As the NBA Las Vegas Summer League comes to a close, the Clippers will play a consolation game against the Lakers after they fell just short of making the semifinals on point differential tiebreaker. The Battle For LA: Vegas Edition will take place at 7:00pm Pacific on ESPN2 and in the Thomas & Mack Center as the final game of this year’s Summer League before tomorrow’s championship bout. The Lakers finished 2-2 in their original four-game slate, with their most recent game being a 31-point thrashing by the Grizzlies on Friday night.

With the Clippers playing for nothing and some boxes checked, it will be interesting to see what players get opportunities in this last game. Xavier Moon has separated himself all week as a poised pro, while Kobe Brown finally put it all together to have an absolutely dominant performance on Friday. Has the team seen enough from them to give them the night off? Sophomore big man Moussa Diabate only played in the first two games due to a rib contusion, and presumably we won’t see him again tonight (although that hasn’t been announced by the team). Third-year guard Jason Preston has had a disappointing week in Vegas, being benched down the stretch twice for backupg guards (once Matt Morgan, once Keaton Wallace) who were more capable of helping the team win. Will he get another run-out or will the team feature the likes of Morgan, Wallace, and Castaneda more aggressively as they prepare to make decisions on camp invites and two-way contracts? Jordan Miller is probably a safe bet to play to get another game under his belt at the end of a quiet week, but you never know; the Clippers may opt to give free agents one last opportunity since Miller’s spot on a two-way contract next season is already secure.

I expect that we’ll see the full stable of reinforcements, as the Clippers’ bench is primarily made up of veteran free agents trying to get NBA spots. If any sit out, it could be a sign that they are close to securing a deal, whether in the NBA or something lucrative in Europe. That means Morgan, Wallace, and Castaneda should all be expected to play today, alongside wings Brodric Thomas and Jordan Bowden, and bigs Bryson Williams and Nate Renfro. Williams has started twice in Diabate’s absence, but struggled in both contests, with Clippers SL coach Dahntay Jones ultimately favoring a smallball approach around Kobe Brown with Thomas added to the lineup. We’ll see if that change is reflected in the starting lineup, if Brown even plays today. Guard Fred Sims is the last player on the roster and the only one who has yet to appear for the Summer Clippers; often, it’s normal for everyone to at least get a game, but Sims’ professional track record is pretty far below his teammates’ and I think it’s possible he came knowing he wouldn’t play unless guys got pulled out of action.

The Summer Lakers have been led by second-year guard Max Christie, but he missed their last game with a hip injury. I would expect them to be as safe as possible with a roster player who has already had a great month and hold him out again. Some other notable Lakers are 17th overall rookie Jalen Hood-Schofino and 40th overall rookie Maxwell Lewis. They’ve also gotten good production from undrafted sophomore Syracuse stretch forward Cole Swider, who played sparingly on a two-way deal with LAL last year, G-League vet L.J. Figueroa, and undrafted free agent big Colin Castleton, who is already on a two-way for next 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.

2023 NBA Summer League: Clippers vs Lakers Preview and Open Thread
Lucas Hann

As the NBA Las Vegas Summer League comes to a close, the Clippers have their final regularly scheduled game against the Sixers. If you’ve got Friday afternoon off of work, you’ll get to watch the Clippers face off against the Sixers at 2:00pm Pacific on ESPN2, or in the Thomas & Mack Center for folks making the trip for this weekend’s games (or, god forbid, still there after going for last weekend). The Sixers are 1-2 in Vegas after also going 1-2 in the Salt Lake City Summer League last week (yes, all 4 of the Clippers’ SL opponents so far played in extra games last week before coming to Vegas)

The Clippers have started third-year point guard Jason Preston, veteran fringe guard Xavier Moon, rookie wing Jordan Miller and rookie forward Kobe Brown in each of their three games so far. Moon has clearly been the MVP and leader of this team, averaging 14 fourth quarter points per game so far. Each of the other Clipper prospects has had moments without quite breaking through, which is especially notable for third year guard Jason Preston, whose status with the organization is up in the air. Sophomore big man Moussa Diabate started the first two games before missing the third with a rib contusion; it’s unclear if he’ll return to the lineup for this game. Bryson Williams moved into the starting lineup as a replacement big man in Diabate’s absence, but the Clippers spent the bulk of the second half playing around Brown at center with backup wing Brodric Thomas on the floor as they matched up with a Grizzlies squad that lacks height.

In addition to Thomas, G-League wing Jordan Bowden has appeared off the bench in each game for the Clippers, adding shooting in each of their wins. Speedy guard Matt Morgan was held out of their last game, and it’s unclear if this was due to injury, contract developments (sometimes free agents pull out to avoid injury if they are receiving interest or offers), or preplanned rotation to get different guys opportunities. The Clippers’ last game saw the first minutes this summer for guards Xavier Castaneda and Keaton Wallace, as well as big man Nate Renfro. Fred Sims Jr is the sole Summer Clipper who has yet to appear. If the Clippers are sticking to a rotation plan, I wouldn’t be surprised to see any of the core guys who have played all three game so far take Friday off–it’s standard procedure as part of agreements with agents that guys who come to Summer League as backups will still get an opportunity to play so they have tape for scouts.

As far as Summer League goes, this game isn’t without stakes for the Clippers, as they actually still have a chance to make the Summer League playoffs. All 30 teams play 4 scheduled games, with the top 4 going into semifinal games and the remaining 26 getting a consolation game. The results of Friday’s contests will determine if the Clippers head for a consolation game this weekend or a semifinal Sunday. They will need to not only win to finish 3-1 and have a shot, but win by as much as possible to beat out other 3-1 teams on the point differential tiebreaker. A win by fewer than 13 points eliminates them, while 28 is the number that more realistically gives them a good shot at passing current 4th-place Brooklyn, who are 3-1 with a +10.0 point differential. It’s worth noting that the largest margin of victory in Vegas this summer has been 23, so it would take a herculean effort for the Clippers to pull off. Fortunately for them, they’re playing a Sixers team without much NBA talent. Jaden Springer has been held out for most of Summer League with an injury, leaving undrafted rookie Terquavion Smith and G-League vet Javonte Smart (who has some minimal NBA experience on two-way contracts with Milwaukee and Miami) leading the way.

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.

2023 NBA Summer League: Clippers vs Sixers Preview and Open Thread
Lucas Hann

After securing their first win of the NBA Las Vegas Summer League on Monday night, the Clippers are back in action against the Memphis Grizzlies. Folks who aren’t bound to the 9-5 will get to watch the two 1-1 teams face off at 12:30pm Pacific on NBATV, or in the Cox Pavilion for basketball tourists in Las Vegas. This Summer Grizzlies group also has a little more experience together by virtue of going 2-1 in the Salt Lake City Summer League lead-up event, with their only loss coming in the finale where their big-name players were rested.

The Clippers have started third-year point guard Jason Preston, veteran fringe guard Xavier Moon, rookie wing Jordan Miller, rookie forward Kobe Brown, and sophomore big man Moussa Diabate in each of their first two games. French MVP finalist guard Matt Morgan, Long Island Nets star wing Jordan Bowden, former NBA wing Brodric Thomas, and former Ontario Clippers big Bryson Williams have rounded out the 9-man rotation off the bench. So far, each of the Clippers’ prospects (Preston, Miller, Brown, and Diabate) have shown flashes but failed to truly break out and demonstrate superior, NBA-caliber talent. Preston in particular is in a perilous position, as his contract for next season is not guaranteed and he could be released after Summer League if he doesn’t impress. 28-year-old Xavier Moon has undoubtedly been the best player on this roster, taking over offensively late in games to average 16 (!!) fourth quarter points. No other Clipper is averaging 16 points per game. Morgan has shown his speed and shooting off the bench and is second on the team in scoring with 12 points per game, but has yet to truly break out despite closing Monday’s win ahead of the struggling Preston. Bowden was quiet on Saturday but got hot from deep to finish with 18 points on Monday; Thomas has just 5 points on 2-9 shooting total so far. Williams has been a mixed bag but has been active and had good moments; he was with the Clippers in training camp last season and could be considered a candidate for a two-way contract. We have yet to see several depth players on this team; it’s customary for everyone who is brought to Summer League to get some type of shot, so we’ll see if and when the Clippers incorporate undrafted rookie guard Xavier Castaneda, international pro guard Fred Sims Jr., Ontario Clipper guard/wing Keaton Wallace, or international forward/big Nate Renfro.

On the other side of this match-up, the Grizzlies have an assortment of relevant NBA talent. Kenneth Lofton Jr performed well enough in 24 appearances last season as an undrafted rookie on a two-way deal to earn a real contract with the team going forward. Sophomore 19th overall pick Jake LaRavia got his feet wet in the NBA last year with 35 games played. Sophomore 23rd overall pick David Roddy earned a regular rotation spot, averaging 18 minutes per game in 70 appearances. Sophomore undrafted guard Jacob Gilyard made one appearance last season on a two-way contract signed after Lofton was promoted to the main roster. 48th overall pick rookie G.G. Jackson, 47th overall pick sophomore Vincent Williams Jr, and 56th overall pick rookie Tarik Biberovic will also likely get their opportunities. This will be a good test for the Summer Clippers as they go up against an opponent with more headlining proven NBA talent than they possess–an opportunity for them to prove they belong in the league next 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.

2023 NBA Summer League: Clippers vs Grizzlies Preview and Open Thread
Lucas Hann

Before we get to Russell Westbrook and the first game of this Clippers-Grizzlies mini-series, there were several updates that came just hours before tip-off:

Memphis: Bane, Jackson, and Jones were late scratches. The Grizzlies started Morant, Kennard, Brooks, Aldama, and Tillman.

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard was a late scratch, out of “personal reasons,” although there was no reporting regarding the specifics. It seems like he will be available on Friday, but that is not certain yet. Terance Mann started in his place.

Although both teams were going into the game short-handed, getting an opportunity to play the Grizzlies without two of their starters instantly made this a must-win game. And win the Clippers did. Check out our preview below:

Summary

First Half

This game was one of runs from the start. In the first half, both teams held double-digit leads and there were six lead changes. Both teams shot well, though the Clippers were on fire through two quarters (59.5% from the field and 55% from three). The Grizzlies were able to go into halftime down just six, despite shooting poorly from three, because they took nine more shots than the Clippers. They earned the extra attempts through eight offensive rebounds and five steals.

Second Half

Memphis won the third quarter by six, evening the score going into the fourth quarter. The Clippers continued to shoot well, but the Grizzlies continued to get offensive rebounds (four in the third quarter) and the Clippers got sloppy with the ball. Throughout the game, in fact, the Clippers continued to waste fast break opportunities by throwing passes into the stands. The Grizzlies were led in part by Dillon Brooks, who had one of his best games of the season. He finished with 30 points on 12/24 shooting. Ja Morant, of course, terrorized the Clippers, putting up 36 points (including 12 made free throws).

But the Clippers’ role-players-turned-stars were too much for the Grizzlies. Russell Westbrook, Robert Covington, and Bones Hyland were all spectacular on offense (more on them below)—and their shot making sustained throughout the fourth quarter. In the end, the Clippers were able to secure enough stops (and defensive rebounds) to win the fourth quarter by nine.

Notes

Norman Powell Returns: After missing several games with a shoulder injury, Norm Powell returned tonight. He played 24 minutes, finishing with 13 points, one rebound, one assist, and two steals. He shot OK from the field (4/9), but went 2/6 from three. He also had four turnovers—more than 25% of the team’s total. Rust is understandable, though, and overall he was a positive influence on the game.

Gold Medal: Russell Westbrook
Westbrook was awesome tonight. He put up 36 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, and two blocks in 35 minutes. He was also incredibly efficient: 13/18 from the floor (72%) and a perfect 5/5 from three. This game is the type of game one imagined when Russ came to the Clippers: when Kawhi and/or PG are out, the Clippers needed someone who could be a one-man wrecking crew. Tonight, we saw the best version of that idea.

Silver Medal: Robert Covington
Covington has gotten opportunities lately, with Marcus Morris, Sr. out with illness. And, tonight, he took full advantage of the minutes. He had 27 points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals in 31 minutes. Like Russell, he was super efficient: 9/10 from the field and also perfect from three (7/7).

Bronze Medal: Bones Hyland
Bones, along with Covington, led the bench unit, who really won the game for the Clippers. He was +11 in 22 minutes, finishing with 20 points (8/14 from the field) and six assists. His pace (although he did mess up a few fast breaks) helped the Clippers keep the pressure on the Grizzlies in the second half. He also hit a few bail-out type of shots on possessions that did not look promising.

That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ win over the Grizzlies. 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, Westbrook seal must-win game, 141-132
Kenneth Armstrong

The Clippers traveled to Memphis for a mini-series against the Grizzlies. Check out our preview of game one below:

Game Information

Where: FedExForum, Memphis, TN

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Ballys Sports, ClipperVision

How to Listen: AM 570 KLAC

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Russell Westbrook – Eric Gordon – Kawhi Leonard – Nicolas Batum – Ivica Zubac

Grizzlies: Ja Morant – Desmond Bane – Dillon Brooks – Jaren Jackson, Jr. – Xavier Tillman

Injuries

Clippers: 
QUESTIONABLE: Norman Powell (shoulder)

OUT: Paul George (knee), Marcus Morris, Sr. (health and safety protocols), Brandon Boston, Jr. (tailbone contusion)

Raptors: 
PROBABLE: Ja Morant (thigh)

OUT: Vince Williams, Jr. (shoulder), Zaire Williams (ankle), Steven Adams (knee), Brandon Clarke (achilles)

The Big Picture

The Clippers seemed to unlock something against the Bulls: they were playing faster (led by Bones Hyland and Russell Westbrook), were moving the ball extremely well (41 assists—the new high-water mark for the season), and knocked own open shots (thank you, Nico Batum).

While hitting 50% of their threes is unsustainable, the intensity and style of play should be replicable—especially with Batum and, potentially, Covington getting more minutes. They will need to play fast and move the ball well against this young Grizzlies team. And knocking down shots will be key, as Jaren Jackson, Jr. will be protecting the rim.

The Antagonist

The Clippers are going into this game with a talent deficit, which is not often the case with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the roster. But this Memphis Grizzlies team—more healthy now than when the Clippers last played them—has a talented, dynamic, and young roster. Jackson is re-asserting himself as a premier defensive player, as well as scoring in higher numbers than earlier in the season. Since the Clippers beat the short-handed Grizzlies on March 5th, Memphis has only lost two games—both on the road. In fact, they have won 12 straight at home and nine of their last ten overall. This will be an extremely tough game for the Clippers.

Note

Rooting Interests:

Today, March 29th: 76ers over Mavericks; Spurs over Jazz; Bulls over Lakers; Pistons over Thunder; Blazers over Kings; Suns over Timberwolves (the Clippers need the teams under them to be pushed down more than they need to catch the Suns).

Thursday, March 30th: Nuggets over Pelicans (very important!)

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

It wasn’t pretty, but the LA Clippers (34-33) finally picked up their first win post-All-Star break with a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback against the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies, 135-129. Paul George was spectacular for LAC with 42 points (12-23 FG, 4-9 3PT, 14-15 FT), 11 rebounds and three assists. Coming up huge in the clutch, Kawhi Leonard added in 34 points (15 in the fourth), 10 rebounds and four assists. Tyus Jones put up an elite stat line for Memphis (38-25) with 25 points (9-14 FG, 5-7 3PT), 12 assists, five steals and zero turnovers. Read on for our full recap of the Clippers’ win over the Grizzlies.

Summary

The horn sounded, the ball was tipped and David Roddy immediately stripped Marcus Morris Sr. for a coast-to-coast dunk. It became very apparent in the first quarter just how much younger the Grizzlies were, yet it was the Clippers who had allowed eight points off of four turnovers. Otherwise, the Clippers actually did a great job on the glass, outrebounding Memphis 15-7 to open up four additional looks. Unfortunately, the story of the frame was that Senior once again was just flat-out bad out there. Despite the Clippers getting him involved early, Morris Sr. missed his usual array of jumpers and was hunted mercilessly on defense, with his man drawing two often being the catalyst for Memphis’ attack. The rotations off the bench remained the same with Eric Gordon, Nicolas Batum, Mason Plumlee and Terance Mann all getting some burn. The birthday boy, Plumdog Millionaire, was active in a hurry, doing a nice job of exploiting the Grizzlies’ lack of emergency depth inside. Luke Kennard checked in late, soon receiving both a tribute video and an open look from deep. After a back-and-forth opening frame, the Clippers led 30-28.

In the battle of the reserve minutes, Paul George and Eric Gordon took the kids to school (“kids” mainly being Ziaire Williams), with both combining for 22 points in the period. Once again, however, the concerns were on the defensive end of the court as Memphis’ activity around the top of the arc often led to Xavier Tillman getting wide-open layups inside or Luke being free for shooting practice. Morris Sr. once again got the nod to close, which resulted in another stint of him missing jumpers and being hunted on defense. Through two, the Clippers held a 67-61 lead at the break.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Clippers gave up a 51-point quarter in what was a 27-point turnaround. The collapse was as terrible to watch as it sounded. LAC opened up the frame with Batum starting over Morris Sr., a move that appeared to pay off right away as the Clippers got out to a 5-0 run and prompted a quick Taylor Jenkins timeout. As play wore on, however, the Clippers went cold from the field, turned the ball over repeatedly and, soon enough, the triples that weren’t going down for Memphis started to and then some. Tyus Jones became a flamethrower before his amped teammates followed suit, snapping off an arena-silencing run that once again made it feel like the game was over for the Clippers in a flash. Heading into the fourth, the Grizzlies led 112-97.

By way of huge rebounding and steadiness at the free-throw line, the Clippers proved they were finally worthy of a win the rest of the way. LAC played Memphis about even through the first three minutes of the frame, with the risk of rolling Plumlee, Russell Westbrook and Morris Sr. out there paying off somewhat well offensively. From then on, however, the lineup of Westbrook-EG-PG-Kawhi-Morris Sr., for whatever reason, got the job done. The Clippers were able to switch everything and the help defense was there consistently as JJJ, Jones and Bane whiffed one by one on their drives with PG and Kawhi covering up the backline. Over seven-and-a-half minutes, the Clippers held Memphis to just two points. Meanwhile, the 213-duo caught fire in the mid-range, as well as muscled their way to the Grizzlies’ interior at will. At one point, things did start to get uncomfortably familar for a bit as Bane and Kennard broke loose for a quick 6-0 punch and the Grizzlies started to leave Westbrook to swarm PG/Kawhi on the ball. Fortunately, the rebounding and free throw-making were there to stave off another heartbreak. The Clippers became the first team to win after giving up 50 points in a quarter since 1991.

Clippers vs. Grizzlies Game Notes

• Same Minutes, Same Problems: The Clippers outrebounded the Grizzlies by 32, the biggest disparity in Memphis’ franchise history. The Clippers also shot 33-35 from the charity stripe. The Clippers got the win. Awesome. But, it’s hard not to bring up how bad of a game this feels from a process standpoint considering they gave up 26 points off of 17 turnovers, got burned in the fast break 26 to 9, and still somehow played Morris Sr. more minutes (25) than each of Batum (17), Terance Mann (18) and Robert Covington (DNP-CD). Specifically from a rotations standpoint, it remains baffling to have these defensive options just sitting there when depth was touted as one of the team’s strong suits heading into the year. Particularly in the third quarter, when Plumlee was being targeted endlessly in the pick-and-roll, the Clippers maybe could’ve tried going small with RoCo but I guess that’s still just a non-starter.

• Clippers’ Big 3 Delivers: Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac went huge for the Clippers tonight. Seriously though, I was thoroughly impressed again with Ivica Zubac’s ability to rebound and defend the rim without fouling. Zu was limited to only playing 17 minutes in this one (he played 28 in the loss to Minnesota), and you could truly see the Clippers’ level of cohesion fall off drastically for stretches in this one. With PG and Kawhi, this one was just everything Clippers fans have been begging to see more of from them. Together in the same game, both played at that high bar that the basketball world has long expected from them — something that has felt far too rare this season.
• Norm No. 2?: With Norman Powell down, it appears the decision to have “two Norms” is starting to show its worth with Eric Gordon bringing that traditional sixth man scoring juice in this one. EJ was awesome tonight, driving to the rim at his own pace, providing deep floor-spacing for the stars and overall serving as a steady hand off the bench. Although Kennard was awesome for Memphis tonight, Gordon definitely showed his value tonight as well.

Up Next: The Clippers will host the Toronto Raptors at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, March 8, at 7 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. Grizzlies Recap: 213’s 76 Drives Comeback
Ralston Dacanay

In the midst of a five-game losing skid, the LA Clippers (33-33) face the Memphis Grizzlies (38-24) for the first time in over a year Sunday night. Read on for our full preview of the Clippers’ game against the Grizzlies.

Clippers vs. Grizzlies Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
When: 7 p.m. PT
How to Tune in: ESPN, Bally Sports SoCal, ClipperVision, AM 570 KLAC, KWKW

Projected Starting Lineups
LA Clippers: Russell Westbrook – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac

Memphis Grizzlies: Tyus Jones – Desmond Bane – David Roddy – Jaren Jackson Jr. – Xavier Tillman Sr.

Injury Report
LA Clippers: Brandon Boston Jr. – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Moussa Diabate – OUT (G League – Two-Way), Xavier Moon – OUT (G League – Two-Way), Norman Powell – OUT (Left Shoulder Subluxation), Jason Preston – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Ivica Zubac – QUESTIONABLE (Right Calf Soreness)

Memphis Grizzlies: Steven Adams – OUT (Right Knee; PCL Sprain), Dillon Brooks – OUT (League Suspension), Brandon Clarke – OUT (Left Achilles Tear), Jake LaRavia – DOUBTFUL (Back Soreness), Ja Morant – OUT (Not With Team), Vince Williams Jr. – DOUBTFUL (Right Shoulder Soreness),

Update: The Grizzlies have downgraded both Jake LaRavia (Back Soreness) and Vince Williams Jr. (Right Shoulder Soreness) to DOUBTFUL.
Update No. 2: Per Tyronn Lue, Ivica Zubac will be AVAILABLE tonight with a minutes restriction.

The Big Picture

The Clippers’ season has spiraled out of control since the All-Star break with five straight losses to projected Western Conference playoff teams. The latest defeat, a 128-127 heartbreaker in Sacramento, was a valiant effort though as LAC’s hodgepodge of nine available players ended up a catch away from stealing the win. Unfortunately, moral victories don’t amount to much in the NBA as the West’s lone winless team post-All-Star break now sits right at .500 with just 16 games left to go — a truly tough mark to grasp considering how high expectations appeared to be for the team back in October. It’s been “not the Clippers’ night” on a lot of nights this season and even with the team now free-falling down the standings, it remains to be seen how bad this thing can get before it gets better. With health further deteriorating what was already a rhythmless group, all you can really ask for from the Clippers at this point is to win however necessary and stop the bleeding. They’ll have another great opportunity to do just that tonight, but as shown just over the past week, LAC is far from a lock to close out the games they should win.

Tonight’s game marks the beginning of a sorely needed five-game homestand for LAC, and it also comes against the last team they’ve yet to see this season. While the opponents coming up still aren’t exactly cakewalks, 11 of the final 16 regular-season games for LAC will be played at home, and they won’t have to leave the Pacific Time Zone again until March 29. Additionally, they don’t have another back-to-back until March 31-April 1. If the Clippers want to do what they’ve seemingly believed all year — get ourselves right and we can beat anybody — this simply has to be the time to start showing it.

The Antagonist

The Memphis Grizzlies head into this one after sustaining a series of blows in the past 48 hours. Dillon Brooks picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the 4th quarter of the Grizzlies’ collapse in Denver Friday, resulting in an automatic one-game suspension. On Saturday morning, the Grizzlies announced that Ja Morant will be away from the team for at least the next two games; the situation remains under investigation by the NBA. Hours later, the team announced that Brandon Clarke suffered a season-ending left Achilles tear against the Nuggets. Coupling these developments with the absence of Steven Adams, who’s been out since Jan. 22, the Grizzlies suddenly find themselves down four of their core rotation guys.

Nevertheless, two of Memphis’ proverbial big three will be active for the team’s first meeting against the Clippers tonight with free runway to wreak havoc. Jaren Jackson Jr. has arguably been the frontrunner for the Defensive Player of the Year award, staying relatively healthy after missing the Grizzlies’ first 14 games and blocking a league-best 3.3 shots per game. Desmond Bane has struggled to stay on the court a bit this season, notably missing 17 games with a grade 2 sprained right big toe and sesamoid injury early in the season — an ailment that the third-year guard said will “probably have to get taken care of in the offseason.” Despite the bumps and bruises, Bane is averaging career-highs just about across the board and remains a highly efficient shooter.

Clippers vs. Grizzlies Game Notes

• The Start of Something, Lue?: Before the Clippers’ Feb. 28 loss to Minnesota, Tyronn Lue said he needed two to three games to experiment with the rotations. Well, that “evaluation period” appears to be over as promised. The Los Angeles Times’ Andrew Greif reported Saturday that the Clippers “have been preparing with an expectation that power forward Marcus Morris Sr. is on his way out of the starting lineup.” Whether it’s with Eric Gordon, Nicolas Batum, Terance Mann, or Robert Covington, it appears tonight could reveal who the Clippers view as their new starting wing moving forward.
• Let’s Get Serious: Over their five-game slide, the Clippers are 28th in turnovers per game (17.2), 23rd in rebounds per game (33.2) and (unofficially) first in second-half mental lapses. Seriously though, it’s cliché, but the Clippers need to sharpen up and do a respectable job of limiting their self-inflicted wounds: unforced giveaways, missed box-outs, egregious steal attempts, etc. If not, add this one to the list with the losses against the Timberwolves and Warriors.
• Preventing Wildfires: There are two Grizzlies that appear primed to see a major jump in minutes. The obvious one is Tyus Jones, who just might be the best backup point guard in the NBA depending on how you view Malcolm Brogdon and Jordan Poole. In nine starts this season, Jones is averaging 18.8 points (51.9% FG, 47.5% 3PT), 3.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2.44 steals in 33.2 minutes. The second, unfortunately, is the Nard Dog. Luke Kennard appeared in 168 games (41 starts) in parts of three seasons with the Clippers and averaged 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 23.1 minutes before he was traded to Memphis on Feb. 6. Through six games with the Grizzlies, Cool Hand Luke has averaged 6.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

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 Memphis Grizzlies. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!

Clippers vs. Grizzlies Preview: Bear Trap?
Ralston Dacanay

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the LA Clippers have traded Luke Kennard to the Memphis Grizzlies in a 3-team deal that will net them the Houston Rockets’ Eric Gordon:

Exact details on deadline trades can often take hours (or even days) to trickle out, especially for minor matters like “which 2nd round picks got thrown into this trade?” The current reporting on this deal suggests that the Clippers sent Kennard to Memphis for 3 second-round picks, while they sent John Wall and swap rights in the first round in this year’s draft to Houston for Gordon. Veteran wing Danny Green is heading from Memphis to Houston as part of the trade to facilitate salary-matching. Notably, the Clippers also sent out 3 second-round picks today, 2 for Bones Hyland and 1 for Mason Plumlee. However, we’ll have to wait for the dust to settle before we know if those are the same picks or if there is a value differential between what was sent out and brought in. (Update: Andrew Greif has the details on the 2nds the Clippers got in this trade–though which of them remain in the team’s war chest is unclear.)

Getting three second-round picks for Kennard is not an amazing return that blows you a way, but it makes sense–the Clippers likely missed an opportunity to sell high on Luke last summer and it was always going to be hard to move a $15M salary for a player that was only on the fringes of their rotation. It certainly has seemed for weeks that the emergence of Norman Powell meant that the writing was on the wall for Luke, and recouping some value while repurposing his salary into a player that was a better fit for what Ty Lue is searching for in the rotation. There is the element of what Kennard brings to the Grizzlies, a conference rival and potential opponent of the Clippers. While I don’t want to dismiss his shooting or the Grizzlies’ quality (they could easily beat LAC in a series with or without Kennard), I think it is probably wise that the Clippers are focused more on making moves to improve themselves than worrying about Memphis. Both teams have significantly larger concerns in the form of the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns.

The real question is if repurposing Kennard’s salary slot into Eric Gordon was the move that the Clippers needed. The former Clipper draft pick is now 34 years old and makes just under $20M this year before getting a raise to $20.9M next season, and isn’t quite the scoring volume/efficiency monster that he was as a support scorer for James Harden in Houston years ago. He’s still a better scoring option than the guards he is replacing–he creates for himself far more than Luke Kennard is capable of doing and does so much more efficiently than Reggie Jackson or John Wall. However, he’s more like Norman Powell as a player than the “point guard” archetype that the Clippers had been linked to–Mike Conley, Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, etc. What he does still do effectively is drive, so he brings a potential value add of initiating the Clippers’ paint-and-spray offense, even if he isn’t going to be a super dynamic playmaker.

Gordon’s contract is team-friendly, as the $20.9M salary for next season is fully non-guaranteed. Typically for a veteran deal, there would be a trigger date where he would have to be waived before free agency opens to allow him to find a new team, but Spotrac doesn’t show that for his contract–I’d take that with a grain of salt just because it’s unusual. Regardless, it’s a big expiring for next year that doesn’t have to be guaranteed if he is moved in a draft-day deal, meaning that acquiring Gordon–much like Eric Bledsoe not too long ago–might be a deal made with the next trade in mind, especially because they did not move any future first round pick capital at this deadline and are set up to be able to put pretty compelling offers together this summer.

The pick swap here hurts, in my opinion. The upcoming draft is very deep and the Clippers are starving for youth, athleticism, talent, and upside. Currently their own pick is slated to be 18th, while the Milwaukee Bucks pick that Houston will have the right to swap is slated to be 28th. The draft order will change as the standings do, but it’s going to be a notable shift backwards in the first round. Losing John Wall is a non-factor for the Clippers, as he was unlikely to play for the team again. He, funnily enough, heads to the Houston Rockets, who will buy him out for the second time in under a year. It appears unlikely that his NBA career will continue.

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NBA Trade Deadline: Clippers swap Luke Kennard for Eric Gordon
Lucas Hann

The Summer Clippers handily defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in their first contest in the Las Vegas Summer League tonight, 94-76. LA took control early on and never relinquished it, leading by as much as 27 in the second half as the Grizzlies failed to ever make the contest competitive.

I typically write very brief, bullet-point Summer League recaps that focus on the performances of key individuals, and I’m going to stay true to that in a moment, but I do think it’s worth nothing that this Clippers squad played exceptionally well as a team by Summer League standards. Things slipped a bit as they rotated the lineup more heavily in the second half with a massive lead, but in the first half their offensive execution was massively impressive, and I’d share credit for that among point guards Jason Preston and Xavier Moon as well as head coach Shaun Fein. Summer League is infamous for atrocious guard play, and having two composed floor generals actually running the offense simply put the Clippers a class above the Grizzlies–which is especially impressive when you consider that Memphis started a rookie first rounder and two sophomore first round picks along with a third-year player with plenty of NBA experience, and brought another first-round pick off the bench. In total, the 8 players who led the Grizzlies in minutes tonight are all assumed to have spots on the team’s 17-man roster next year, and the Clippers’ misfit crew thrashed them.

If you aren’t familiar with the name Shaun Fein, here you go: he got his start as a video analyst for the Brooklyn Nets under Kenny Atkinson, eventually moving up to the position of Player Development Coordinator and then Head Coach of the Nets’ G-League affiliate in Long Island. The Nets replaced Atkinson in the 2020 off-season to bring in Steve Nash as the hand-picked choice of superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and the Clippers made the much-acclaimed hire to bring Atkinson in as an Assistant Coach under Ty Lue to revitalize the franchise’s player development program. Fein followed Atkinson to Los Angeles as a Player Development Coach, and then stayed with the team with a promotion to Assistant Coach when Atkinson left to join Steve Kerr’s staff in Golden State last summer. NBA teams have a lot of coaches and fans are typically only aware of the head coach and maybe a few high-profile assistants; welcome to the limelight, Shaun.

Now, let’s break down how key Clipper prospects performed in the opener:

• Jason Preston was the best player on the floor in the first quarter, playing floor general as the Clippers took an early lead. It felt like every possession involved him orchestrating the offense, and every possession ended with a good shot. He faded a bit as the game went on–possibly in part due to other guys getting more on-ball reps in a blowout–but if he can bottle the poise and comfort he showed in the first half and bring in the rest of the week, he’ll have really impressed me. His known weaknesses are still weaknesses: he isn’t explosive going downhill or finishing around the rim. That said, if his key strength (court vision and passing) can be elite at this level and his question marks (defense and spot-up shooting) look good as well, it’ll be a great sign.
• Brandon Boston had a solid performance and a good stat line, putting up 15 points on 4-8 shooting to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and a block. If this is his baseline Summer League performance, it’s good-not-great. Some folks had hoped he’d be “too good for Summer League,” which was a nice dream, but the reality is that as a guy without a clear role on the big league Clippers, this week was always going to be about getting him reps. I would love to see him be a little stronger physically entering the lane with the ball in his hands, either as a finisher or playmaker, so he doesn’t have to take so many stepback and fadeaway shots.
• Moussa Diabate was probably the player of the game overall (though Preston did more of his work early on when the game was close), really excelling defensively and on the offensive glass. I was worried he’d have some phsyical challenges against the stronger Xavier Tillman, a guy who was a higher draft pick 2 years ago, is 3 years older, and has over 1,700 NBA minutes under his belt–that didn’t materialize. Diabate finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds, 6 of them offensive, and had a spin move to a monster dunk that was probably the play of the game. In addition to his tenacious activity on the offensive glass, he was really efective on defensive switches against guards, which is a great sign because that is the skill that will probably define his NBA utility as a backup 4/5. I love that he got 9 free throw attempts (his game high at Michigan was 7), but wish he had made more than 4 of them.

• Xavier Moon, operating on the good news that he had been invited to the Clippers’ big league training camp this fall, had a simply very solid game as the backup point guard. It’s not surprising, given his advanced age for this level and his experience dominating lower pro leagues, but he’s a real asset to these Summer Clippers. The question is what utility he has to the real Clippers after the addition of John Wall, with younger Jason Preston already on a guaranteed contract for next year… and the unfortunate conclusion is that while Moon certainly seems capable of making an NBA roster, it feels unlikely that it will be LAC’s.
• Jarrell Brantley was a surprise starter at power forward (I personally thought we’d see Justin Bean, who the Clippers had signed to an Exhibit 10 deal as an undrafted free agent). The undersized 26-year-old forward was a second round pick in 2019 and played a couple hundred minutes of NBA garbage time before heading to Europe as a role player last year. He had a nice outing here and shot 3-6 from deep, but he only made 26% of his threes in 48 games overseas last season and 31% of his threes in 43 career G-League games. I’m happy that he got to have a nice outing tonight but I wouldn’t pencil him in to any future plans just yet.
• Reggie Perry jumped off the screen more than any other non-roster Summer Clipper, finishing with a team-high 17 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes. As a 22-year-old 6’8″ 4/5, he was drafted 57th (just after Jay Scrubb, the Clippers and Nets actually traded the two for each other) in 2020 and has almost 400 NBA minutes to his name. He played well all-around offensively and even stepped out to make a couple of threes (he’s been a below-average shooter at the G-League level but is willing to take plenty). He still has an uphill battle to even make the Clippers’ training camp, but because he plays a position of need as a big man and seems to be on the fringe of landing a two-way deal somewhere next year, he seems like a candidate to move forward with the team if he can play well for the rest of the week. I’d like to see a bit of him and Diabate together, as well.

• Jay Scrubb doesn’t seem to have made a lot of progress since last summer, and his game mostly seems to be taking inefficient pull-up jumpers with blinders on while occassionally putting together a mixtape highlight. That happened tonight, with a filthy stepback three that would make any highlight reel for this game, but outside of that moment he was just 3-10 from the field and made a lot of poor decisions with the basketball when he should have been passing. The Clippers invited him back to training camp this year and while it wouldn’t be a travesty to have him on a two-way deal again (he averaged 21 points on 46/35 splits in 12 G-League games last year, which outweighs some ugly Summer League play), this performance didn’t do a lot to inspire confidence that he’s an NBA guy going forward.
• Michael DeVoe, one of the undrafted free agents who the Clippers signed to an exhibit 10 contract to compete for a two-way spot for next season, played sparingly as the 10th man in this game and was pretty dreadful. I frequently tell fans to chill on the hyperbole when someone does well in a Summer League game and I’ll do the opposite here and say that it’s not a career death sentence for a player to struggle in a LVSL game–plenty of much higher-profile prospects have bad outings and turn out just fine. But tonight, he looked like a guy who didn’t belong at this level, which is troubling since this is about 7 levels below NBA-caliber play. He’ll have to turn it around in the upcoming contests or he might not even make it to training camp.
• Speaking of which, Lucas Williamson and Justin Bean, the other two undrafted free agents who the Clippers signed to exhibit 10 deals after the draft, were only garbage time bodies in tonight’s game. Now, it’s really common for teams to rotate guys throughout Summer League, with most players taking a night off at some point and everyone getting a chance for legit rotation minutes for at least one game. But normally the guys the organization is highest on play in the opener, and normally they start. Right now, the Clippers have 21 guys on the training camp list (Moussa Diabate is technically unsigned, allowing them to still abide by the 20-player off-season limit, but he’ll be replacing one of the current 20). Adding Xavier Moon and Jay Scrubb late is a bad omen for the team’s three exhibit 10 guys, especially when Scrubb started at shooting guard over DeVoe and Williamson (both shooting guards) and Bean scarcely played behind multiple forward without camp invites. For reference, Amir Coffey started the Clippers’ Summer League opener as an exhibit 10 rookie and, while he took one night off, ultimately started all four games that he played in and led the team in minutes per game. That’s a guy who showed up to Summer League mini-camp and showed the team that he belonged with the big club in the fall. It doesn’t look like Devoe, Williamson, or Bean have proven that at this point.

All in all, it was a very successful outing for the Summer Clippers, who are now 1-0 and will look to their Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back against the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets to determine if they have a chance at competing for this year’s Summer League Championship. Each of the NBA’s 30 teams plays 4 games (LAC’s fourth is Friday afternoon against the Utah Jazz), with 28 playing a final consolation game on the last weekend and the top 2 competing for the title next Sunday. Top two is obviously decided first and foremost by record, so you need to go 3-1 in your first 4 to even have a chance and even 4-0 isn’t guaranteed if more than 2 teams go undefeated. Then, it goes by head-to-head record as the first tiebreaker (only in the case of a two-way tie, which is basically irrelevant as a two-way tie at 4-0 would put both teams in the championship and if 1 or 0 teams are 4-0, way more than 2 teams will be 3-1) and point differential as the second tiebreaker, so the Clippers’ 18-point win is a good sign. With everyone in the league having played at least one game in Vegas, only the Suns and Raptors are ahead of LAC on point differential, narrowly at +20. Only two teams, Orlando and Detroit, are 2-0 so far.

We’ll see the Summer Clippers again on Tuesday night at 8pm Pacific when they take on the Summer Lakers on NBATV in the big gym at LVSL, the Thomas & Mack Center.

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 trounce Grizzlies in Summer League opener, 94-76
Lucas Hann

The Summer Clippers are finally getting their Las Vegas campaign underway in at the end of Saturday night’s slate, tipping off at 9:30pm Eastern Time (6:30 Pacific) in Cox Pavillion, the small gym at the NBA’s summer league site at UNLV. For those watching from home, the game will be broadcast on NBATV and should take 2 hours instead of the typical 2.5 hour NBA game–though in the last game of the night, there’s a decent chance it doesn’t start on time if games earlier in the day fall behind schedule.

The Summer Clippers will take on the Memphis Grizzlies, who are also making their Las Vegas debut in this game… but played three contests earlier in the week at the Salt Lake City Summer League, giving them some time to play together in an environment where teammates’ lack of familiarity with each other is typically evident. The Grizzlies defeated the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, and closed out with a win on Thursday against the Utah Jazz.

We won’t spend too much time scouting Summer League opponents, but Memphis has some real NBA talent on their team that will be a part of the Grizzlies’ young, exciting roster next season. Ziaire Williams, the 10th overall pick in the 2021 draft, was a rotation player for the Grizzlies last year and is the star of this iteration of the Summer Grizzlies, averaging 17 points and 5 assists in his 2 appearances in Salt Lake City. He has a guaranteed contract and appears to be a significant part of Memphis’ plans going forward. Xavier Tillman, who we all remember as the guy who the Clippers passed on to take Daniel Oturu in the 2020 NBA Draft, returns to Summer League as a third-year player, which is typically an indicator that the team views him as a fringe player. He’s been productive in a limited role and also already has a guaranteed deal for next year. The last returning Grizzly is Santi Aldama, the 30th overall pick in 2021 who played sparingly last year.

Memphis’ team also features first round draft picks from this season, Jake LaRavia (19th) and David Roddy (23rd), as well as 38th overall pick Kennedy Chandler, who all figure to be on the 15-man roster next season. In addition, 43rd overall pick Vince Williams Jr. and undrafted free agent Kenneth Lofton Jr. seem set to be the team’s two-way players next year. In total, that’s likely 8 of the 17 members of the 2022-23 Memphis Grizzlies on this summer team, compared to just 4 for the Summer Clippers, and four first round picks compared to zero.

All of that talent makes for an exciting challenge for the Clippers’ prospects, especially Brandon Boston Jr., who went 51st overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and will have a chance to go head-to-head with Williams, the 10th pick in the same draft. Moussa Diabate will also face a challenge down low against a proven NBA player in Tillman and a more highly touted prospect in Aldama. Jason Preston, the 33rd pick in 2021, won’t have the same David-vs-Goliath matchup from a draft pick perspective, but will go against another point guard taken in the 30s in Chandler and have a chance to put himself back on the radar after missing his entire rookie season following foot surgery.

Clippers fans will also want to keep an eye on Michael DeVoe, Lucas Williamson, and Justin Bean, three undrafted free agents who the team signed to Exhibit 10 contracts. Those three guys are essentially competing for one two-way contract next season, and while this will be our first look at them, the competition kicked off as soon as they showed up to their first Summer League practice. DeVoe and Williamson are both shooting guards and should see plenty of time on the wing, with one of them the likely starter between Preston at point guard and Boston at small forward, while Bean is a slightly undersized (6’7″) and drastically overaged (25) power forward who should start at power forward and have a real opportunity to prove himself. Without the same claim to age-related upside (Bean is already older than Ivica Zubac and Amir Coffey, while just months younger than Luke Kennard and Terance Mann), Bean will have a higher standard to prove he can contribute at this level now, and the Grizzlies’ lineup is stacked with NBA forwards to test himself against. Diabate should round out the Summer Clippers’ starting lineup at center.

Former Clippers Xavier Moon and Jay Scrubb also figure to play roles, though neither seems likely at this time to be on the team’s opening night roster or even in training camp. According to his RealGM page, this will be Moon’s first Summer League despite playing well in college at Morehead State and being a three-time Canadian Elite Basketball League Player Of The Year and two-time Canadian Elite Basketball League Finals MVP. He has excelled as a floor general in the NBA G-League and Canada, but is limited as an NBA player due to his size and got his first NBA chance last season at 27 years old. He likely isn’t a piece going forward for LAC, with the team more invested in Preston’s development, but I think he should be a very capable backup point guard for Summer League purposes. Scrubb, who was the 55th overall pick in 2020 but has scarcely played at the NBA or G-League level due to injuries despite spending two seasons on a two-way contract with the Clippers. He led them in scoring in their Summer League opener last year with 24 points but struggled overall, averaging 11.6 points on a dreadful 31.8% from the field.

Clippers vs Grizzlies Summer League Game Preview & Thread
Lucas Hann