confidence for the rest of the night. After one, the Warriors led 44-27.

While the first quarter was the Wiggins and Curry show, however, the second belonged to Bledsoe and Paul George. With Curry on the bench, PG opened up the second nailing a triple. Minutes later, Steve Kerr took a timeout and came back with a small ball unit with Iggy at the five, while Tyronn lue brought Ivica Zubac back in. As touched on over the offseason, a lot of the weaknesses that expose Zubac on the defensive end tend to be out of his control due to small ball. That was showcased for a stretch here. From Jordan Poole to Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter Jr., there were too many free dunks given up off of the ramped up pace. Lue soon subbed out Zu nearly midway through the quarter, and with Marcus Morris Sr. in at center, the game slowed swayed back the Clippers’ way. Credit for fueling the initial rally goes to Bledsoe, who had some tough layups and downright absurd steals. Soon enough, PG got hot, and the Clippers rode a 25-5 run to spoil the Chase Center mood and take a 67-66 advantage back to the locker room.

A quarter in which the Clippers just edged out the Warriors 26-24, the key for LAC in the third was forcing turnovers and continuing to keep them off of the three-point line. From deep, Golden State went 9-for 13 in the first, 1-for-5 in the second and just 1 of 7 here. With Curry’s rhythm disrupted due the Warrior turnovers mounting, the rest of the Clipper offense began to come alive. PG only had four points in this frame as he and the rest of the Clippers struggled to get a whistle their way. Fortunately for L.A., however, Terance Mann and Luke Kennard combined for three triples while Reggie Jackson finally willed his first bucket of the season to go in after eight previous tries. Seemingly breaking the seal entirely with a loud trey soon after, Jackson and the Clippers led 93-90 heading to the fourth.

The high point of the final frame for L.A. came at the 10:36 mark in which Kennard hit a cutting Justise Winslow to extend the Clipper lead 98-90. With an 11-0 LAC run at that point, and both PG and Curry on the bench, the game was firmly in the Clippers’ hands. Over the next five minutes and change, however, and even with George and Morris Sr. back in the game, LAC missed 10 straight field goals as the Warriors went on a 12-0 run to hit Lawler’s Law first and take a 102-98 lead with 5:06 to go. At that point, all bets were off. Both team exchanged some big shots, but on behalf of some botched LAC plays right before and out of timeouts, the game ended up being decided by Curry nailing some patented 27+ footers.

Clippers vs. Warriors Game Notes

• MVPG: The response from Paul George in the second quarter was exactly what you wanted to see out of him in game one of 82, especially at the start of this particular season. PG ending up with 11 3-point attempts is exactly the type of stuff the Clippers are going to need from him for the foreseeable future, and it was painful to see an aggressive player of his caliber simply somehow unable to buy a whistle all night.

• The BledShow: While the first quarter immediately made just about every Clipper fan think about a particular player who used to wear No. 21 for the squad, Eric Bledsoe really stepped it up the rest of the way. The athleticism was there, the defense was there, and although the 1-for-4 shooting from deep hurt, it’s truly looking like his downhill ability is something the team has sorely needed.

• Building Blocks: After an unreal postseason showing, Reggie Jackson came back to life a bit tonight, going 4-for-19 from the field (3-9 3PT) in a 39:17 of action. However, with the rest of the team looking for him to keep getting shots up throughout the game, and him still having five rebounds and six assists, it’s clear that Big Government going to play a big role for the Clips this season. Looking a bit limited on both ends to some extent, Marcus Morris Sr. was about as expected given that these were his first in-game minutes since the playoffs. Terance Mann played a game-high 39:24 minutes off of the Clipper bench and was +9.4 in Net Rating on the floor with George. Nicolas Batum’s absence was definitely felt tonight. Amir Coffey played about par for the course after getting the nod over Isaiah Hartenstein and Brandon Boston Jr. in the 9-man Clipper rotation.

• Up Next: The Clippers will return to Los Angeles for their home opener against the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. PT.

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.

Clippers vs. Warriors Recap: Curry’s 45 Halts LAC Rally
Ralston Dacanay

The L.A. Clippers open up the 2021-22 NBA regular season on the road against the Golden State Warriors (1-0) Thursday night. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Warriors game preview.

Clippers vs. Warriors Game Information

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
When: 7 p.m. PT
How to Tune in: TNT, KEIB AM 1150, KTMZ

Projected Starting Lineups:
L.A. Clippers: Eric Bledsoe – Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry – Jordan Poole – Andrew Wiggins – Draymond Green – Kevon Looney

Injury Report:
L.A. Clippers: Nicolas Batum – OUT (Personal Reasons), Serge Ibaka – OUT (Low Back Surgery – Rehab Assignment), Keon Johnson – OUT (Illness), Kawhi Leonard – OUT (Right Knee ACL – Rehab Assignment), Jason Preston – OUT (Right Foot Injury)
Golden State Warriors: Jonathan Kuminga – OUT (Right Knee Patellar Tendon Strain), Klay Thompson – OUT (Right Achilles Tendon Repair), James Wiseman – OUT (Right Knee Meniscus Tear)

The Big Picture

After a league-leading nine days off since their preseason finale, the Clippers are finally set to take the hardwood for their season opener. Fitting for a season in which the Clippers will look to keep the ship afloat without Kawhi Leonard, LAC will start off by looking to manifest that “next man up” mentality once again with Serge Ibaka and Nicolas Batum out. Additionally, tonight will be the first opportunity for someone on this roster to step up as the No. 2 guy on offense behind Paul George. As the preseason showed, and Tyronn Lue reflected in recent interviews, the Clippers still have a lot of cleaning up to do on both ends. Ultimately, just as almost every team who’s already played so far, the Clippers will likely need to scrap it out and figure it out on the fly in order to secure a win tonight.

The Antagonist

Among the handful of teams with stars having uncharacteristically bad shooting nights to start the season, the Golden State Warriors are coming off of a loud opening night win over the Los Angeles Lakers in which Stephen Curry shot 5-for-21 from the field and 2 of 8 from deep. Given Curry’s storied success against the Clippers in the regular season — 24.4 PPG, 6 APG and 3.8 3PM on 49.6/46.1/90 shooting splits — there is reason to believe he won’t have an off night two games in a row.

Last season, the Clippers took the season series against Golden State 2-1, splitting a pair of games in the emptied-out Chase Center along the way. It’s truly been quite a while since the two Pacific Division rivals last met. The last time they faced off, which was on March 11, ReggieVision wasn’t even a thing yet. While the Warriors — outside of new assistant coach Kenny Atkinson — will have to wait and see just how much the goggles have changed this Clipper offense, LAC will also have to adjust to the new-look Golden State attack. Showcasing much better spacing and ball movement Tuesday night with the emergences of Jordan Poole and Nemanja Bjelica, as well as seasoned contributors in Andre Iguodala, Otto Porter Jr., Damion Lee and Juan Toscano-Anderson, this Warrior team appears to truly have some depth for the first time post-K.D.

Clippers vs. Warriors Game Notes

• Tightening the Rotation: With three key players out and Marcus Morris Sr. likely limited, Ty Lue will need to get creative once again in doling out the P.T. tonight. A 9-man rotation is probably the answer for opening night, but it also wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Brandon Boston Jr. make his NBA debut, especially with Lue mentioning the team will try to monitor everyone’s minutes given how long their break been since preseason action.
• Simmering Steph: The Clippers don’t exactly have that many options to throw at Curry tonight. While George, Terance Mann and Justise Winslow could potentially help out in that regard, it would be a great time for Eric Bledsoe to show some off of that two-time all-defensive team chops.
• Role Player Roulette: With PG13 and Curry being the clear alphas for their respective squads, whichever team has more of their supporting cast show up will be the deciding factor in this one. The debuts of Bledsoe and Winslow should be exciting, as well as that of Isaiah Hartenstein, who had a great preseason. Meanwhile, perhaps Mann and Luke Kennard could show off some of that breakout potential from the get-go.

Feel free to stick around and chat down below as this article’s comment section will serve as our live game thread tonight against the Golden State Warriors. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!

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.

Clippers vs. Warriors Preview: Back in the Bay
Ralston Dacanay

In their return from the All-Star Break, the Clippers snapped a 3-game losing streak with a dominant performance. Let’s see who’s getting credit in our Clippers vs Warriors player grades.

Clippers Starter Grades

Patrick Beverley: NG. No grade for Pat, who played just 11 minutes before exiting early with knee soreness. He didn’t have a particularly large impact on the game in the first quarter, though it’s worth nothing that his 11-minute shift was much more than we’ve seen him play lately. But it seems almost pointless to discuss his performance when his contributions are defined by his availability.

Paul George: B. A bad night in the box score for George, but I thought he was really victimized by poor officiating throughout the first half, where his repeated drives to the rim were met with illegal contact but no whistle. But he found his stroke from deep and found his way to the line in the second half, contributed to LAC’s suffocating defense, and made all-around contributions that transcended his scoring.

Kawhi Leonard: A-. Some turnovers aside, Kawhi was absolutely killer offensively in this game, with 28 points on 10-17 shooting in 31 minutes. On a lot of possessions, the Warriors even defended the Clippers well–it just didn’t matter, because Kawhi was hitting high-difficulty shots. His 14 first-quarter points kept the Clippers in despite sloppy early play, and they ended up coasting to victory as he added 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Nicolas Batum: B. The Clippers may be looking to save Nic’s legs a bit and/or get Marcus Morris on the court more in the second half of the season, as he checked out earlier than normal in the first quarter and played just 16 minutes (he would have ended up with more if the Clippers weren’t up by 30+ heading into the fourth quarter). But he was his normal self, plugging holes on both ends of the court without being the center of attention.

Serge Ibaka: A. Rested Serge is DIFFERENT. He started the game on a tear offensively, scoring 9 of his 16 points in the opening frame, and added a season-high 14 rebounds to his efficient scoring outing. I particularly liked seeing him, on the opening play of the game, set a screen for Paul George about 18 feet away from the rim but deliberately step backward on his pop to create a look from three instead of a mid-range jumper. Not only is it the more efficient shot because of the extra point, but it forces the defense to cover more ground to contest, giving the ballhandler more space to operate.

Clippers Bench Player Grades

Reggie Jackson: A-. Reggie may have only shot 1-7 from the field in this game, but I thought he actually had a really nice, methodical, patient game from the point guard position. He had 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists with just 1 turnover. His passing was on point and he continues to be the Clippers’ quickest guard in transition, which is a bit of a relief for one of the slowest teams in the NBA.

Marcus Morris: B. A perfectly average night for Marcus, who added 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block in 23 bench minutes. He hit some shots, but the Clippers didn’t need him in high volumes tonight. Also, that dribble thing was… weird?

Terance Mann: B. On the one hand, three blocks!! On the other, he didn’t really have an impactful game other than that, aside from hitting a transition corner three on a nice find by Luke Kennard. Terance didn’t get very much meaningful run in this game, but as the schedule picks up (the Clippers are fully rested now but will likely play 10 guys regularly again once the games start piling on) and if Patrick Beverley misses time, he’ll get more opportunities.

Ivica Zubac: B. Zu had his moments around the rim on both ends tonight, and was overall successful in his minutes, but wasn’t quite able to dominate in the way you’d like to see from him against a much smaller Warriors frontcourt. He probably shares responsibility for that with his teammates, who didn’t seem particularly focused on exploiting that size mismatch.

Lou Williams: A. Great performance in a small dosage for Lou Will, who had 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in just 14 minutes. He was 5-7 from the field and the Clippers really piled it on the Warriors when he checked in to run the offense in the late third.

Luke Kennard: B. Luke played really well in his 12-minute fourth quarter run, with 8 points on 4-8 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. That shooting includes going 0-3 on spot-up threes, which is out of his control but displays some potential that this coulld have been a truly explosive performance if he caught fire. This was better than a B-level performance, but I’ve decided that the dude who got a 4-year, $64M extension isn’t getting As for garbage time. I have faith that Luke will get another crack in the rotation and make the most of it, but I’m not exactly celebrating a player of his stature scoring 8 points in garbage time.

Patrick Patterson: B-. PatPat came in for 11 minutes, took two spot up threes, made one of them, and grabbed 4 rebounds. The Clippers lost that garbage-time run, but the Warriors were fielding a more competitive lineup than LAC played up 30+. He mostly did his job tonight, but I’m still a little skeptical of why this is his job when he’s making more than the league minimum.

Amir Coffey: C-. Remember when Amir went 10-13 from the field and 7-9 from deep, scoring 28 points in 58 minutes across two games last month where he was pressed into rotation duties due to a number of injuries ahead of him on the wing? Well, let’s consider ourselves lucky that he had the shooting nights of his life in those games and saved the 0-5 outing for garbage time here.

Mfiondu Kabengele: C-. Fi didn’t really have much to do in the last 5 minutes of this game except just “be on the court,” which he just managed to pull off. He even scored! But 3 fouls in 5 minutes screams “unable to play at this level,” which isn’t exactly revelatory since we’ve reached the point with Fi where he can’t even get in the game at the start of the fourth quarter of a 30-point blowout with the rest of the benchwarmers.

No Grades

All 14 healthy Clippers played (and scored!) in this game! The two not-healthy guys, Daniel Oturu and Jay Scrubb, continue to recover from their respective injuries and it’s unclear when we’ll see them again (if at all this season). Patrick Beverley, as noted above, received a NG after exiting the game with just 11 minutes under his belt.

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.

Clippers vs Warriors Player Grades
Lucas Hann

After a very familiar second half led to the Clippers dropping to 6-4 on the season, let’s break down some Clippers vs Warriors player grades for the week’s second contest between the two sides.

Clippers Starter Grades

Patrick Beverley: B. Steph Curry’s 38-point, 11-assist barrage tonight had a lot more to do with him being one of the game’s all-time great players than anything the Clippers were or weren’t doing against him defensively. Pat more or less did his job, and it was really in the second half that Curry detonated against LA’s second unit. Still, he didn’t have his fingerprints on tonight’s game the same way that he did on Wednesday, and while the starting unit was overall successful tonight, his 2-8 shooting, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers didn’t help the times when their offense stalled.

Paul George: B+. With a super-efficient 25 points and 7 assists to help offset his four turnovers, it was a nice individual outing for George tonight–probably more of an A- than a B+. But he gets knocked back a bit here for only having 2 points in the fourth quarter when the Clippers were desperate for offense. I think for PG specifically and for the team at large, nights like tonight leave me wanting for a little bit more assertiveness in perilous moments.

Kawhi Leonard: C+. I don’t think that Kawhi was as good as Paul tonight when things were going right, and I think he deserves a greater share of the blame for the collapse (he stayed in with the second unit to close the third quarter as Golden State erased the Clippers’ lead), and I think he deserves a greater share of the blame for the starters’ offensive issues down the stretch as his shot selection became questionable. The line–24 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals on 7-17 shooting–is fine, and his impact was fine. But he wasn’t good. A C+ is appropriate.

Nicolas Batum: A-. Is it weird that he went 2-8 from three and yet I could have sworn he shot the ball well? Nic added 10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals tonight as the Clippers won his 30 minutes by 10 points (therefore losing the 18 minutes that he sat by 20). Here’s a number: the Warriors scored 59 points in 30:17 while Nic was on the floor and 56 points in 17:43 while he sat. Now, Nic isn’t solely responsible for that–that’s measuring the lineups he is and isn’t a part of, and he happens to get to only play in the team’s best lineups. But you can’t ignore that good things happen whenever he’s on the floor and especially whenever he touches the ball.

Serge Ibaka: A-. This was definitely one of Serge’s better games this season, as he really controlled the paint offensively and put up an efficient 19 points despite only taking two three-point attempts (he made one). It was nice to see him making a big impact offensively again. So what am I waiting for for an A? I’m not sure. Maybe a bigger scoring night than 19, maybe a night where I feel better about his interior defense. Tonight was good for Serge but not quite the gold standard.

Clippers Bench Player Grades

Marcus Morris: D. I was kind to Marcus on Wednesday, giving him an A on a B-level night because it was his first game back and he selflessly volunteered to give up his starting spot so Nic Batum could continue playing well with the first unit. I’m being kind again tonight, giving him a D for an F-level performance because I’m pretty sure he’s still shaking off rust and settling into a role. This is the last break he’s getting. Just 2 points on 1-7 shooting, with bad shot selection, as part of the second unit’s miserable effort–that’s not gonna fly.

Luke Kennard: D-. Luke passes because he hit a couple of threes tonight, but I’m tempted to let him share the F that his fellow bench players will be getting after a truly dreadful team effort where a predictably-bad bench unit failed to do anything to off-set their concessions as they absolutely imploded on the offensive end. If you go -22 in 18 minutes, you didn’t do your job on the second unit.

Ivica Zubac: F. I’ll use this space to say this: miss me with the “wow, Zu is really being hurt by not starting” line. I do think that the culprit for the second unit’s defensive woes is the three-guard lineup that Zu is being asked to cover for moreso than Zu himself–that much is obvious. And I can even forgive lapses on handling his own business when he’s so busy trying to clean up after everyone else. But whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, or whether he’s playing with All-Stars or third-stringers, there’s just no excuse for some of his play. He. Can’t. Catch. The. Basketball. And getting roasted by Eric Paschall in one-on-one? Have some pride in your game, man. If your defense of him is “Zu’s dropping the ball and getting bodied by backup bigs because not starting is bad for him,” then he’s not the guy we thought he was. I am, however, optimistic that once Ty Lue starts consistently putting out viable bench lineups and the second unit as a whole actually figures out what the hell they are doing, Zu will be able to play his role. But none of them–Lue, the bench collectively, or Zu individually–are getting it done so far.

Lou Williams: F. I’m ready for the Clippers’ new offense, which is beautifully effective with the starting lineup, to stop being used to handcuff Lou Williams on the second unit. We know Lou isn’t a great defender. We know he’s undersized. He has his weaknesses, and he has his strengths: he’s probably the team’s third-best pure bucket-getter after PG and Kawhi and he’s their best pick-and-roll playmaker who can get downhill and create good shots for others. Let him play that game. Stop asking him to be someone he’s not. It just produces miserable performances like this where he’s not only ineffective when he’s on the ball due to lack of rhythm, but rarely on the ball at all.

Reggie Jackson: C. For all the maligning about the Clippers’ three-guard lineup on the second unit, the small sample size tonight suggests that it works a hell of a lot better than staggering. The Clippers lost Jackson’s 6:20 of first-half court time by 2 points as he was a non-factor whose only box score contribution was one personal foul. Then the bench turned around and blew a 20-point lead playing without him as Kawhi Leonard’s minutes were staggered to the second unit lineup. I still think the Clippers’ 3 bench guards don’t fit well together, and I still think staggering is the answer long-term, but I saw a few too many tweets scapegoating “Reggie and the three-guard lineup” following a bench collapse where he was glued to the bench.

Not Graded

Jay Scrubb is still injured. Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, and Daniel Oturu all got the last 43 seconds, with Terance making a relatively unbothered reverse layup with the final result already assured. Patrick Patterson did not play.

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.

Clippers vs Warriors Player Grades (Part 2)
Lucas Hann

It’s time to dole out Clippers vs Warriors player grades after LAC won the first game in the series between the two this week. The sides will also face off Friday evening in a rematch, so make sure to keep your eyes out for Clippers vs Warriors Player Grades (Part 2) after that one.

For now, let’s dive into a game that the Clippers found a way to win despite an underwhelming overall performance, with the added intrigue of having it be the first night where the team’s rotation was fully healthy–including Marcus Morris, who made his season debut coming off the bench.

Clippers Starter Grades

Patrick Beverley: A-. Pat followed up a 20-point, 8-rebound, 8-assist performance on Tuesday with 7 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebound on Wednesday. So why the good grade? Look at Steph Curry’s line: 13 points on 5-17 from the field. Sure, it was a team effort–the Clippers overplayed Curry at every turn and forced the other guys to beat them (and they nearly did). But Bev at the point of attack was the centerpiece of an ultimately successful defensive strategy, and he ate up space around Curry while avoiding fouls all night.

Paul George: A-. Here’s what you like about Paul George tonight: after a red-hot start to the season, a cold shooting performance didn’t stop him. He was just 5-15 from the field and 2-6 from deep, but developed an uncommon-for-him determination to get to the rim and free throw line, going 9-9 from the stripe to ultimately finish with 21 points on 15 shot attempts. He also helped on defense, as always, and pulled down 12 rebounds, tied for his high as a Clipper.

Kawhi Leonard: B. It was a night of the good and bad for Kawhi, whose masterful mid-range play and late-game aggression moved an uncertain result into the win column for the Clippers. In particular, it was nice to see “Angry Kawhi” who just bullied the Warriors after a particularly hard foul where Draymond Green hung on to his arm and pulled him out of the air. But a big part of the reason why LAC was in trouble against an inferior team to begin with was their sloppiness with the ball, and Kawhi’s 7 turnovers were the primary culprit.

Nicolas Batum: A-. All this guy did was guard Draymond Green and then switch on to Steph Curry on ball screens. Oh, and he scored 13 points on 3-6 from deep, including back-to-back corner triples to stretch a 3-point lead to 9 in the waning minutes of the game. Slight knock for 0 assists, as the Clippers’ offense simply runs better when Nic is a little more deliberate about getting involved and finding others.

Serge Ibaka: B. Maybe harsh for a 13 point, 14 rebound performance, but probably kind considering my eye test evaluation of his night tonight. The production is undeniable, but I’ve found him to be a bit pedestrian offensively lately, and the Warriors’ undersized backup bigs were largely unbothered around the rim tonight. Eric Paschall had 19 points–some of that came against Zu, who we’ll get to in a minute, but Serge was the center for 35 minutes last night and the interior defense was poor for all 48.

Clippers Bench Player Grades

Lou Williams: C. It was a rough night at the office for Lou, who was just 1-4 from the field for 3 points and doesn’t really seem to be getting in to a rhythm this season. It’s good for the team to be less reliant on him and have a better-structured offense. It’s probably bad for the team if he’s getting iced out because the ball is in Reggie Jackson’s hands.

Luke Kennard: B. I thought Luke made a nice impact offensively in this game, making a few plays in the lane and hitting a spot-up corner three when playing with the starters in the fourth. But much like Lou, the ball just isn’t getting into his hands enough. Not only is the three-guard bench unit a disaster defensively, but it’s marginalizing the strengths of important Clippers by spreading the touch/shot distribution too thin.

Marcus Morris: A. I’m giving Marcus a free “A” tonight for two reasons. The first is that it’s his first game back from injury, so some rust is to be expected and critiquing his 3 turnovers feels a little unfair. The second is that he came off the bench behind Nicolas Batum, not because Ty Lue made the difficult decision to demote him, but because he saw how well the current 5-man starting unit was playing and went to Lue and requested to come off the bench so that one of the team’s strengths could stay intact and Morris could try to help fix one of the team’s weaknesses. That’s A-level stuff.

Ivica Zubac: D-. Five fouls in 10 minutes, and a lot of production for Kevon Looney and Eric Paschall on his watch. The three-guard bench lineup might have the worst effect on Zubac of anyone, as he’s left trying to cover for three poor defenders in front of him. In his efforts to do literally everything for the second unit on that end of the floor, he’s falling short and making mistakes on the basics. The second unit looked better in the second half when Lue played a 9-man rotation and kept one of George/Leonard in with Williams, Kennard, Morris, and a center. That lineup should be more viable defensively and hopefully Zu can start to get things back on track.

Reggie Jackson: B+. I think Reggie did his job tonight–nitpick his bad floater all you want, but when he’s 3-5 with 3 assists and 0 turnovers it feels particularly harsh to dock him for one of the two missed shots. The real problem isn’t with his individual production but with his fit. As a small guard who doesn’t defend well, Reggie needs to be the depth guy who plays in place of Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, or Luke Kennard–not alongside them. This Clippers team is short a wing/forward and they’re using Reggie to supplement that, but the fit just isn’t good. That’s not Reggie’s fault, and he’s been pretty good individually.

Clippers Without Grades

Jay Scrubb remains out. Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann both saw a few seconds of play on separate defensive possessions, but neither stint warrants a grade. Patrick Patterson, Daniel Oturu, and Amir Coffey did not play.

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.

Clippers vs Warriors Player Grades (Part 1)
Lucas Hann