The Clippers continue their road trip in the Midwest with a game against the Indiana Pacers, one of the mid-tier playoff squads in the Eastern Conference.

Game Information

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

When: 2:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Amir Coffey – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton – Andrew Nembhard – Aaron Nesmith – Pascal Siakam – Myles Turner

Injuries

Clippers: Norm Powell Questionable (Knee), Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (G-League) Kai Jones Out (G-League), Cam Christie Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League)

Pacers: Isaiah Jackson Out (Achilles), James Johnson Out (Illness)

The Big Picture

The Clippers got out of the All Star Break on the wrong foot, blowing a relatively big lead to the Bucks with a disastrous 4^th quarter. The loss was similar to so many of the Clippers’ other defeats this season, with bad offense in terms of strategy, execution, and results dooming them – along with some inexplicable slippage on defense. The fact that the Clippers just seem to run out of gas on offense late in games on a semi-consistent basis is a worrying one, alluding to their overall lack of firepower and offensive diversity. Of course, it must be said that Norm Powell, the Clippers’ best scorer and shooter this season, did not play against the Bucks, and probably won’t play in the next couple of games either. Norm’s absence is a real excuse, especially on offense, but it doesn’t make the choppy attack and slow, lackadaisical possessions on offense any easier to swallow.

The Antagonist

The Pacers have risen to 4^th in the East, though they hold a tenuous lead over the Bucks and Pistons. However, their Net Rating of 0.3 is 16^th in the entire NBA, meaning they’ve “outperformed their coverage”, as it were. The Pacers hold the 9^th best offense and 20^th best defense in the NBA, which makes sense when you look at their personnel and the fact that they play at the 6^th highest pace in the league. The Pacers have quite a bit of talent, especially now that they’re healthy, and are receiving excellent seasons from both Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton, who has course corrected after an awful start. They’re not really a contender, as they’re a ways behind the top three in the East, but they are a solid playoff team that can beat anyone on a given night.

Notes

Slowing Siakam: The Clippers played the Pacers less than three weeks ago, just before the trade deadline, and got thoroughly outplayed by Indiana. The best player in that game was not Tyrese Haliburton, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, or Norm Powell, but Pascal Siakam, who the Clippers just had no answer for. Pascal scored 33 points on 11-19 shooting, with zero Clippers offering sturdy resistance. With Kawhi Leonard possibly out for this game, I’m not sure what the Clippers’ answer is for Siakam. I think their best bet might actually be putting Zu on him and letting a wing defender take Myles Turner, but Siakam is probably too quick for Zu. As great a defender as Kris Dunn is, he’s extremely undersized for taking on Siakam – so too is Derrick Jones Jr. The Clippers need to do something with Pascal, because if he plays like he did back on February 6, the Clippers are probably going to lose.

Kobe or Drew: It seems relatively likely that Kawhi and Norm will not play in this one, meaning Ty Lue will be down to just 8 of his 10 top rotation players. Coaches rarely go with an eight-man rotation in the regular season, so it stands to reason Ty will add at least one more player to his rotation in this one. The question is whether it will be Kobe Brown or Drew Eubanks. Neither has played much recently, or in Kobe’s case, all year, but they are the next guys up. It is possible that someone unexpected gets the nod, like Patty Mills or MarJon Beauchamp, but neither of them has played rotation minutes at all since becoming Clippers, so I find those options unlikely. To me, Eubanks is the most logical answer, as I think he’s just a better NBA player than Kobe, but the Clippers seem to have committed to non-traditional centers in their second unit, and if they want to keep that trend going, maybe Kobe is the choice.

Clippers vs Pacers Game Preview: The Road Trip Continues
Robert Flom

The Clippers will try to move past their two-game losing skid at home against the high-flying Pacers on that most tumultuous of days, the NBA trade deadline.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton – Andrew Nembhard – Bennedict Mathurin – Pascal Siakam – Myles Turner

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Pacers: Isaiah Jackson Out (Achilles), James Wiseman Out (Achilles)

Clippers: None

The Big Picture

The Clippers are in the midst of their worst stretch of the entire season. They had a lackluster win against a dreadful Hornets team on Friday, got soundly outplayed by the Raptors on Sunday, and then got run out of the building against the rival Lakers on Tuesday. Worse than the results were the process and vibes, as the Clippers’ energy, effort, and overall execution were miserable. The Clippers have succeeded this season on defense and effort, and the lack of those things the past three games has been noticeable. Maybe the Clippers are just feeling the aftereffects of their five-in-seven stretch followed by the road trip, maybe they’re just missing Mo Bamba, or maybe it’s just mid-season blues. But the Clippers do not have the talent or offensive firepower, even with Kawhi back, to slack like this on defense and effort. I would imagine they got reamed out after last game, and come out with more energy tonight.

The Antagonist

The Pacers have turned things around after a very slow start to the season. To be fair, the Pacers were dealing with a lot of injuries early, but they were still quite disappointing. Since, they’ve been very good, certainly one of the four or five best teams in the East. That turnaround can be credited mostly to Pascal Siakam (a deserving All Star this year) and Tyrese Haliburton (who has been close to last year’s levels after a miserable first month of the season). The Pacers are very good on offense (9^th) and middling on defense (19^th), a recipe for a good-but-not-great team. Still, on any given night when their shots are falling and the ball is humming on offense, they can look practically unstoppable.

Notes

Trade Deadline Day: Something to keep an eye on today as we approach the trade deadline at 3 PM ET are both team’s injury reports. If a trade is approaching, teams like to hold guys out just in case, so if we see anyone on the Clippers or Pacers all of a sudden pop up, it’s possible a trade is underway. Or, of course, a player got injured in shootaround or some other random activity – you never know. Still, trade deadlines are always odd, and it’s possible one or both teams make a move today. We will just see.

Battle of Pace: Fittingly for the Pacers, Indiana plays at one of the fastest tempos in the NBA, ranking 6^th in pace. The Clippers, as befits an old, methodical, defense-first team, rank 20^th in the NBA in pace. In such matchups with large contrasts in style of play, whichever team can get the tempo more to their liking will have an advantage. Can the Clippers get stops and slow the game down to a crawl? Or will the Pacers be able to get out and run, punishing the Clippers in transition (they’ve been awful there the past couple days)? The Clippers had better hope it’s the former, because when the Pacers are flying around in transition they are at their most deadly, and the Clippers will be ill equipped to stop them.

Clippers vs. Pacers Preview: Day of the Trade Deadline
Robert Flom

There’s really not much to analyze. The Clippers’ offense was mostly fine throughout. Russell Westbrook added a nice jolt of energy. The Clippers were absolutely helpless on defense. Rinse and repeat.

Ty Lue’s rotation adjustment was to go small, with no Theis or Plumlee in the rotation. PJ Tucker played small-ball center, as did Kawhi. This helped on offense, but made the rebounding and defense even worse. If there are pure rotation solutions to the Clippers’ issues, I’m not sure what they are.

That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Clippers vs. Pacers Recap: Oh No, We Suck Again
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ ship is steadily sinking, and every win now matters down the stretch of the season. Tonight’ game features the Indiana Pacers, with both teams on the second day of a back-to-back.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, Bally Sports SoCal

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

Projected Starting Lineups

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

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton – Andrew Nembhard – Aaron Nesmith – Pascal Siakam – Myles Turner

Injury Report

Clippers: PJ Tucker questionable (calf).

Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin out (shoulder).

The Big Picture

The Clippers are in danger of losing the fourth seed, and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, to the surging New Orleans Pelicans.

After their second consecutive home loss against a short-handed team, they were again searching for answers.

It’s been troubling that the Clippers continue to be plagued by the same issues: poor transition defense, lack of rebounding, turnovers, wide open three point shot misses.

But maybe, this is just who they are. They’re an older, slower team. The bench doesn’t really have any standout rebounders, which is why PJ Tucker has suddenly become much more valuable again.

They really are built for the playoffs when the game slows down. So when Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue and the players continue to say their confidence hasn’t wavered, there’s some truth to that. They just need to make sure they hold on to that No. 4 seed.

Reinforcements could be on the way though, as recent reports suggest Russell Westbrook could be making his return to the lineup for this game. The Clippers have missed his energy off the bench in a big way.

The Antagonist

The Indiana Pacers come to town on the second night of a back to back having played against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

They’re also fighting for playoff positioning in the East. They’re currently in the sixth seed in the East and they’re trying to avoid slipping to the play-in.

This team has been slightly disappointing even after acquiring Pascal Siakam at the trade deadline. But they are much better than the team the Clippers easily beat back in December.

Tyrese Haliburton is the head of the snake, but he’s struggled a bit since his early hit start to the season. Nevertheless, he’s exactly the type of player to give the Clippers problems: a quick guard who can get downhill. Stopping him goes a long way to shutting the Pacers down.

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

Clippers vs Pacers Game Preview
David Yapkowitz

The Clippers blew away the Pacers 151-127 in a strong road win highlighted by a 21-point 4th quarter from James Harden.

Summary

The first quarter started with a burst of offense and never let up. The Clippers held an early lead, largely because Kawhi Leonard went 5-5 from the field for 10 points. On the other end, Buddy Hield made threes and Isaiah Jackson shockingly scored in double figures, keeping the Pacers attached. The Clippers had to adjust their usual rotations when Kawhi picked up his 2^nd foul, leaving PG as the star staggering with the bench. While PG scored 13 in the opening period, he took 11 shots, and the Pacers ended up seizing the lead late on a Hield three, holding a 38-37 edge after one.

Five quick Pacers points saw them grab a six-point advantage until Harden was able to stop the bleeding. Still, the Pacers were scoring at will until Kawhi and Zu returned at the 8 minute mark for Amir and Theis. The Clippers were able to tie it up by the 6:20 mark, which his when Ty Lue went to the “Normcore” unit with Norm in place of Mann with the starters. Kawhi, Harden, and Zu began to cook, and while the Pacers scored at a solid clip, dropping off just a tad allowed the Clippers to garner a 10 point lead. At halftime, the Clippers led 77-66, with all of their starters outside of Terance boasting double-digit plus minuses. Kawhi had 17 on 8-9 shooting, George had 18 on 6-12 shooting, and Harden had 14 and 6 on 5-8 shooting. Not much defense was being played.

The Clippers opened about as strong as possible, with a Zu and-one, Zu block, and PG three getting them to a 17 point lead in less than a minute. The Clippers continued to push their lead out, with their defense looking good and forcing consistent stops for the first time all game. However, they were unable to truly break the game open due to some missed open shots. The Clippers got their lead up to as high as 25, but the Pacers pushed back each time, and the lead sat at 20 going into the final frame.

The Pacers went out on a quick 5-0 run, bringing the Clippers’ lead down to 15, and had the chance to cut it further. From then on, James Harden took over in a spectacular way, one of the best concentrated displays of offense (and some of the worst defense by the Pacers) I’ve seen in thousands and thousands of NBA game. He scored 21 points in just over 6 minutes, including 18 straight points in about three minutes on a series of absurd stepback threes. His teammates were going wild, the crowd was doing the hushed murmuring you see when an opposing player is unstoppable, and the reactions on Twitter were glorious. Harden subbed out at the 5:22 mark after a particularly bonkers three, and garbage time ensued. The Clippers topped 150 points in the win, ultimately securing a 151-127 victory.

Notes

Big 3 Dominates, Again: For the first time maybe in the history of the Clippers’ franchise (apologies to DeAndre Jordan) the Clippers have a Big 3 that really feels like a Big 3. All of the Clippers’ three best players are clicking on just about every cylinder right now, both individually and as a collective. James Harden won player of the game honors for his bananas 4^th quarter and overall 35 point, 9 assist night on 16 shots against the Pacers, but Kawhi had 28 on 12-18 shooting, and PG had 25 on 9-21 shooting, and none of them played more than 31 minutes. Outside of an occasional questionable shot here or there, the Clippers’ stars are playing in the rhythm of the offense, not forcing anything, and generating good shots nearly at will. If the Clippers keep playing like this (big if), they should have three extremely worthy candidates for the All Star Game.

ZuBlocca Raging: And yet, for all of the deserved praise for the Clippers’ stars, the Clipper having the best stretch of his career right now is Ivica Zubac. Big Zu had 18 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in 26 minutes and the only time the Clippers’ defense looked somewhat competent is when he was on the court. The big man is developing a nice chemistry with both James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and is playing stellar interior defense alongside his usual solid rebounding. He’s not quite at an All-Star level, but Zach Lowe threw him out as an All-Defense candidate on a pod last week, and he’s not far below that tier right now. Good for the big fella.

Clippers Outrace Pacers in 151-127, Harden-Led Victory
Robert Flom

The Clippers begin a very difficult stretch of their schedule with a trip to Indiana to visit the high-flying Pacers.

Game Information

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

When: 4:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

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

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton – Buddy Hield – Bruce Brown – Obi Toppin – Myles Turner

Injuries

Clippers: Mason Plumlee Out (Knee), Moussa Diabate Out (Hip), Bones Hyland Questionable (Knee)

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton Questionable (Knee), Andrew Nembhard Doubtful (Knee), Jalen Smith Doubtful (Heel)

The Big Picture

The Clippers have won seven games in a row, vaulting them into the middle of the Western Conference playoff race. Their play has been strong on both sides of the ball, and the Clippers have received positive contributions across the roster. It has been the revamped starting lineup that has been the biggest driver of success, with 225 minutes across 15 games (exactly 15 minutes per game on average) and a dominant 15.2 Net Rating. Another lineup that has been insanely effective (albeit in just 48 minutes across 10 games) is the “Normcore” unit with Norm Powell in place of Terance Mann, which has a Net Rating of 25.2. Really, just about every Clipper who is logging minutes is giving something positive right now, and the whole team has to be feeling good.

The Antagonist

Despite their success in the In-Season Tournament, the Pacers’ 2024 campaign taken as a whole is much more of a mixed bag. Despite having the best offense in the NBA (tied with the Sixers, who have feasted on terrible opponents lately) the Pacers rank only 13-11 due to having the second-worst defense in the entire league. They have the worst defense by far of any team that is considered “good”, and will never amount to much more than “good” if they don’t improve on that end. Tyrese Haliburton is a superstar, which is the most important thing the Pacers have going for them, and they can absolutely win any game in which he plays. The rest of the team is plenty dangerous as well, with Hield a knockdown shooter, and Bennedict Mathurin a constant threat to score off the bench (though the rest of his game is not great). Bruce Brown. Really though, Hali is the Pacers’ alpha and omega, and he is tough for any team.

Notes

Set the Pace: The Pacers rank first in the NBA in pace, playing around 104.58 possessions per game on average. The only team that’s close is the Wizards, who barely play NBA basketball at this point. The Clippers, meanwhile, despite talk in preseason about playing faster, are 22^nd  in the NBA in pace at 98.75 possessions per game. The Pacers will want to fly up and down the court and take quick shots, and while the Clippers are deadly in transition and have a very good offense as well, they should want to slow the game down, be deliberate, and methodically hunt the Pacers on defense. Speaking of….

Attack, Attack: The Clippers should not settle against the Pacers. Bruce Brown is a solid defender, but he’s way undersized on Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton will have no shot at all. The Pacers will likely try to hide Hali on Terance Mann or the Clippers’ weakest offensive player, and the Clippers need to seek him out and make him work on defense. The best way to stop the Pacers is to get them into foul trouble, and the Clippers have just the guys to do it. While the Clippers should be able to create open looks on the perimeter all game, they need to keep attacking the rim, especially when Myles Turner is off the court. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be scoring at will against the Pacers.

Clippers vs Pacers Preview: Showdown in Indy
Robert Flom

The LA Clippers (21-17) had their chances but came up short in a shootout against the Indiana Pacers (20-17) Saturday afternoon, 131-130. Paul George was spectacular with 45 points (15-25 FG, 7-13 3PT, 8-8 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Kawhi Leonard put up another promising line with 24 points (8-17 FG, 1-5 3PT, 7-7 FT), five rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 35 minutes. Avenging his previous subpar performance against LAC, Myles Turner feasted with 34 points (11-17 FG, 2-5 3PT, 10-10 FT). Tyrese Haliburton took over for Indiana in the fourth, finishing with 24 points (8-13 FG, 2-6 3PT, 6-7 FT), seven rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and zero turnovers. Read on for our full recap of the Clippers loss to the Pacers.

Summary

The Clippers were entering Gainbridge Fieldhouse at the end of a tiring road trip and certainly opened up the game that way, digging themselves an early hole fueled by pedestrian shooting, countless turnovers and sloppy pick-and-roll coverages. Paul George accounted for three of LA’s six turnovers in the period, helping Indiana to score nine off of fast breaks and play at their preferred pace. Robert Covington got the first nod from the pine but wasn’t able to do much on either end, understandably looking a bit stiff. Kawhi played the entire first, but couldn’t find the range. After one, the Clippers trailed 32-22.

It was two steps forward, one step back for the Clippers throughout the second quarter, with Indiana’s three-happy offense unloading shots every other second. Paul George tomahawk dunk? TJ McConnell three right after. Norman Powell converts a pair of free throws? Bennedict Mathurin and-1 layup right after. All the while, Luke Kennard still seemed to be in a funk, going 0-3 from deep in the half. At this point, it also appeared that Terance Mann would be the odd man out of the rotation for the afternoon, but more on that later. Ultimately, some hot shooting from George and just one turnover as a team made for a productive frame for LA. Through two, the Pacers took a 62-55 lead back to the locker room.

“You reach, I teach” was the motto for LA in the third as the Clippers made the Pacers pay with numerous energizing and-1 finishes. This was the quarter to tune into for Clippers fans, as you had Kawhi feasting at the line and PG nailing 3s in guys’ faces after what was a quick 7-0 Indy run to open things up. With the Clippers back to being all square with the house, however, Indiana continued to make timely plays, doing a good job of refusing to concede a lead. Kawhi Leonard had his fingerprints stamped all over the third to close, however, hitting a cold-blooded three right over Jalen Smith to tie the game once more heading into the final frame, 93-93.

Perhaps to be expected, the Clippers opened up the fourth with another four-guard lineup, this time consisting of John Wall, Norm, Luke, Mann and PG. For the first three minutes, the experiment wasn’t disastrous, albeit allowing Indiana to get in the bonus at the 8:46 mark. Reggie Jackson then subbed in for Wall, and meshed seamlessly with the George-led unit, helping to give the Clips their largest lead of the game: up six with 5:27 left. Unfortunately, it appeared the gamble quickly began to backfire with Turner and Haliburton relentlessly targeting Luke and Reggie to get to the line or finish right through them. With it being a one-possession game with 3:47 left, Ty Lue revealed he was going to close with the starters. George and Haliburton dueled each other for the game’s next four buckets before the pattern was disrupted by two big plays — a Haliburton and-1 layup over Reggie and a wide-open Marcus Morris Sr. miss from three. Haliburton went on to force the issue again, drawing a foul on PG to put Indiana up three with 29 seconds left. George and Turner went on to match each other at the line with pairs of clutch free throws before Kawhi’s go-ahead, 30-foot 3-pointer to tie the game proved to be a bit too strong.

Clippers vs. Pacers Game Notes

• Turner, Haliburton Understood the Assignment: With the game in the balance, Turner and Haliburton did exactly what you want to see from your franchise’s best players. They routinely hit guys that were wide open, but also were otherwise unafraid to take the big shot themselves. Indiana truly played a great game offensively overall.
• 213Hoop’d: Before the game, Lue said that during the road trip, Kawhi has been playing the number of minutes that’s allowed him to unleash his ideal staggering pattern for him and PG. Well, the 213-duo showcased what that formula is capable of in this one, with George notching 12 in the second quarter and Kawhi dropping 17 in the third to pace the Clippers’ offense.
• Zu-boxed: The Pacers certainly made it a point of emphasis to not let Ivica Zubac drop 31 points and 29 rebounds again, going as far as doubling the big man in the post in the game’s opening possessions. With six points, seven rebounds and zero blocks in 27 minutes, it was a tough game for Zu, but it was good to see Lue still close with him down the stretch.

• Cool Hand Stays Cold: With two made 3s, three assists and extended time in the fourth, Luke Kennard was able to show some sense of life, but was kept in check overall. Norman Powell also had a bit of a quiet game, getting up just three field goal attempts despite getting to the line six times.
• Odd Mann Out?: With Nicolas Batum out with an ankle sprain, it appears Lue decided to split his freed-up minutes right down the middle and give them to Robert Covington and Terance Mann. RoCo played nine minutes in the first half before we realized it was all a façade and Terance played nine in the second. In a game in which a difference in energy could be seen for the better part of the affair, RoCo and Mann certainly seemed to be deserving of more burn and it remains questionable as to why these two’s minutes appear to be limited, as well as come at the cost of one another.

Up Next: The Clippers head home to host the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, Jan. 2, at 7:30 p.m. PT.

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Clippers vs. Pacers Recap: LA Falls in Fireworks Display
Ralston Dacanay

The LA Clippers (21-16) look to cap off 2022 and their five-game road trip with a win against the middling Indiana Pacers (19-17) Saturday afternoon. Read on for our full preview of the Clippers against the Pacers.

Clippers vs. Pacers Game Information

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
When: 12 p.m. PT
How to Tune in: KTLA, ClipperVision, AM 570 KLAC, KWKW

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

Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton – Andrew Nembhard – Buddy Hield – Aaron Nesmith – Myles Turner

Injury Report
LA Clippers: Nicolas Batum – QUESTIONABLE (Left Ankle Sprain), Brandon Boston Jr. – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Moussa Diabate – OUT (G League – Two-Way), Reggie Jackson – QUESTIONABLE (Left Achilles Soreness), Jason Preston – OUT (G League – On Assignment)

Indiana Pacers: Kendall Brown – OUT (Right Tibia Stress Reaction), Trevelin Queen – QUESTIONABLE (G League – Two-Way), Daniel Theis – OUT (Right Knee Surgery)

Update: The Clippers have downgraded Nicolas Batum (Left Ankle Sprain) to OUT and upgraded Reggie Jackson (Left Achilles Soreness) to AVAILABLE.
Update No. 2: The Pacers have downgraded Trevelin Queen (G League – Two-Way) to OUT.

The Big Picture

Following a dramatic loss in Boston, the Clippers find themselves 2-2 on their current road trip and squarely in the middle of the dogfight that is the Western Conference standings. This last stretch of games has been rocky as ever for the Clips this season, with their win at Toronto perhaps being the lone showing instilling much confidence in their development so far as a full crew. Questionable lineups and minutes rotations have, unfortunately, buried the lead for what’s been the most important takeaway for LAC moving forward: Kawhi Leonard nearly being back in full force. The Klaw played a season-high 37 minutes on Thursday, showcasing a level of form on the offensive end that Clippers fans have surely missed seeing.

Although Nicolas Batum and Reggie Jackson appear to be hobbled after the last contest, remaining questionable to play at all this New Year’s Eve, this should be a good opportunity for the Clippers to finish off the trip in a strong way and get back on track — albeit it won’t serve as much of a litmus test as the games against Philly and Boston did. The Clippers are fifth in the league in Overall Net Rating over the last 10 games. Let’s keep it going.

The Antagonist

The Indiana Pacers come into this one hoping to leave their fans feeling happy heading into 2023, as well as avoid getting swept in the regular season by the Clippers. Back in November, the Pacers got destroyed by Ivica Zubac, who notably led LAC with 31 points and 29 rebounds without Leonard, George and Kennard. With the sixth-best record so far out east, the Pacers are in solid shape considering how low expectations generally were for them heading into the season. Indiana has split their last 10 contests, tallying wins over the Warriors (sans Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson), Celtics, Heat, Hawks and Cavaliers. In each of those wins, the Pacers scored 111+, delivering on their promise this season to score at a higher clip and play at a faster pace to maximize the skills of their young guard and athletic bigs.

Aside from getting another look at perpetual trade-deadline target Myles Turner, the Clippers will have to deal with third-year guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is putting together a pretty convincing All-Star bid so far (shoutout Wally Szczerbiak). In late November, Haliburton became the first player in NBA history to record 40+ assists and no turnovers over any three-game span, which included his 15-point, 11-assist performance against the Clippers in DTLA. Haliburton currently leads the NBA this season in assists with an average of 10.2 per game, and in points/assists double-doubles with 18. Since he was acquired by Indiana last February, Haliburton has appeared in 58 games with the Pacers and recorded 30 double-doubles.

Clippers vs. Pacers Game Notes

• Pacing the Perimeter: Indiana is 10-2 this season when at least six of their players score in double figures. As shown by their 135-126 win over Cleveland on Thursday, the Pacers have a lot of players who can shoot the three-ball if given the chance. Overall, 37.5% of Indiana’s points have come from 3-pointers, which is the fourth-highest percentage in the NBA this season. The Clippers have been one of the best teams in guarding the three this year (No. 3 in OPP 3P%) and will need to stay sharp in that regard, especially with Buddy Hield (No. 1 in 3PM) out there.
• Feed the Cool Hand: As pointed out by our very own Lucas Hann, Luke Kennard has now put up two scoreless games in a row after having just one all of last season. Kennard played just 17 minutes in both of those games, went 0-4 from the field against the Raptors and didn’t even get up a shot against the Celtics. The Clippers should look to get Luke going in this one, especially since he’s historically shot the lights out at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
• #FreeRoCo: As mentioned earlier, it’s hard to talk about the Clippers at the moment without mentioning the awkward omission of Robert Covington from the rotation. There could be a million different theories as to why Ty Lue has decided to not give RoCo any sort of meaningful minutes this season. Regardless, on a day where Batum and Reggie are dinged up and it’s the final game of a tiring road trip, I’d love to see RoCo play some basketball for once. Of course, this plea will probably be for nothing, which in that case, at least give Terance Mann some more minutes.

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 Indiana Pacers. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!

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Clippers vs. Pacers Preview: Closing Out in Indy
Ralston Dacanay

The LA Clippers snapped their two-game skid as they beat the Indiana Pacers, 114-100 behind a historical game from Ivica Zubac.

Summary

A lot of good things happened for the Clippers against the Indiana Pacers, but the biggest storyline of the game was Ivica Zubac. The Clippers man in the middle absolutely dominated the Pacers to the tune of 31 points and 29 rebounds to go along with three assists and three blocked shots. He also shot 14-17 from the field. Since the NBA began keeping track of blocks, Zubac became only the third player in history to put up those numbers. The last player to do so was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on February 3, 1978.

Zubac helped the Clippers get off to a good start and at the end of the first quarter he was already at 14 points and nine rebounds. He scored off teammates passes around the rim and he scored by grabbing offensive rebounds and getting second-chance points.

The Pacers managed to hang with the Clippers though, and neither team was able to grab an advantage. Basketball is often a game of runs and that certainly held true before halftime. It was a much better second quarter for the Clippers than the last two games though, and they led at the half, 59-57.

The third quarter was all Clippers as they continued to ride the momentum from Zubac who carried the offense. They couldn’t hit any shots, but neither could the Pacers who missed all of their 12 three-point attempts in the quarter. A six point Clipper lead (68-62) quickly became a 15 point lead and the Clippers never looked back after that point.

It was a quality win for the Clippers over a pretty solid Eastern Conference team. They were never able to get their looks from three to fall but they did enough collectively to pull off the win. In addition to Zubac’s 29 points, the Clippers had five other players reach double-figures in scoring. Norman Powell had 19 points, Terance Mann had 14, Marcus Morris added 13 and John Wall and Moses Brown had 10 each.

Notes

Amir Coffey continues to produce when called upon despite seeing uneven minutes. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George out, he’s been placed in the starting lineup and he’s responded. His numbers may not be shooting off the stat page but he impacts the game in many ways. He gives the team another ball-handler and shot creator and a few of Zubac’s buckets came off Coffey passes.

Monster Ivica Zubac game powers Clippers over Pacers
David Yapkowitz

The LA Clippers look to stop their two-game skid against the visiting Indiana Pacers.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

When: 1 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, Bally Sports SoCal

Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Terance Mann – Amir Coffey – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburon – Aaron Nesmith – Buddy Hield – Jalen Smith – Myles Turner

Injury Report
Clippers: Paul George out (right hamstring), Kawhi Leonard out (right ankle), Luke Kennard out (right calf), Brandon Boston Jr (G League Assignment), Moussa Diabate (G League Assignment), Jason Preston (G League Assignment).

Pacers: Chris Duarte out (left ankle), Andrew Nembhard out (left knee), Daniel Theis out (right knee).

The Big Picture

Although the Clippers are in familiar territory without both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy. A game after getting blown out by the Golden State Warriors, the Clippers gave it all they could before running out of gas at home against the Denver Nuggets.

There were some encouraging signs, however. John Wall continued to play well, starting the game 7-7 from the field and consistently putting pressure on the Nuggets defense. Marcus Morris had a solid game offensively and was big reason why the Clippers were able to match the Nuggets blow for blow in the first quarter. Terance Mann has become much more consistent after his slow start to the season and helped keep the Clippers within striking distance most of the game.

This is not an ideal situation, though, and it wasn’t something that was expected after Leonard was cleared to play this season. It doesn’t really matter how accustomed the Clippers are to playing without their stars, their absence puts much more pressure on the rest of the team.

Clippers fans can take some comfort in the fact that Ty Lue will always have his team prepared no matter how short-handed they are. It’s been a staple of his Clipper teams the last couple of seasons and it showed when the team came out with the right intensity against both the Warriors and the Nuggets.

It’s about being able to sustain that play, however, and that’s much tougher to do when you don’t have star players to throw the ball to.

The Antagonist

The Indiana Pacers come to town as one of the surprise teams in the NBA. It was assumed that they would probably be in the running for the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes but they’ve erased any doubt that they’re here to compete this season.

They are led by the rising star duo of Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. Haliburton is blossoming into one of the premier point guards in the NBA and he’s leading the league in assists at 11.1. With Paolo Banchero sidelined recently, Mathurin has become one of the frontrunners for the Rookie of the Year Award. What’s most impressive about Mathurin is that he’s doing this – 19.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists – while coming off the bench.

The Pacers are currently 11-7 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. This is a team that can score a lot of points and that wants to get out and run in transition. Shot selection and rebounding are going to be key for the Clippers to keep the Pacers from getting fastbreak scoring opportunities.

Clippers vs. Pacers Game Preview
David Yapkowitz