The Clippers and Nets square off tonight in a game that matters little for the ailing Nets, but could be key to locking up the 2 seed for the Clippers. The game preview for this Clippers-Nets contest will be scant on Nets’ stories because all their key players are out, but the Clippers can’t take this one lightly.

Game Information

Where: Orlando Bubble, Florida

When: 6:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV, Fox Sports Prime Ticket

Starting Lineups

Nets: Chris Chiozza – Garrett Temple – Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot – Rodions Kurucs – Donta Hall

Clippers:Reggie Jackson – Landry Shamet – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Nets: Jarrett Allen Doubtful (Ankle), Joe Harris Doubtful (Groin), Caris LeVert Doubtful (Rest), Jamal Crawford Out (Hamstring)

Clippers: Montrezl Harrell Out (Not in bubble), Patrick Beverley Out (Calf), Paul George Out (Rest)

The Big Picture

The Clippers are coming off an exciting win over the Blazers, and received some good seeding news with the Nuggets beating the Jazz later on. While the Clippers haven’t looked totally cohesive in the bubble, they are fortunate in that most of their individual players have looked fairly sharp. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have been great, JaMychal Green and Ivica Zubac have been fantastic at center, and guys like Landry Shamet and Marcus Morris have improved after rocky starts. Really, their main issue is just lack of practice time and on-court reps, and that’s something that becomes a slightly bigger issue with each game that Beverley and especially Trez miss. The Clippers will probably be fine being somewhat rusty and not at 100% execution-wise for the first round, but they will need to gear up quickly or their run will not be as deep as they want. While the Nets will probably not prove much of a challenge for the Clippers in this game, it could be a preview of playoff-type rotations if Doc wants to really start preparing the team for the playoffs in earnest.

The Antagonist

Even if you’re a pretty diehard NBA fan, you will probably only recognize one name in the Nets’ projected starting lineup (which I essentially made up): Garrett Temple. Not only are the Nets down Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, and Wilson Chandler (none of whom are in the bubble at all), but they’re also resting nearly all of their remaining NBA-level talent. Considering the Nets were one of the least talented teams in the bubble (due to the aforementioned absences), the loss of guys like Allen, Harris, and LeVert will really hurt. The Nets are a scrappy bunch, and interim coach Jacque Vaughn has done a good job with them here in Orlando, but the Clippers have about eight players on their roster better than the Nets’ best player in this one (Temple), and then probably another four who are superior to the Nets’ second-best player. Even if the Clippers limit the minutes of their key players, this one should not be close.

Notes

Resting the Stars: The Clippers rested Kawhi Leonard yesterday against the Blazers, and also took out Paul George early. If they can create a big lead against the Nets early in this one, the better, because that will enable them to rest their key players for this game as well. Then again, while injury prevention is the most important thing, those reps matter too, and with the Clippers having two full days off before their next game Wednesday, maybe Doc plays his key guys a little bit longer tonight than might be needed to get the win. Either way, hopefully they don’t have to go too hard in this one.

Rodney McGruder Winning 11^th Man Role: One of the interesting developments over the first five bubble games has been the slow rise of Rodney McGruder. In the first game, Amir Coffey got minutes over Rodney, and it seemed like maybe Amir would be the fringe wing if Doc needed some energy or defense. Since then, however, Rodney’s role has grown, and he has played quite well. His energy and defense have been good, especially against smaller guards, and his floater has been on point. His hitting the game winning shot against the Blazers might not stand out too much, but for as poor of a shooter as he’s been this year, he’s still far more reliable from out there than Coffey or Terance Mann. That combined with his veteran experience means that he will probably be the next guard up if the Clippers are dealing with injury or foul trouble. Good for Rodney for turning things around a bit here in Orlando.

Reggie Jackson in Transition: Reggie Jackson has slipped somewhat in the bubble, with Clippers fans coming off the high that they had from his original handful of games before the shutdown. While Reggie has continued to score, his efficiency has waned severely, and he’s shown massive limitations as a playmaker and defender. However, perhaps his greatest area of weakness is in transition. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an NBA point guard make so many poor decisions running a fastbreak – Reggie’s default mode seems to be to charge headlong into the paint and throw up a wild shot regardless of who is there. These most often result in misses which then turn into fastbreaks going the other way. While Reggie’s defense is a problem, if he could just straighten out the little things like this, the bigger issues maybe wouldn’t look quite so daunting.

Standings Watch: Lucas’ rooting interests has far more detailed information on the Western Conference seeding race, but suffice to say that this game is important. If the Clippers get the win, they will have the 2 seed in the Western Conference nearly locked up. This not only keeps them away from the Lakers in the 1 seed, but it also sets them up with a Mavericks team that they match up excellently with. If Houston stays out of the 3 or 6 seeds, the Clippers will have ticked all the boxes, and should be nicely prepared for a run to the Western Conference Finals.

Well, that’s it for this Clippers vs Nets game preview! While you’re here, be sure to check out Cole Huff’s article on Paul George, and Vijay Vemu’s article on the sixth man of the year race.

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 Nets Game Preview: Securing the 2 Seed
Robert Flom

The Clippers return to action tomorrow against the Phoenix Suns, who are 2-0 in the NBA bubble thus far. Before diving into the preview and matchups, here’s the injury report on the Clippers and Suns.

Clippers

Lou Williams – Questionable (Quarantine)

Montrezl Harrell – Out (Out of bubble)

The big change here is Lou Williams moving from “out” to “questionable”. He should be officially out of quarantine, and is ready to start working out with the team again. However, even if he’s technically cleared to play, it’s quite possible Doc Rivers and the Clippers want him to get more practice and conditioning reps before thrusting him back into NBA action. Lou’s presence has been sorely missed, as the Clippers’ bench has been mostly unable to create shots on their own, and watching him handle the ball and score will be a very welcome sight.

Montrezl Harrell remains out following the passing of his grandmother last week. Doc Rivers and the Clippers have emphasized that he is going to be given plenty of time to grieve, and that there’s no time limit on his return. Even when he does make his way back towards the bubble, he will then have to quarantine again. In short, don’t expect Trez back any time super soon.

Suns

Kelly Oubre – Out (Right knee)

Aron Baynes – Questionable (Quarantine & COVID-19 recovery)

Jalen Lecque – Questionable (Quarantine)

The Suns are dealing with some major injury issues of their own. Kelly Oubre, one of their starters and their third-leading scorer (just a hair behind DeAndre Ayton), remains out while recovering from a knee surgery. Meanwhile, Baynes, a crucial reserve, and Lecque, an occasional backup, are recovering from COVID-19 and progressing through practice with the team before they return. They should be physically cleared to go, but whether Monty Williams deems them ready is another story.

Well, that’s about it for this Clippers and Suns injury report. Stay tuned for further updates, and get excited for the Clippers’ 3rd bubble game.

Clippers-Suns Injury Report: Lou Will Back?
Robert Flom

After each losing on opening night, the Clippers and Pelicans will try to bounce back and get a win against each other in their second bubble game in a possible (if highly unlikely) preview of the 1st round.

Game Information

Where: The Most Magical Place on Earth (Orlando, Florida)
When: Saturday, August 1st @ 3:00PM PT
How to Watch: Prime Ticket, ESPN, Fox Sports New Orleans

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers (Home): Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
Pelicans (Away) : Lonzo Ball – Jrue Holiday – Brandon Ingram – Zion Williamson – Derrick Favors

Injuries

Pelicans:  N/A
Clippers: Lou Williams OUT (Extended Quarantine), Montrezl Harrell OUT (Personal), Amir Coffey QUESTIONABLE (Hip Pointer)

The Big Picture

What happens to iron if you expose it to water and oxygen for too long? The same thing that happens to a professional sports team after not playing sports for several months—rust.  While the loss to the Lakers in their Magic Kingdom opener was not ideal for the Clippers, it is certainly not time to be hitting the panic button.  Not only were the Clippers without their dominant bench duo, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams, but it was clear that the team still has a ways to go in conditioning and rebuilding their chemistry.  Most notably, Shamet and Zu looked completely out of rhythm, and Marcus Morris is (hopefully) still getting his legs under him.

Either way, a loss is a loss, and the Clippers do not have much room for error if they hope to maintain the 2nd seed.  The Western Conference is an absolute bloodbath, with the Nuggets, Jazz, Thunder, and Rockets all within 3 games of each other in the loss column.  However, while the Clippers are fighting for playoff positioning, the Pelicans are playing for much higher stakes.  A full four games back from the eight seed, the Pelicans have quite the uphill battle to keep JJ Redick’s playoff streak alive.

With the weight of JJ Redick’s legacy on their shoulders, the Pelicans dropped their opener against the Jazz after starting off strong and entering halftime with a 12 point lead.  The team is now fighting for their playoff lives, and with that you can expect them to come out swinging.

Matchup wise, the Clippers should have an easier time against the Pelicans by virtue of not having to go up against Anthony Davis or LeBron James. The Pelicans’ relatively poor defense (ranking in the late teens) will hopefully give the Clippers a chance to find a bit more rhythm on the offensive end.  That being said, the Pelicans are not without firepower.  While they may not have any MVP candidates, they are one of the top five three point shooting teams in the league, and they have been steadily improving since the return of Zion Williamson.

This game will by no means be a cakewalk for the Clippers, especially considering their dynamic bench duo will still be missing.  They will certainly need better games from guys like Zubac, Shamet, and Morris, who were complete no shows (at best) against the Lakers.

The PeliCANS not the PeliCANTs

Although the Pelicans had a challenging start to their 2019-2020 season, they constantly showed flashes of their talent.  Brandon Ingram elevated his game to a new level (as is tradition with young Lakers who leave their team), Lonzo Ball started putting his game together with more efficient shooting (like I said, it’s a tradition), and their veteran players like Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick, and Derrick Favors all continued to contribute as expected.

They slowly began to turn things around as their schedule eased up, but things looked especially promising when Zion Williamson made his debut.  Not many rookies can storm the league and bully their way to an efficient 23/7/2, but Zion really does look like the real deal. For as young as they are, they are hungry to make some noise and grab the 8th seed, so expect them to come out strong. 

Final Notes

• No shows on and off the court: The absence of Trez and Lou hurt just as bad as everyone expected last game.  The Clippers struggled to find reliable offense outside of their stars players last game, and to make matters worse, offensive minded players like Shamet (1-8) and Morris (0-4) were downright terrible.  With the offensive firepower that the Pelicans have, the Clippers will need some of their role players to step up this time around with Trez and Lou still missing.
• Rotations: As we have seen with Doc in the past, he tends to experiment with interesting lineups in non playoff games.  This was the case against the Lakers when Doc threw in Landry Shamet and Reggie Jackson to help close out the game.  This would almost certainly not have been the case if it was an actually important game, so it will be interesting to see if Doc plays around with lineups again.
• Zion:  It’s not every year that a rookie comes in and is literally the 2nd heaviest player in the league behind Boban.  While that has brought up some health concerns, Zion has proven to be every bit as dominant as his biggest fans thought he would be.  It’ll be exciting to see how the Clippers try to match up with him in this game. 

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.

Game Preview: Clippers and Pelicans Try to Bounce Back
Niels Pineda

In somewhat surprising news, Doc Rivers announced in the Clippers pregame press conference that Pat Beverley will play tonight against the Lakers. Now, he was ruled as questionable in the pre-game injury report, but he didn’t shoot around with the team this morning and has been out of Orlando for a couple weeks, so he presumably won’t have a ton of rhythm with the rest of the team. Prime Ticket has noted that Pat won’t start, which makes sense – the bench unit will already be disrupted without Lou and Trez, while the starting lineup has at least gained some steam during the scrimmages.

Doc did say that he’s not sure how many minutes Pat will play, so it’s quite possible we see him for a very limited stretch tonight as he plays his way back into game shape and into chemistry with the rest of the squad. However, even a little bit of Pat Beverley can go a long way, and his defense, energy, and shooting will be welcome boosts for the Clippers in a tough game against the Lakers.

What this means for the rest of the team depends on how much Pat will play. If Doc is comfortable giving him even 15 minutes, Terance Mann will probably be out of the rotation, and Amir Coffey and Rodney McGruder will see their minutes squeezed as well. While all those guys have looked effective at times, Pat Beverley is certainly a step up, and the more minutes that go to him rather than 3rd stringers, the better. One of Coffey and McGruder will probably still get minutes, though, and it will be interesting to see which one Doc turns too now that the games matter.

Having Pat Beverley play against the Lakers is a big deal, too, because of the fight that he always brings to this matchup. His defense on LeBron might be somewhat more entertaining than it is effective (though it’s had its highlights), but his ability to get his teammates energized is second to none (though Montrezl Harrell is close), and that will be hugely important in the bubble without fans and crowd noise. Welcome back, Pat!

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.

Patrick Beverley to Play Against Lakers
Robert Flom

Rob and Louis return with a new episode of Same Old Clips to discuss the situation that has dominated NBA Twitter the past 24 hours – Lou Williams’ wings stop in Atlanta at a strip club. After that lighthearted segment, Rob and Louis go into a more somber topic: the Anti-Semitic comments made by former NBA player Stephen Jackson over the past couple weeks, and the broad support he’s received on social media. Finally, they close it out with thoughts on the Lakers game and the NBA playoffs in general.

Check out the podcast here! Also, be sure to follow us/subscribe on Spotify, Google Pods, and Apple Podcasts. In addition, rate and review us with 5 stars, and provide feedback, both positive and negative! While you’re at it, go ahead and subscribe to The Lob The Jam The Pod on Spotify, Google Pods, and Apple Podcasts, and leave us a review on those platforms as well!

Same Old Clips might get political at times, but we hope to tackle both the lighthearted nature of sports conversations (such as Lou Williams’ wings journey) as well as messier and more difficult conversations going forward. Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter. We greatly appreciate your support!

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.

Same Old Clips: Lou Williams’ Wings Adventure
Robert Flom

Overview: The NBA restart preseason is almost over, with just one more round of scrimmage games left. Check out this Clippers-Kings scrimmage preview to get updated on all the major storylines in this one before the regular season returns.

Game Information

Where: Orlando, Florida

When: 1:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Fox Sports Prime Ticket, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Kings: De’Aaron Fox – Bogdan Bogdanovic – Kent Bazemore – Nemanja Bjelica – Harry Giles

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

Injuries

Kings: Marvin Bagley Out (Foot), Richaun Holmes Out (Suspension), Harrison Barnes Questionable (Quarantine), Alex Len Questionable (COVID)

Clippers: Lou Williams Out (Quarantine), Patrick Beverley Out (Personal), Montrezl Harrell Out (Personal), Landry Shamet Doubtful (Quarantine), Ivica Zubac Questionable (Quarantine)

The Big Picture

The NBA restarts’ “preseason” is almost over, and the actual seeding games are rapidly approaching. The Clippers have been kind of a mess in the first two contests, though that’s largely due to their missing half their rotation and three of their five best players. At least they’ve avoided injury, a plague that has already befallen other NBA teams (including the Clips opponent in this one), and something that would be more serious long-term than the personal issues and resulting quarantines that have kept their players out thus far. In terms of actual play, there hasn’t been much to take away, but new addition Joakim Noah has looked solid, and fringe players such as Amir Coffey and Rodney McGruder have played well. Hopefully the Clippers continue to avoid injury and round into shape in this one.

The Antagonist

The poor, poor Kings were (as mentioned above) struck by the injury bug when Marvin Bagley injured his foot in practice last week. Bagley has dealt with several foot injuries thus far in his NBA career, a very bad sign, and has been a mixed bag when he has played. In his stead, Harry Giles will be the Kings’ center, and while Giles has talent, he’s someone the Clippers should be able to attack defensively. The Kings’ future and danger lies in their backcourt of Fox, Bogdanovic, and super-sub Buddy Hield, but there are questions regarding the trio’s fit. Realistically, barring a breakout from a younger player like Bagley, the Kings seem like they will be stuck in the treadmill of mediocrity for the next couple years. They don’t have enough talent, and their free agent additions have been poor at best.

Notes

Zu Back: After being away from the team through all of training camp, Ivica Zubac finally joined the Clips in Orlando on Friday night. With a two day quarantine, he should be cleared to play in this one, but whether Doc Rivers thinks he’s ready for actual game action, even a scrimmage, is a different story. Then again, Marcus Morris played in a scrimmage just a day after arriving in Orlando, so Zu will probably play as well. This will relegate Joakim Noah to the second unit, and will probably limit the amount of small ball the Clippers will play. It will be interesting to see how Zu looks – hopefully he’s been able to stay in shape during the season hiatus.

More Sophisticated Offensive Sets: Doc Rivers said in his Wizards postgame press conference that he has opened up his playbook and is running more of the team’s actual sets. This fits in what we’ve seen this season, where the Clippers have been running pretty basic offensive sets, probably due to all the injuries and new players. Bringing in more sophisticated offensive tactics could be part of why the Clippers have looked so sloppy – they’re adapting to the new stuff. However, while there will be growing pains, these sets will be needed in the playoffs, where each bucket is needed and hard to come by. Maybe in this third scrimmage the Clippers will look a bit smoother on offense.

Guarding Fox: De’Aaron Fox is the engine to the Kings’ offense – and their best player. If Patrick Beverley was playing, he would certainly grab this matchup, but with Pat out, it will be interesting to see who draws him. Since it’s a scrimmage, maybe Reggie Jackson just gets the assignment straight up as the opposing point guard, but it could be a good chance to get Kawhi or Paul George practice guarding such guys before the seeding games start. So far both guys have coasted a bit defensively in the scrimmages, which is fine, as the games don’t matter. Defending Fox could allow them to ramp up a little while still not going full throttle.

The King’s Herald: Some of our lovely friends who are Sacramento Kings fans are doing the same sort of thing we do here at 213Hoops–running an independent blog by fans, for fans. For the opposing perspective on this match-up, check out their site.

That ends this Clippers Kings scrimmage preview. Stay tuned for more updates regarding this game and the Clippers’ various player quarantine situations.

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-Kings Scrimmage Preview: End of Preseason
Robert Flom

Summary

The game started off with both teams playing extremely sloppy offensively. The Clippers, going small with JaMychal Green at center, had plenty of space, but failed to capitalize due to missed shots and errant ball-handling. On the other end of the court, the Clips were overzealous, fouling the Wizards time and again to put them on the free throw line. When the Clippers bench came in, the game shifted a bit – Rodney McGruder had a sweet and-one, and Joakim Noah had some nice defensive plays. It was all capped off by a beautiful three by Terance Mann to beat the buzzer.

The second quarter continued much the same way, with the Clippers’ second unit looking active and engaged. Patrick Patterson is particular looked sharp, draining multiple threes and moving well on defense. However, the Clippers’ defense as a whole took a hit when Marcus Morris replaced Joakim Noah at center with a super small-ball lineup. He got roasted a couple times and just generally didn’t provide any protection at the rim. Still, it was his first time in that role, so it makes sense that he was a bit slow. However, Morris was from the Clippers’ biggest issue – Kawhi Leonard and Paul George looked awful, with numerous bad turnovers and missed shots. Reggie Jackson played well offensively, and JaMychal Green was a presence on the boards, but overall the starters looked out of sync and lackadaisical on both ends.

The 3^rd quarter went much the same way, with Kawhi in particular just having a terrible game. He missed wide open threes (0-8 on the night), all short, and was a step slow on defense. Paul George had a couple nice plays, but it just wasn’t enough, and the Clippers were soon trailing by double digits. Doc Rivers subbed in the bench, and while they were able to make a small push, they weren’t making enough shots to really cut into the deficit.

That changed quickly in the 4^th quarter. Mann drained a three, and then Green nailed a couple within a minute or so of each other to get the Clippers right back into it. The Clippers turned cold after that, but their defense was stout, with Rodney McGruder and Amir Coffey putting in great effort on the wings, and Joakim Noah battling hard underneath. With no starters in, the Clippers ran most of their plays for Patrick Patterson and McGruder, and somehow, it worked. Their ability to force turnovers and get rebounds while limiting their own mistakes saw them hang around, until they finally took the lead on a McGruder three. From there, the Clippers held the edge for the rest of the game, and never looked in danger of relinquishing their advantage. In the end, with some clutch free throws by Coffey pushing them to the finish line, the Clippers beat the Wizards in Orlando 105-100.

Notes

Bench Unit Excels: The Clippers reserves (Mann, McGruder, Coffey, Patterson, and Noah) carried them to the win in this one. They grew the lead in the 2^nd quarter, and then won back the lead in the 4^th after the starters got them into a double-digit deficit. For them, it was all about hustle and energy on both ends. On offense, the bench regularly moved the ball, revolving around the central hub of Joakim Noah. On defense, they switched smartly, battled in the post, and contested shots without fouling. It was a meaningless game, but it was still a great performance by the unit, and each player stood out. Noah’s passing and rim protection were huge, as was Patterson’s shooting, McGruder’s creation, Coffey’s slashing, and Mann’s rebounding and ball-handling. It was a team effort in the best way possible, and without their reserves there’s no way the Clippers would have beat the Wizards in Orlando.

Off Kawhi Game: While the starting unit as an entity struggled, it was really Kawhi Leonard who sunk the squad, with a singularly awful 3-16 shooting night and a couple of turnovers. Paul George and Marcus Morris had some rough turnovers as well, but at least they hit a decent percentage of their shots. Kawhi just didn’t have lift on his jumpers, and by the 3^rd quarter was settling for threes rather than trying to get better looks. It was an awful night for the superstar, but the Clippers will take this kind of performance in a meaningless scrimmage.

Small Ball with Green and Morris: Another interesting element was that the Clippers went small with JaMychal Green (and, briefly, Morris) at center. Green looked much more comfortable in the role than Morris did (though he’s had more experience), especially in providing some support around the rim and snagging rebounds. Notably, his ability to pick and pop created a great deal of space for the Clippers, and it seems like a lineup Doc will return to in the future. Now, both Green and Morris struggled with switching onto smaller guys out on the perimeter, but hopefully practice and better conditioning can improve their ability at least a bit in that regard.

Other Meaningful Takeaways: Joakim Noah’s passing might be more important than his defense for a Clippers team that has struggled with stagnant offense all year… Rodney McGruder’s shot looks better and more confident, and if he has that going, he should be a perfectly good 11^th man for the Clips…Reggie Jackson looked solid offensively as a scorer, but he didn’t create much for others, and he struggled defensively, which makes him a good fit offensively but a bad one defensively with Lou Williams.

Well, that’s about it for this one. It was nice for the Clippers to beat the Wizards in Orlando, and they next play on Monday against the Kings, their final tuneup before the season starts in earnest. Ivica Zubac, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, and Landry Shamet are all on their way back to the bubble or have already arrived, so the Clippers should be nearing full strength sooner than later.

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 Beat the Wizards in Orlando, 105-100
Robert Flom

After a couple weeks of bad Clippers news, with players seemingly leaving the NBA restart bubble in droves, good news is here at last, as Ivica Zubac arrived in Orlando last night, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

If Zu gets through his two-day quarantine with no issues, he’d be free to join the team Sunday night. The Clippers do have a scrimmage Monday afternoon, which Zu could technically play in, but considering he won’t have practiced with the team at all before then, it seems unlikely.

However, this does mean that barring a positive test for COVID-19, Zu should be available for the Clippers’ first seeding game against the Lakers on Thursday night. This is a big deal. Not only are the Lakers the Clippers’ primary rival in the Western Conference, but they are also one of the biggest teams in the NBA, which means the Clippers would be at a huge disadvantage without their full complement of big men. Zu’s presence will be very nice to have against Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard, though it will be a tough first game from him after months off.

With Marcus Morris back with the Clips, and Montrezl Harrell reportedly on his way back too, the Clippers are finally starting to regain their strength. This is really not a moment too soon, as not only are the seeding games important (the Clippers would be very wise to not drop below 3), but building up some chemistry before the playoffs would be great.

In the short term, the news that Ivica Zubac arrived in Orlando means he should reclaim his spot as the Clippers’ starting center sooner than later. Hopefully he’s in shape and somewhat ready to go, because he will be needed very, very soon. It will be good to have the big guy back around.

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.

Ivica Zubac Arrived in Orlando Last Night
Robert Flom

Overview: While these preseason bubble games might not have the impact or meaning of regular season contests, and the Clippers certainly aren’t treating them as such, we will still be giving them our normal game coverage. Enjoy this Clippers-Wizards Scrimmage preview!

Game Information

Where: Orlando, Florida

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Fox Sports Prime Ticket, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Wizards: Shabazz Napier – Troy Brown Jr. – Isaac Bonga – Rui Hachimura – Thomas Bryant

Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Joakim Noah

Injuries

Wizards: Davis Bertans Out (Bubble), Bradley Beal Out (Bubble)

Clippers: Ivica Zubac Out (Bubble), Landry Shamet Out (Covid), Lou Williams Out (Personal), Patrick Beverley Out (Personal), Montrezl Harrell Out (Personal)

The Big Picture

The Clippers are extremely shorthanded right now, with five of their top seven players currently out of the bubble in Orlando. Now, Lou’s absence is expected to be short, and Zubac appears to be on his way back, but still, the Clippers are not in great shape right now. The purpose of the scrimmages and this extended training camp was to build chemistry, get in shape, and work on execution, and the Clippers will be behind their competitors in these elements due to how many players they’ve missed at various points.

Therefore, in this training scrimmage against a bad Wizards team missing their two best players, there’s not much to see on the court. Lots of fringe rotation players will be seeing huge minutes, including Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, and Rodney McGruder, and the Clippers’ starts will presumably have their minutes slashed. While the play might be a bit sharper than it was against the Magic just due to both teams having their legs under them a bit, it’s still a meaningless preseason game featuring players who largely won’t be very important for the Clippers’ playoff hopes.

The Antagonist

The Wizards were (by far) the worst team invited to the bubble, and are missing their best player (by far) in star guard Bradley Beal, as well as flamethrowing bench forward Davis Bertans. Without those two, the Wizards are relatively toothless offensively, and considering their flammable defense, well… they’re pretty bad. They have a couple steady vets (Napier, Ish Smith), and a few promising youngsters (Hachimura, Brown, Bonga), but they are a lottery team in talent.

Notes

Joakim Noah’s Defense: In Joakim Noah’s first game as a Clipper, he displayed the energy, hustle, and passion that Clippers fans expected. He also flashed his signature passing and playmaking skills, dishing out several assists and helping get the offense get into gear. However, for a player who was billed as a defense-first type of presence for much of his career, he was inconsistent on that end. Some of that is probably just due to age and accumulated injuries taking a half-step (or more) out of Noah’s lateral quickness. But a lot of those errors defensively were more due to being out of place and out of sync, and those mistakes should hopefully be cured over time. One scrimmage probably won’t make a huge difference, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Noah’s defense was better in this one.

Terance Mann’s Aggressiveness: Terance Mann was the last Clipper to get minutes in their first scrimmage on Thursday, and didn’t too much with the minutes. He got to the line a couple times and had a few nice rebounds, but he still wasn’t particularly aggressive with the ball in his hands. Mann has some skills, and his size and length should translate to good defense, but he needs to be a threat on offense, and these types of Summer League games should be a perfect place for Mann to be more aggressive. With Lou out, Mann will probably have the ball a lot more, and hopefully he makes the most of his opportunity.

Amir Coffey and Rodney McGruder’s Shooting: One of the only interesting things to watch for is the battle between Amir Coffey and Rodney McGruder. While neither is likely to receive real minutes in the playoffs, particularly in the later rounds, it’s very possible that one will have a chance at spot playing time when the Clippers have foul trouble or need a breath of fresh air. The key for who wins that battle could be shooting. After being an acceptable outside shooter his first couple years in the NBA, Rodney’s shot tanked this season, and it negatively affected the rest of his play. Meanwhile, Coffey’s shot came and went at Minnesota, and has been off in limited NBA minutes. Doc Rivers would probably lean towards trusting the veteran McGruder over the rookie Coffey, but if Amir is able to outshoot Rodney over the next week or two, that could change.

Clippers-Wizards Scrimmage Preview
Robert Flom

Well, the news just keeps getting worse for the Clippers. Just now, at the end of his press conference, Doc Rivers said that Lou Williams left Orlando to take care of a personal issue. Lou is the third Clipper to leave Orlando in the past week, joining Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell. While Pat and Trez had explicit family emergencies, Lou’s absence hasn’t even been hinted at. At this point, we just hope that Lou and his family are ok.

With Lou, Pat, and Trez out for personal reasons, Landry Shamet still waiting to test negative from his bout with COVID, and Ivica Zubac somewhere in the ether, the Clippers will be extremely shorthanded for their scrimmage against the Wizards tomorrow. While there doesn’t seem to be an idea that Lou will be out too long, due to the quarantine restrictions, he will probably miss Monday’s scrimmage against the Kings as well.

These scrimmages don’t have any impact on seeding, of course, but they are still an opportunity for the Clippers to get into shape and build up some chemistry before the games start to matter again. With literally half of their rotation gone, this will be very difficult to do. Pat, Trez, and Lou have been able to get some practices in, but this is still far from an ideal scenario.

Now that Lou Williams left Orlando, expect the minutes of Amir Coffey, Rodney McGruder, and Terance Mann to rise. All three played in the Clippers’ first scrimmage, but will presumably receive even bigger roles now. It could be a good opportunity for the young guys to prove they have Doc Rivers’ trust, and for Rodney McGruder to regain some of his pre-Clippers form.

As with Pat and Trez, the most important thing is that Lou and his family are safe and well. Hopefully everything is fine, and this personal absence is not quite as big of an emergency as that of Pat and Trezz. Our thoughts and prayers are with all three players and their families.

LA Clippers News: Lou Williams Left Orlando Bubble
Robert Flom