I know a lot of people have been curious as to my (and Lucas’) thoughts on the Kawhi Leonard Aspiration story. Well, we did a 40 minute podcast last night that focused almost entirely on the scenario, giving our thoughts on the reporting, our opinions on the matter, and what we think the outcome for the Clippers will be.

Check out the latest episode of TLTJTP on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. For those with no interest in this off-the-court story, we did a podcast a few weeks ago about Bradley Beal’s fit on the team with Suns reporter Gerald Bourguet, a podcast with Michael Pina of the Ringer on the Clippers’ offseason, and a podcast last week on answering mailbag questions. Leave a 5-star review and give your feedback in the comments below!

TLTJTP: The Kawhi Leonard Aspiration Story
Robert Flom

After taking back home court advantage from the Dallas Mavericks in an instant classic Game 4, the Clippers are back in Los Angeles for Game 5, hoping to take a 3-2 advantage in the series.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: TNT, Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

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

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Terance Mann – Paul George – Amir Coffey  – Ivica Zubac

Mavericks: Kyrie Irving – Luka Doncic – Derrick Jones Jr. – PJ Washington – Dereck Lively II

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee)

Mavericks: Luka Doncic Probable (Knee), Tim Hardaway Jr. Out (Ankle), Daniel Gafford Questionable (Back), Olivier Maxence-Prosper Out (Ankle)

Notes

Kawhi’s Health: Before Game 4, when Lawrence Frank noted that Kawhi was out for the game, he said that the team wouldn’t put a timetable on Kawhi’s return and that the Clippers’ star wouldn’t be back until “he can make all the movements that he needs to make.” So there’s a good chance that Kawhi is not coming back during this series. And even if he does try to will himself back, is that actually the best thing for the team? The Clippers have found success without Kawhi on the court, thanks to the heroics of James Harden and Paul George. For any real championship run, the Clippers will need a healthy Kawhi Leonard. And so getting past the first round without him, giving him that time to heal, is probably their only realistic path.

The Mavs’ Next Chess Move: What cards do the Mavericks have up their sleeve? Our instincts tell us that surely a Luka master-class is coming, but if his knee continues to be an issue, maybe it’s not such a guarantee. And we’ve already seen one Kyrie explosion in game 4. But what else can Jason Kidd get out of this Dallas roster? The Mavs had been best going small, but in Game 4 James Harden repeatedly carved up the smaller lineup with short floaters that he’s been practicing, a shot which Jason Kidd appears comfortable to let him continue to take. So do they go big again? It hasn’t been working when they have, largely because neither Gafford nor Lively can pull Zubac away from the paint, and both have been doormats for Big Zu in the post. Right now the pressure is all on Dallas to adjust because they can’t just assume Kyrie will be able to produce another Steph Curry impression, and Luka is already doing all he can.

Luka’s Knee: Luka’s listed as probable for Game 5, which isn’t surprising, but his sprained knee clearly isn’t 100%. He’s been a step slow offensively, and he’s got limited lift on his usually terrifying step-back three ball, shooting just 26.5% from three in the series (and 17.4% in Games 3 and 4). That said, “struggling” Luka is still averaging 29-10-9 and is still incredibly dangerous inside 15 feet. The Clippers can’t let his health disarm them, but they’d also be fools to ignore it. The game plan should continue to be to attack him at the point-of-attack with playmakers who will keep him working hard on both ends.

Following Up Game 4: Game 4 was probably the most entertaining game of these 2024 playoffs. The shot-making was off the charts, the System was in full effect, and everyone had their turns shining. In the final minutes Kyrie Irving and Paul George each took the lead from one another with two of the most insanely difficult shots of the year. But despite coughing up the 31-point lead, the Clippers still have plenty of momentum after holding on to Game 4. And we know Paul George loves his Game 5’s, so we can expect a similar level of swagger. If he can be as decisive as he was in the first half of Game 4, if Harden can continue to pick his defenders wisely, and if the Clippers can stay the course with their mostly-effective Luka strategy, they have a good shot.

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

Clippers vs. Mavs Game 5 Preview: Protecting Home Court
Erik Olsgaard

The Clippers announced today, out of the blue, that they signed Kawhi Leonard to a three-year extension. The Clippers did not disclose terms, but Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania both put the figure at 3 years, $153 with no player option.

This deal keeps Kawhi Leonard out of free agency and on the Clippers through 2027, when he will be 36 years old. As has already been reported, a primary motivating factor for the Clippers – outside of the obvious, that Kawhi is a superstar player when healthy – is that now Kawhi will be on the Clips for the first few seasons at the new Intuit Dome. The Clippers have their face of the franchise locked up.

Kawhi’s deal starts at $52M in 2024-2025, and then goes down to $50M the next two seasons, per Woj. The first number is the full max of the projected salary cap, while the following two would be somewhat below. This, I suppose, was a “concession” from Kawhi probably for age/injury reasons. The Clippers will still be over the cap then, but it probably helps their pockets a bit with lower tax payments.

There has also been reporting that the Clippers are in talks with Paul George on an extension and both sides are interested in a long-term partnership. So far, PG and Kawhi’s deals have been in lockstep. I’d imagine a three-year extension for George at around the same price (hopefully a bit cheaper but whatever, it’s Ballmer’s tax dollars and he can afford it) will get penned at some point in the near future.

On one hand, this deal does contain some risk. Kawhi has had numerous injury issues and the chance he’s both healthy and playing at his current level in 2027 seem remote. There’s a good chance this deal looks like an albatross in two years.

On the other hand, the Clippers have traded their picks and swaps through 2029 anyway, so a rebuild in the near future is simply not in the cards. Additionally, due to Kawhi’s injury history, its unlikely he’d get a massive return in a trade even if he was on a “friendlier” deal.

Really, this made sense for both sides. Kawhi gets security for the last few years of his prime/post-prime and the Clippers keep their superstar player to ensure some level of competence over the next few seasons. Let’s just enjoy the fact we get to watch Kawhi play for the Clippers for several more years.

Clippers Sign Kawhi Leonard to Three Year Extension
Robert Flom

The NBA just announced the results of its voting for starters for the 2021 All Star Game on TNT. To nobody’s surprise, Clippers’ superstar forward Kawhi Leonard was selected to start in the All Star Game. This will be his fifth All Star nod, a surprisingly low number for how great an impact Kawhi has had on the NBA over the past decade.

Kawhi was third in the fan voting for frontcourt players in the Western Conference, behind Nikola Jokic and LeBron James, third in the media vote behind the aforementioned players, and fourth in player voting behind Jokic, LeBron, and Anthony Davis. This gave him a slight edge over AD, who was 4th in fan voting and 5th in media voting (behind Rudy Gobert), thus earning him the spot.

Kawhi is averaging 26.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 51.3% from the field, 38.9% from three, and 87.9% from the free throw line. Those are exceptional numbers, and combine that with his defensive play and the Clippers’ excellent play when he’s on the court, and you have a clear and deserving candidate.

Paul George, the Clippers’ other star, missed out. He ranked fifth in all three voting categories, and will have to earn a reserve vote from the pool of NBA head coaches. While he’s probably having a better season than Davis, the three voted starters are clearly better than PG, so it’s not really a surprise or disappointment that PG got left off. He will almost certainly make the game as a reserve.

Funny enough, a few other Clippers players received votes as well. Fans can vote for anyone, so just about all players received some votes, but Pat Beverley and Lou Williams received love from their peers with 6 and 5 player votes respectively for the backcourt position. From the frontcourt, Serge Ibaka received 5 votes, while Nic Batum received 7. Those players are all respected veterans, and probably just had a few friends vote for them, but it’s still cool to see (even if they’re all undeserving for an All Star Game).

That’s about it! Kawhi Leonard is in the 2021 All Star Game, and we will keep you posted regarding Paul George’s status – the reserves should be released next week.

Kawhi Leonard To Start in Fifth All Star Game
Robert Flom

In what many anticipated would be the game of the year (to this point), this matchup lived up to every bit of the hype. Unfortunately for the Clippers, they fell on the wrong end of this thriller, falling 124-120. For a full game recap of the Clippers’ loss to the Nets, read more below.

Summary

All eyes were on the superstar matchup, and each one of them shined in this game. The Clippers’ superstar duo combined for 59 points, with Kawhi Leonard pouring in 33 and Paul George adding 26 of his own. As great as the Clippers’ star duo was, Brooklyn had even more firepower. Each of the Nets’ Big 3 did their thing. Kevin Durant had 28 points on 11/13 from the field, and may have had the quietest game of the Big 3. Kyrie Irving was the most unstoppable player on the floor from start to finish, exploding for a season-high 39 points on an efficient 15/23 from the field and 6/8 from deep. James Harden, meanwhile, put up a casual 23 point, 11 rebound, 14 assist triple-double. While it may be easy to look at the superstar battle and conclude the Clippers simply didn’t have enough firepower, there is a lot more to this game that contributed to the outcome we all saw.

Notes

Serge Struggles: As the Nets lack any proficient rim protectors, one of the best ways to attack them is in the paint. So far this season, opposing centers have had a huge amount of success against Brooklyn’s fickle interior defense. While Serge Ibaka is far from a focal point of the Clippers’ offense, even an average game from him could have swayed the outcome of this one. He was just 3/11 from the field, with the majority of his misses being right around the rim. Coming into this game, Serge was shooting 68.7% within 5 feet of the basket, so this was certainly an uncharacteristic but untimely off-night around the rim.

Batum Stays Hot: It almost feels like a disservice to Nicolas Batum to say that he continues to stay hot, because as we get deeper into the season, it becomes more and more justified to believe this is simply who he is. In arguably the biggest game of the season, Nic gave the Clippers 21 points on 7/10 from the field and 5/8 from downtown. While he did miss a big free-throw at the end, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Clippers find a way to win the game at that point, especially with Nash opting to foul before the Clippers could attempt a three-point shot. Batum continues to be the steal of the offseason.

Lou Stays Cold: In a refined role that doesn’t require him to bear nearly as much of the offensive burden, the Clippers don’t need much from Lou Williams beyond what he brings each night. If the shots are not falling, Lou is still good for shot creation and playmaking with the 2nd unit. With that being said, the Clippers are currently thin at the guard position. Patrick Beverley is out, and Luke Kennard has seen his role diminish in recent games. Because of this, the Clippers needed Lou for 20 minutes tonight, and 7 in the 4th quarter. Coming into this game shooting just 38% from the field, Lou could not take the lid off the basket tonight. He was just 2/7, and missed shots that the Clippers expect him to make.

Despite missing their third best player, the Clippers hung with a fully-loaded Brooklyn Nets team that was firing on all cylinders. As Paul George said in his postgame interview, the Clippers will be better prepared the next time they see these guys. If that is indeed the case, the fans should be in for another thriller. That’s about it for this game recap of the Clippers’ disappointing 124-120 loss to the Nets. Come right back again tomorrow as the Clippers face off against a feisty Cavs team at 5:00 PM PT.

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Clippers vs. Nets Game Recap: Clips Fall 124-120
Joey Linn

The Clippers’ season might have ended last Tuesday in ignominious fashion, but the NBA regular season awards weren’t finalized until Friday. And, while most of the team was left out, forward Kawhi Leonard did make the 2nd Team All-NBA and received enough votes to place 5th in the MVP Voting.

While Kawhi might have gone out with more of a whimper than a bang, utterly failing to put the Clippers on his back in a winner-take-all Game 7, he still put together one of the best seasons in franchise history, and was recognized for it. In 57 regular season games, Kawhi averaged 27.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.8 steals on 47/37.8/88.6 shooting splits, and played some excellent defense. He was even better for much of the postseason, though his three-point shooting was off in the playoffs, and was a worthy recipient of the All-NBA and MVP votes.

Kawhi was never going to reach the 1st Team this season, as the forward spots were taken by Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James (1st and 2nd in MVP voting respectively), but he did finish with only 44 fewer points than Luka Doncic, who made the 1st team.

Similarly, he accumulated 168 MVP “points” through 9 3rd place, 31 4th place, and 30 5th place votes, coming in just shy of Luka with his 200 points. In short, Kawhi was widely recognized as one of the 5 or so best players in basketball, which is exactly where he should be.

Kawhi Leonard presumably doesn’t care about All-NBA recognition, especially due to how the Clippers’ season ended, but it is a good reminder that the Clippers still have one of the best players in the entire NBA for next season. If nothing else, that puts them in a great spot to bounce back and contend for an NBA championship in the 2021 season.

Kawhi Leonard Earns 2nd Team All-NBA, Places 5th in MVP Voting
Robert Flom

Earlier this evening, the NBA released their All-Defense Teams, and to no surprise, Clippers’ players Patrick Beverley and Kawhi Leonard made the Second Team. The First Team was composed of Marcus Smart and Ben Simmons at guard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis at forward, and Rudy Gobert at center. Joining Beverley and Leonard on the Second Team were Eric Bledsoe at guard, Bam Adebayo at forward, and Brook Lopez at center.

Beverley and Leonard were two key perimeter players for a Clippers’ team that ranked 5th in Defensive Rating in the regular season despite injuries and lack of cohesion. Beverley’s communication, fire, and hustle make him a constant irritant on the court, while Leonard can do things on defense that perhaps no other player (other than a fully locked in LeBron?) can (see yesterday’s one-finger block).

It’s tough to say either should have been 1st team – Beverley is smaller and less versatile than Smart or Simmons, and Leonard played much less and was generally less impactful than Giannis and Davis. Guys like Jrue Holiday and Kyle Lowry certainly had arguments over Beverley as well, but both Beverley and Kawhi were certainly worthy of their All Defense placements. Their contributions on defense in addition to their varying roles on offense have made them hugely valuable to the Clips as two-way players, and each will have big roles to play for the Clippers in the weeks to come.

Paul George also received three votes for the second team, but no other Clipper garnered any support. If George had played more games he probably would have had stronger consideration, but it would have been tough to place him this season.

Congratulations to Kawhi and Pat on the achievement! This is Pat’s 3rd All-Defense Team nomination (he made 2nd team in 2014 and 1st team in 2017) and Kawhi’s 6th (2nd team in 2014 and 2019, 1st from 2015-2017). They are two of the best perimeter defenders of the decade, and fully deserving of adding another accolade to their wall.

Kawhi Leonard and Pat Beverley Make Second Team All-Defense
Robert Flom

That was an incredible game. But for Clippers fans, it was a highly frustrating one, as the Clippers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Mavericks in Game 4 of an overtime thriller on a Luka Doncic buzzer-beater. The series is now tied 2-2, and the momentum of the Clippers’ Game 3 win is gone.

Summary

It would have been impossible to predict the final outcome based on the first quarter. The Mavericks, with Kristaps Porzingis a late scratch, started the game with a small lineup, and the Clippers took advantage immediately. While Trey Burke hit a couple shots, the Clippers moved the ball well and played energetically on defense. Paul George (more on him later) made two early buckets as well, and the Clippers nurtured a small lead. However, Doc Rivers inserted the dreaded Reggie Jackson-Lou Williams-Montrezl Harrell lineup into the game, and the Mavs were able to get going offensively.

Ivica Zubac played in a hybrid bench-starters lineup to start the quarter, and the Clippers began cooking on both ends. Zu contested shots, snared defensive rebounds, and kept things going with offensive rebounds. Meanwhile Lou Williams caught fire, repeatedly torching whichever Mavericks player got in his way. Soon, the lead had reached 21. Then, Montrezl Harrell checked in for Zubac, and the game shifted on a dime. Boban Marjanovic got a couple easy buckets, the Mavs started attacking the rim, and the Clippers offense stagnated. Seth Curry and Trey Burke torched the Clippers’ defendrs, getting to their spots with ease, and the Clippers lead shrunk to eight at half.

Unfortunately, things got worse from there. The Clippers looked utterly lifeless coming out of halftime, as if they’d found out that a team puppy had died, or that they had to spend this upcoming winter living in Antarctica. They offered little resistance defensively, with Curry, Burke, and Doncic all taking turns roasting them over a fire. They might have been even worse on the other end, with absolutely no ball movement and endless clanked jumpers. Paul George in particular seemed to have lost whatever remaining confidence he had left, even passing up an open three at one point. The bench played with a little bit more energy and fire, but the defense failed to improve, with Trez, Lou, and Reggie once again the primary culprits. The score flipped, and it was the Mavs who led by eight going into the 4^th.

The Clippers clearly came out with far more energy and effort to start the quarter, but the defense helmed by the bench did not improve. Lou Williams singlehandedly kept them in the game, hitting tough shot after tough shot and slithering his way to the basket. Finally, with over 8 minutes to go, Doc pulled the plug on Trez, and went small with Marcus Morris at center. As the quarter winded down, the Clippers’ defense tightened, even as Luka made increasingly difficult shots and passes to keep the Mavs ahead. With a few minutes to go, the game suddenly opened up, as everyone – Reggie Jackson, Tim Hardaway, Kawhi Leonard, Lou Williams – made shots back to back to back. The Clippers were finally able to force a stop, and had the ball with 19.7 seconds left. However, they settled for a horrible Kawhi fadeaway jumper from 20 feet, and the game went to overtime.

The overtime went much the same as the end of the 4^th, as both teams traded blows. Kawhi and Lou were doing damage on one end, Burke, Hardaway, and Luka on the other. Back and forth the teams went, until Kawhi found Marcus Morris in the corner with 9 seconds to go. Splash. On the final defensive possession, Landry Shame was inserted for Lou Williams, but Reggie Jackson curiously reminaed in th game. Luka got a switch on him, and Reggie delivered the foul to give. With 3.7 seconds left, Luka again got the switch from Kawhi onto Reggie (with relative ease), stepped back, and drained a 30-footer over Reggie. Ball game. This Game 4 loss to the Mavericks immediately ranks up there in a pantheon with other horrible defeats suffered by the Clippers.

Notes

Doc Bewilders: This loss falls squarely onto the shoulders of Doc Rivers. The Clippers may have not executed well, and may have been lifeless for parts of the 2^nd and most of the 3^rd quarters, but Doc was thoroughly outcoached again in this one. His insistence on playing Montrezl Harrell when Boban Marjanovic is in the game cost the Clippers in Game 2, and hurt them again tonight. Ivica Zubac played only a couple minutes after coming out in the early 3^rd quarter, despite the fact that he was a +11 in 22 minutes. Montrezl Harrell was a -19 in 17, and had 2 points and 1 rebound total. And somehow, that’s not even the worst bit. Doc Rivers left Reggie Jackson, a legitimately awful defensive player, in the game in the deciding possession, and sure enough, the Mavs switched onto him and scored. Reggie made some big threes in this one, but he simply should not have been out there. Additionally, the Clippers gave up switches from Reggie and Lou Williams onto Luka Doncic the entire 4^th quarter and overtime, and showed very little resistance to it. A couple times could be up to the players, but the consistent usage means the coaching staff was ok with it. Abominable. A lot needs to change in Game 5, and beyond.

Paul George Struggling: The Clippers’ second biggest issue after Doc has been Paul George, who is not only missing shots, but is seemingly lacking all confidence. He made a layup in the 4^th quarter with a strong drive, but then missed an easy one just a minute later. He was 3-14 from the field, 1-7 from three, and didn’t even seem to be that engaged defensively. Missing three-pointers is one thing. Everyone struggles shooting the ball sometimes. But the Clippers simply can’t win if their second-best player is this passive and lackluster. After those early points, George didn’t score again until that 4^th quarter layup, an unacceptable performance considering his 45 minutes of playing time. Yes, he got some rebounds, but that’s nowhere close to enough. He needs to be confident and he needs to be aggressive. If he’s not, the Clippers could really lose this series.

Lou Williams Dazzles: The one Clippers player who showed up to play tonight, from start to finish, was Lou Williams. Lou Scored 36 points on 13-20 shooting while dishing out a team high five assists. His scoring and passing is what broke the game open early in the 2^nd quarter, and what kept the Clippers afloat in the 4^th. He was simply magnificent, showcasing the confidence, smoothness, and calm head that Clippers’ fans have come to love over the past three years. It’s a damn shame the Clippers lost a game where Lou played this well. And, for as good as Kawhi was down the stretch, it was Lou who should have had the shot to win the game at the end of regulation. This Game 4 loss to the Mavericks has many culprits for the Clippers, but Sweet Lou is certainly not among them.

Benching Trez: It really might have come to this. While Sanjesh Singh wrote earlier today about why the Clippers should play Reggie Jackson less (which this game also makes a case for), the much tougher decision lies regarding Montrezl Harrell, who has been a vast negative through four games. Outside of Game 3, he’s been ineffective on offense, and has been repeatedly torched on defense. He’s too small to provide rim protection, and hasn’t been any better than Ivica Zubac out on the perimeter. There’s no excuse for Zu to get less than 30 minutes per game, and there’s increasingly an argument for Trez to no get minutes at all. If he plays, it absolutely can’t be with Boban on the court, and the Clippers leaving him in against Bobi is simply baffling. I don’t know if the Clippers can bench Trez from a locker room standpoint, but Zu is just much better than him right now, and Marcus Morris and JaMychal Green should be getting minutes at center as well. Trez has been a great Clipper, and he’s a fan favorite for a reason, but there’s a very good case to be made that he should be getting 10 minutes per game or less in this series.

Well, that’s about all I have to say. Kawhi Leonard was great down the stretch (horrific game-winning shot aside), and has repeatedly shown up in big moments. JaMychal Green played well off the bench, and Marcus Morris was solid too, albeit rather cold on offense for much of the game. Really, if Paul George plays better, and Doc Rivers limits the minutes of Reggie Jackson and Montrezl Harrell, the Clippers should still win this series. Whether either of those happens for the Clippers, however, is now an open question after this disastrous loss to the Mavericks in Game 4.

Clippers Suffer Loss to Mavericks in Game 4, 135-133
Robert Flom

Overview

The Clippers suffered one of their worst losses of the season, falling to a shorthanded Nets team 129-120 mostly due to an embarrassing 1^st quarter performance. The Clippers loss to the Nets was a combination of bad defense, stagnant offense, and a team that took over a quarter to really wake up. The effort was mostly there in the 2^nd half, but it was too late.

Game Summary

This game started about as poorly as possible for the Clippers. They looked lethargic and disinterested, not moving the ball on offense and giving up open shot after open shot on the other end. They were quickly down double figures, but didn’t seem to be getting any more fire. The Nets were on fire, draining every single shot they took, while the Clippers connected on midrangers but didn’t hit from deep or get to the line. Kawhi Leonard did his best, but no other Clipper seemed up to the task, and a flurry of threes at the end of the quarter got the Nets lead out to 21.

The second quarter began promisingly enough, with a speedy 7-0 Clippers run forcing a Nets timeout. However, the Nets hit a couple threes shortly thereafter, and their lead remained around 20 for much of the quarter. The bench was clearly playing with more energy and effort than the starters had been, but still couldn’t string together either stops or buckets. That changed when Kawhi Leonard returned. He took the game into his massive hands, and began scoring at will on the undersized Nets. His activity on defense forced a couple turnovers as well, and the Clippers rallied to cut the lead down to a manageable 11 at halftime.

The 3^rd quarter began with an insane Kawhi Leonard flurry, as he hit a midrange jumper and then three deep balls to go on a personal 11-0 run to start the quarter. The Nets began to throw double teams at him, and for some reason, the Clippers took this as an opportunity to go away from him. The Clippers struggled to score, and the Nets quickly regained a narrow lead. Eventually, the Clippers returned to Kawhi, and he rewarded them by making some beautiful passes to shooters, reading the Nets’ defense like a book. The Clippers’ offense faded when Kawhi sat, but Lou Williams was able to score a bit, keeping the Clips close.

Unfortunately, Kawhi’s push in the 3^rd quarter didn’t end up mattering. The Clippers missed a couple of open threes at the start of the 4^th quarter, the Nets made two of their own, and they were suddenly back up 10. Terance Mann played with aggression on both ends, forcing Nets’ mistakes and capitalizing around the rim, but the Clippers just could not string together buckets or stops. Kawhi returned (and played almost the entire 4^th), but his shot went cold, and every time he missed, the Nets went back and converted on the other end. The Clippers battled on, showing some nice heart and energy, but the shots were not falling, the defense remained porous, and ultimately, the better team pulled away. The final result: the Clippers lose 129 to 120 to a Nets team missing half of their rotation.

Notes

Kawhi Superstar: While this game was disheartening overall, the Clippers can be encouraged by at least one thing: Kawhi Leonard looked fantastic. He was aggressive going to the rim, was all over the place (in a good way) on defense, and his shot was silky smooth until the 4^th quarter. The fact that he was able to play 36 minutes says a lot about his conditioning and overall form, and he was in full superstar mode tonight. As long as he’s healthy and playing like this, the Clippers should be pretty good.

Reggie Disaster: Reggie Jackson was miserable tonight. His effort level was bad, he made awful decisions on both ends, and contributed almost nothing positive outside of a single corner three. His tendency to take shots (and bad ones) early in the shot clock is a singularly poor one, and he just doesn’t seem to have much control over the flow of the game. In short, he’s not a true point guard, and continuing to play him like one is harming the Clippers on offense. But that’s not even the worst of it. His play tonight defensively was one of the worst performances by a Clipper in my memory, and this with a team that has featured Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford for most of the past decade. He was blown by with ease by every Nets player he guarded, he was lethargic in making rotations, and he made a couple of awful fouls. He was a -15 in 15 minutes, but it felt like -150. His play throughout the bubble has been subpar, but this was a new low. After being a guy who looked like such a find in March, he has looked every bit like a low-end waiver pickup over the past couple weeks. He needs to turn this around, stat. And if he doesn’t, Doc should bench him. Tonight was unacceptable.

Mann Battles: Contrasted to Reggie was the rookie Terance Mann. Mann has fallen out of the rotation since the early part of the season, largely due to his lack of aggression on the offensive end. Well, tonight he was probably the second most effective Clipper on that end behind Kawhi. He made smart passes, drained a couple corner threes on kickouts, and had several beautiful takes and finishes around the basket. His defense was somewhat more energetic than effective, but it was still far better than nearly everyone else on the team, and he had a couple nice stops on Caris LeVert. I don’t think he’s close to supplanting Reggie (or even Rodney McGruder) full time, but a few more performances like this could earn him a shot in the playoffs if Doc needs some energy.

Missing Trez: For one of the first times in the bubble, the Clipper really missed Montrezl Harrell. His energy and passion would have been huge tonight, and his scoring in the paint would have been extremely helpful for a Clippers team that struggled to create open looks. We still don’t know when he will return, but this loss was a reminder of all the great things that the likely 6^th Man of the Year Award winner brings to the table.

The Clippers have two days off before a now massive game against the Nuggets on Wednesday. If they win that, they probably secure the 2 seed. If not… all sorts of unpleasant playoff scenarios might be in play.

Clippers Lose to Nets 129-120 in Embarrassing Fashion
Robert Flom

Game Information

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch/Listen: ESPN, Fox Sports Prime Ticket, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Gary Harris – Will Barton – Paul Millsap – Nikola Jokic

Clippers: Patrick Beverley – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Nuggets: Bol Bol Out (Foot)

Clippers: None

The Big Picture

The Clippers have righted the ship a little since their first three-game losing streak of the season with two solid wins against the Grizzlies and Suns. They continue to look like a championship-caliber team when fully healthy, even with Paul George struggling with his shot. Meanwhile, new addition Reggie Jackson has fit in excellently off the bench, bringing especially tough defense early on. The Clippers bench has surprisingly struggled this season, but have looked better the past couple games. The Suns and Grizzlies aren’t challenging opponents right now, but they’re not cakewalks either, and the revitalized Clippers bench is a good sign for when the schedule gets more difficult. Sitting at the 3^rd spot in the West, the Clippers might be out of range of the top seed, yet are still in good position entering the stretch run.

The Antagonist

The Nuggets have had a season that, record-wise, looks like what was expected before the season. They’re the 2 seed in the West, are on pace for a win total in the high 50s, and have mostly been very good. However, they have not done so in a manner that might have been predicted. Young point guard Jamal Murray, fresh off a max contract extension, has stagnated in his 4^th season. Gary Harris, another core player, has continued to regress from his breakout 2018 season. However, Will Barton has stepped up with a fantastic season, and Paul Millsap, while clearly declining, has still been fantastic. Michael Porter Jr. has had issues, but the rookie has looked extremely promising as a scorer, and is lights out when he’s hot. Throughout it all, Nikola Jokic has continued to play at an All-NBA level. The Nuggets might not have the starpower of the other top West teams, but they’re deep and talented.

Notes

Pat Beverley Surging: Much like last season, Patrick Beverley started off the year slow from three, and has heated up to a full boil over the course of the year. After shooting a paltry 15.4% from deep in October, and 32.7% in November, the feisty point guard has hit over 40% of his shots from beyond the arc in each month since, and has raised his overall percentage to a very respectable 37.5. Beverley’s shooting is extremely important around Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, and every time he hits a three it draws just a little bit more defense attention away from the Clippers’ superstars. Beverley’s leadership and defense are important, but he does plenty else on the court that is valuable to the Clippers.

Marcus Morris vs. Paul Millsap: Paul Millsap has given the Clippers grief for years, with his stocky frame, defensive smarts, and clever playmaking being a unique and oft-devastating package. Theoretically, Millsap is the type of player who Morris can match up against. Morris is a big, solidly built man himself, and can bang with Millsap in the post while stretching him out of the paint on the other end. If he can play Millsap to a standstill, the Clippers should be in a good position to win the game.

JaMychal Green, Always Contributing: On the surface, JaMychal Green’s stats don’t look great. He’s shooting under 40% from the field, extremely bad for a big man, and just 35% from three. Those stats don’t show his true impact, not even close. First off, he’s the second-best rebounder on the team behind Ivica Zubac (and maybe Kawhi Leonard), and can always be counted upon to bring down big boards. He also plays bigger than his size defensively, helping out around the rim in rotations and banging with centers in the post. Even out on the perimeter, while not swift, Green plays angles smartly and knows where to funnel opposing players. The Clippers just generally play better when he’s out there, and he deserves more minutes.

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Clippers vs. Nuggets Game Preview
Robert Flom