After a spirited Game 4 performance, the LA Clippers gave home court advantage right back to the Mavericks, losing a pivotal Game 5 123-93 at home.

Summary

The game had the feel of a matinee game, as the Clippers stars started off very slowly. Thankfully, the Clippers supporting cast of Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac scored 15 of LA’s 24 points in the first quarter. Paul George and James Harden were ice cold, combined 2 of 10 in the quarter, though Harden was at least finding the role players to finish plays. Meanwhile Dallas was led by a hobbled Luka Doncic and the high-jumping Derrick Jones Jr., with contributions from Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively.

The second quarter was all Dallas. Dallas’ game plan was clearly to push the pace, and it was working. Poor defensive gambles by Russell Westbrook and Mason Plumlee often left the Clippers scrambling, leading to 4 (!) wide open three pointers made by Maxi Kleber for 12 points in the frame, and 8 easy points for Daniel Gafford. For the Clippers, Paul George looked invisible on offense (up to 7 for the half) and disengaged on defense. The dynamic duo of Terance and Zu were up to 24 points, with Norman Powell contributing 6 points as well. But it wasn’t enough as the Clippers found themselves trailing by 10 at halftime. 

The third quarter was more of the same. The Clippers scored 4 points for the large majority of the period, largely thanks to Paul George somehow further retreating into his shell. The lead swelled to 25 before Ty Lue inserted PJ Tucker into the game with 2:50 left in the period. Tucker immediately had an impact with his energy. The Clippers managed to cut the lead to 16, thanks to a series of stops and George finally finding his shooting stroke, before Plumlee committed a backbreakingly stupid foul, giving up a 4-point play to Josh Green and leaving the Clippers trailing by 20 again.

In the fourth quarter, the Clippers came out with desperate energy, but it wasn’t enough against the comfortable and disciplined Mavericks. There were multiple possessions with multiple attempts that ended up fruitless, and that pretty much ended the night for the Clippers. With 7 minutes left in the game Ty pulled the stars. More than any other game this series, the Clippers sorely missed Kawhi Leonard’s steadying presence and star power tonight.

Notes

Where’s Pauldo?: Aside from a brief stretch at the end of the third quarter, Paul George was the most frustrating version of himself: the one that seems to prefer being a role player standing in the corner and giving the ball to the team’s actual stars. He was constantly throwing grenades to his teammates, forcing Amir Coffey and Norman Powell to create something out of nothing with less than 5 seconds on the clock. Paul would often look like he was going to make something happen, and then the briefest hint of defense would send him backpedaling. It might seem harsh, but he’s supposed to be the best scorer for the Clippers right now. Credit to the defense of course, but there was just no effort and drive tonight. The Clippers absolutely cannot survive another performance like this from him. 15 points in a must-win game on 31% shooting with 0 steals and 0 blocks. Paul can—no, Paul must be better.

The Harden Roller Coaster: After a masterclass in Game 4, we knew the other side of the Harden coin was coming at some point. Harden’s shot wasn’t falling all game, but at least in the first half he was finding his teammates. But in the second half he completely lost the plot, with 0 assists and 3 turnovers. I’m in no way blaming this loss on Harden because the Clippers can survive nights like this from him, as they have many times this season, even when short-handed. But the Clippers can’t survive nights like this when they’re also getting the goofy version of Paul George.

Defending the Role Players: The Clippers got solid games from Zu, Terance, and Norman, but the Mavericks’ role players outplayed them. Kleber was a flamethrower from deep, hitting timely three after timely three, DJJ was blocking shots left and right, and Lively was a constant lob threat. The Clippers had been defending the Mavericks’ stars well enough all series, making them score the hard way. But their inability to stop the Mavericks’ role players tonight was what doomed them. And it’s not like Dallas’ supporting cast is particularly adept at scoring, but poor rotations and puzzling defensive decision-making led to a lot of wide open shots.

Luka Doncic Flu Game: After telling the media he was sick, Luka proceeded to put up 35 points on 54% shooting. Next time I’m going to need to see a doctor’s note because I call BS.

And that was Game 5. Let’s never, ever speak of it again. Fortunately for the Clippers, they’re better on the road than at home this year. So by my estimation they’ve still got a puncher’s chance at tying up the series 3-3 and sending this thing back to LA for Game 7.

Clippers vs Mavericks Game 5 Recap: Clippers Stars Vanish in 123-93 Loss at Home
Erik Olsgaard

The Clippers are on the ropes: They are down 2-1 going into a Game 4 on the road. Of course, Clippers fans know better than most that being down 3-1 is not the end of the story, but Kawhi’s injury looms large over the Clippers’ chances of turning this series around.

Game Information

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

When: 12:30 PM PT

How to Watch: ABC, Watch ESPN, AM 570

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

Projected Starting Lineups

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

Mavericks: Kyrie Irving – Luka Doncic – Derrick Jones Jr. – PJ Washington – Daniel Gafford

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Knee)

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

Notes

Kawhi’s Health: In our Game 3 preview, Rob wrote “[t]he first two games have shown the Clippers might not need superstar Kawhi to win this series, but they do need a version better than the guy who showed up in Game 2 and couldn’t make a jumper outside of 15 feet.” Well, after three games, I think that sentiment remains the same. But Rob then said, “[h]opefully Kawhi looks fresher and has more legs under him in this one.” That hope now seems more like a prayer. In Game Three, Kawhi clearly did not look right, and the Clippers’ limited him to just 24 minutes because of it. As noted above, Kawhi is listed as “Questionable” again, but it feels a little closer to “Doubtful” than his status before Friday’s game.

James Harden: Through three games, Harden is averaging 23.7 points, seven assists, and a steal on 47.7% shooting from the field and 44.8% from three. That is about as good as one could hope from the Clippers’ (in theory) third best player, especially given that his shot volume has gone up by about three attempts per game compared to the regular season. He probably could be doing more to get the Clippers’ offense more organized, but it is hard to have a flowing offense with Kawhi’s injury limitations. In fact, the Clippers’ offense looked much more organized in Game One, in which Harden was the Clipper’s clear leader on the floor (along with Ivica Zubac).

The Mavericks: The Mavericks have only scored over 100 points once this series, despite averaging over 115 points per game during the regular season. In Game Three, they shot the same percentage (45%) as the Clippers and were under 30% from the behind the three point line. So how did they blow out the Clippers in Game Three? Possessions: They had three more offensive rebounds and turned the ball over 11 fewer times than the Clippers. That translated to 16 more shots from the floor. The Mavericks do not feel like the better team—but they are playing better. They have had more focus, chemistry, and energy than the Clippers, which is in stark contrast to the Clippers’ clear frustration, which spilled out during multiple shoving matches on Friday night.

Bottom Line: Kawhi’s injury is the only factor that truly matters. If he is the Kawhi we have seen all year, and in previous playoff series against the Mavs, then the Clippers have more than enough to even this series up before heading back home to LA.

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

Clippers vs. Mavs Game 4 Preview: Kawhi’s injury looms large
Kenneth Armstrong

The LA Clippers looked competent (enough) and ended their two-game skid in Portland with the help of hot shooting. Check out the details below:

Game Summary

The Clippers took their time before finally pulling away in the second and their quarters. After one frame, the Clippers found themselves down one to Portland. But it was clear from the beginning that the Clippers were poised to have a nice night from the field, as they shot 52% in the first quarter, which turned out to be to be their final grade.

Specifically, in the first half, James Harden hit five of his seven three point attempts, with Paul George adding two of his own. Then, in the third quarter, Kawhi took the baton. Unfortunately, George and Harden ended up playing big minutes, though the Clippers won comfortably in the end. Really, the game was fairly simple. As Rob put it in the preview, the Clippers just had to win—no matter how it looked. In the notes below, we have some interesting nuggets to discuss.

Notes

Bones Got Benched: Bones Hyland played four minutes in the first half and just three more in the second. Specifically, he entered the game with three minutes left in the first quarter and then was replaced by Brandon Boston, Jr. just one minute into the second quarter. He would not return until garage time, with the Clippers up 18. His third quarter shift was taken by Boston, who finished the game with nine points in 23 minutes on 4/9 shooting. Xavier Moon even got time in the fourth quarter before Bones was brought back.

Since the Chicago game last week, Bones has shot 4/17 from the field and 1/13 from three (including tonight). He also has eight turnovers to seven assists over those three games. What’s more, he is not passing the eye-test. His shot selection has been suspect and his passing erratic. With Norman Powell and Terance Mann out tonight, Bones had an opportunity to contribute, but did not make anything out of it. With the Clippers flirting with falling to the fifth seed, it is unlikely that he will get many more chances.

Kawhi’s Hand: During the third quarter, Kawhi started to noticeably flex his left hand, as if it was bothering him. It turned out that his hand got caught while he was going around a screen. After the game, Ty Lue said his hand was OK, but we will have to see how he feels between now and Friday.

Standings Watch: The Clippers are only one loss ahead of the Pelicans, who have won eight of their last ten. The Pelicans next seven games are the following: on the road in Orlando, Miami, Detroit, and then home against the Thunder, Bucks, Celtics, and Suns. That is a relatively tough schedule, though the Clippers have to keep winning regardless. There is some slight hope the Clippers could move up, as they are three games in the loss column behind the Timberwolves (who are down an All Star), but that is less likely.

Clippers Handle Business, Beat Blazers 116-103
Kenneth Armstrong

The LA Clippers scraped their way to a huge win in Minnesota, beating the Timberwolves by one. Check out how it went down below.

Update to our preview: Ivica Zubac did play, and start, but only played 19 minutes.

Summary

The Clippers looked listless to start the game, only scoring 18 points to the Timberwolves’ 30 in the first quarter. The deficit was as big as 16, but the Clippers started to wake up as the quarter ended thanks to nine quick points from Norm Powell.

LA’s momentum continued from there, as the Clippers and Timberwolves switched places in the second quarter. The Clippers put up 31 points in the second to the Timberwolves’ 16. Norm added six more to his tally and Kawhi was up to 15 points at the half.

From there, the game was extremely close. There were 12 lead changes and four ties in the second half. The Clippers hit just enough shots to close it out, although barely. Paul George finally made a few, but it was mostly Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell who carried the Clippers all game. James Harden, who went 0/10 from the field, only added four free throws to the Clippers’ 89 points. (To be fair, though, he did have 10 assists.)

The Clippers also got some help from Karl Anthony-Towns, who at one point missed 10 straight shots. To be fair, though, the Clippers’ defense was pretty good after the first quarter. The defensive rotations were a little sharper and the team rebounding was good enough, understanding that Gobert and Anthony-Towns are going to out-rebound the Clippers almost no matter what.

Notes

Rotation Update: James Harden typically plays the first six minutes of the first quarter and then is relieved by Russell Westbrook. Today, Harden played the first nine minutes of the first, and Bones Hyland—the new second unit point guard—only got two and a half minutes in the first frame. The substitution pattern was roughly the same in the third quarter as well.

Another notable update was Mason Plumlee getting a DNP-CD. Although Zubac was on a minutes restriction, Theis played all of the backup center minutes. In fact, Theis played the last 16 minutes of the game.

Bones only ended up playing 14 minutes, while Amir Coffey and Terance Mann played 25 and 19 respectively (which is the reverse of what they usually play). Kawhi (38 minutes) was the only other player whose minutes were meaningfully different, as he played four more than usual.

In sum, it is still not clear how Ty Lue plans to replace all of Westbrook’s 22 minutes per game. Bones absorbed 14 of them and Kawhi played a little more. But it does seem like we have a new pattern to track: Harden playing a longer first shift; the Clippers moving forward with just two centers; and no PJ Tucker.

Medals: As readers know, our Podcast likes to give our medals after wins. Below are mine. Let us know your medal stand in the comments.

Gold: Norman Powell. He sparked the early comeback, hit big shots throughout the game, and gave us a highlight dunk on a fast break (although I thought he broke his arm on that play).

Silver: Kawhi Leonard. He led the team in scoring, contributed on defense and on the boards, and played 38 minutes.

Bronze: Daniel Theis. He missed a bunch of open shots and failed to protect the rim on multiple occasions, but he battled on the boards (13 total), played the final 16 minutes of the game, and was +14.

Clippers win rock fight in Minnesota, 89-88
Kenneth Armstrong

The LA Clippers are walking into a heavyweight battle on Sunday, taking on the Western Conference’s top team. If the Clippers want to finish the season as a top seed, they need to give the Timberwolves a home loss.

Game Info

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

When: 12:30 PM PT

How to Watch: 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 – Kawhi Leonard – Daniel Theis

Timberwolves: Mike Conley, Jr. – Anthony Edwards – Jaden McDaniels – Karl-Anthony Towns – Rudy Gobert

Injuries

Clippers: Russell Westbrook, Out (Hand); Ivica Zubac, Questionable (Illness); Paul George, Probable (Knee)

Timberwolves: Kyle Anderson, Day-to-Day (Knee); Anthony Edwards, Probable (Personal Reasons); Jaylen Clark, Out (Achilles)

The Big Picture

This is a massively important game. The Clippers are currently two losses behind the Timberwolves in the Western Conference standings, and play them twice in the next 10 days. If the Clippers want to finish as a top-three seed, they must take at least one of these games—and probably both. Losing both would not guarantee that the Clippers slip down below the fourth seed, but that would be a serious risk, with the Suns playing better as of late.

The Clippers will also be learning on the fly in this game. With Russell Westbrook out, Ty Lue will have to figure out how to integrate Bones into the rotation. The Clippers will have to lean on their top end talent—Kawhi, PG, and Harden—while also trying out a few tricks. I would not be surprised if we see Lue test out PJ Tucker on the T’Wolves bigs and generally go small to counter Gobert, as we have seen before.

The Antagonist

The Timberwolves are not a good match up for the Clippers, especially if Zubac is unavailable or limited due to his illness. Through their first two meetings, the T’Wolves have out-rebounded the Clippers by 12 and have dominated the Clippers in the paint, outscoring the Clippers by 30. Moreover, the Clippers have often had Paul George guard Anthony-Towns, which might be a problem given that PG is still dealing with his knee injury. Finally, replacing Westbrook with Bones means an easier path to the basket for Anthony Edwards.

Footnote

More on Bones: Bones Hyland will get his chance, with Westbrook out. But, as the crew discussed on the podcast, Terance Mann and Amir Coffey will likely see their minutes increase as well because Bones can be a defensive liability. That said, I hope Bones gets an opportunity to play more than 15 minutes per game (for reference, Westbrook has averaged 22.6 mpg this season). While Russell has been an asset on defense and doing the “little things,” he is still a negative spacer. Bones can shoot from the outside and the really outside. Hopefully, this could create more space for PG and Kawhi as they work in the post and in the lane.

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Clippers vs. Timberwolves Preview: Western Conference Battle
Kenneth Armstrong

The LA Clippers’ played the Thunder even for the first half of the game, but they let the home team build a lead in the third quarter and could not forge a comeback. Read more about it below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Summary

The game was tight through the first half. Neither team led by more than eight, there were ten lead changes, and four ties. Ultimately, the Thunder took a two point lead into the break. Although the Clippers shot 52% from the field, only Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell were efficient as individuals (6/7 and 5/7 respectively) in the first half. Paul George struggled from the field all night, finishing 6/16 from the field and 1/6 from three.

As with the Clippers-Timberwolves game, the Clippers struggled in the third quarter. Specifically, they gave up a 13-0 run to the quarter, letting the Thunders’ lead grow to 17, which ultimately decided the game. Before garbage time, the Clippers threatened a comeback, but the Thunder hit shot after shot to keep the Clippers at (more than) arm’s length.

Notes

Standings Watch: After tonight’s loss, the Clippers are the third seed in the Western Conference. They have a one loss advantage over the Denver Nuggets, and are one and two losses behind the Thunder and Timberwolves respectively. On one hand, the Clippers are tied with the most post-All Star Break games, so there are more opportunities to lose. On the other hand, the Clippers have more opportunities to build on their chemistry and solidify their lineups.

Shot Distribution: So far this season, Kawhi and PG are averaging 17 shot attempts to Harden’s 11. Moreover, Kawhi is only taking five threes per game. Of course, their roles are different (especially Harden’s, who is responsible for running the offense), but the Clippers have to find more shots for Kawhi. In a way, one can be too efficient in that it reflect that a player is not aggressive enough—or the team is not searching for the player often enough. In high pressure games like this, especially with PG struggling, the Clippers have to find ways to get Kawhi more easy shots.

Thunder third quarter blitz beats Clippers, 129-107
Kenneth Armstrong

The Clippers closed out their seven game Grammys road trip with another tight game, beating the Atlanta Hawks, 149-144 to finish with a franchise-best 6-1 record across the trip. Check out how it played out below:

Summary

To start the game, Clippers did not look like a team that just flew into the city the night before. They put up 37 points in the first quarter and led by as much as 13 in the first two quarters. Unfortunately, that lead was gone—and the scored was tied—by half time because the Clippers gave up an 8-0 run to end the second quarter. Through one half, the Clippers were shooting extremely well (58% from the field and 52% from three), but their defense allowed the Hawks to likewise shoot over 50% from the field and three, as well as gave the Hawks a free throw advantage.

In the second half, the Clippers were led by Kawhi Leonard, who scored 22 of his 36 in the back half of the game, as well as James Harden (17 of his 30 in the half). The Hawks stayed in the game through timely shots by Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and—annoyingly—De’Andre Hunter, who scored 27 points in 19 minutes. The Clippers were lucky Hunter was on a minutes restriction as he continues to ramp up from injury.

Notes

The Final Grammys Road Trip?: The Clippers’ infamous Grammys road trips are, of course, caused by the fact that the Crypto-dot-com Arena (née STAPLES Center) hosts the Grammys. With the Clippers moving to their own arena, one can assume these Grammys trips are no more. If so, going 6-1 on the final vacation is a pretty nice way to go out.

Managing Zubac: Ivica Zubac, who played against the Heat on Sunday night, sat tonight with the injury report categorization of “injury management.” It was probably the right call, given that the Hawks are not world beaters, but the Clippers missed him. The Hawks grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, leading to 19 second chance points. Although Plumlee and Theis were fine in their respective minutes, Ty Lue decided to close without a center; instead, the Clippers finished with Harden, Westbrook, George, Leonard, and Coffey. On Wednesday, back in Los Angeles, the Clippers will face one of their true demons—Jonas Valančiūnas—so hopefully Zubac will be ready to go.

Clippers finish Grammys trip with win over Hawks, 149-144
Kenneth Armstrong

The last stop of the Clippers’ Grammys road trip is Atlanta, where the Clippers will take on the Hawks, who are having a disappointing year but are on a four game winning streak. Check out more on this match up below:

Game Information

Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

When: 4:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

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

Projected Starters

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

Hawks: Trea Young – Dejounte Murray – Jalen Johnson – Garrison Mathews – Onyeka Okongwu

Injuries

Clippers: Moussa Diabate, Out (Hand)

Hawks: Vit Krejci, Out (Shoulder); Clint Capela, Out (Adductor); Mouhamed Gueye, Out (Back); De’Andre Hunter, Questionable (Knee); Saddiq Bey, Questionable (Ankle)

The Big Picture

The Clippers are walking into another game with a significant talent advantage. Although the Hawks have a talented back court, the Clippers have better players in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden, who are also much bigger and defensively adept than the Hawks’ best players. Moreover, the Hawks have been, simply, bad this year—including at home, where they have a losing record (12-13). So long as the Clippers come out focused (something, admittedly, that has been an issue lately), the Clippers should have no problem taking down the Hawks.

The Antagonist

The Clippers are now 5-1 on the Grammys trip, but there have been a few ugly wins that reveal how much more work the Clippers have in front of them, especially on defense. And the Hawks’s offense will test the Clippers’ defense: league wide, they are third in points per game, fifth in second chance points, fourth in pace, and are one of the best mid-range shooting teams in the league. The pace metric stands in stark contrast to the Clippers, who are one of the five slowest teams in the league. This will be an especially important metric to watch as the Clippers are on the second night of a back-to-back.

Notes

Zubac’s Reintroduction: On Sunday, Ivica Zubac only played 18 minutes after returning from his calf injury. We can expect that number to stay pretty low for the next few games, but another thing to track will be how Theis is affected. Against the Heat, Plumlee played 26 minutes and Theis was a DNP-CD. Whether that will be the case going forward is unclear, although it looks like Plumlee will be given the benefit of the doubt.

Rooting Interests: On Monday, the Clippers want: Cavaliers over Kings; Hornets over Lakers; 76ers over Mavericks; Nets over Warriors; and Raptors over Pelicans. Unfortunately, the Raptors blew a chance to help the Clippers, giving up a comeback win to the Thunder on Sunday. The Clippers are currently third in the West but have the same number of losses as the first and second seeds.

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Clippers vs. Hawks Preview: Closing the Road Trip
Kenneth Armstrong

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

Summary

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

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

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

Notes

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

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

Clippers fall to crusading Cavaliers, 118-108
Kenneth Armstrong

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

Game Summary

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio

When: 4:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

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

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

Injuries

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

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

The Big Picture

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

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

The Antagonist

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

Notes

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

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

Clippers vs. Cavaliers Game Preview
Kenneth Armstrong