The Clippers will wrap up their 2026 preseason with an away contest against another division rival, the Golden State Warriors.

Game Information

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA League Pass

Notes

The Clippers’ dress rehearsal game ended up being on Wednesday against the Kings, and Ty Lue has already ruled out Kawhi and James Harden from this game. It is quite possible other key veteran Clippers don’t play either, though some of the new arrivals (Brook, Collins, CP3) logging minutes makes sense.

One of the only reasons to tune into this one is because there is at least a chance Bradley Beal makes his Clippers’ debut tonight. Honestly, I’d be a bit surprised if he appeared in preseason, but he has not been ruled out, and the Clippers might want to give him a few meaningless minutes with some teammates before being thrust into games that actually matter. If he does play, it will be interesting to see how he looks.

The only other semi-interesting plot thread here is if any of the younger players stand out enough to get the final two-way spot vacated by Trentyn Flowers. The smart money right now is on Jason Preston to get that last two-way slot, but if any of the other training camp guys has a terrific outing maybe it sways the Clippers in another direction.

That’s about it! After this, the games will actually matter, and I can’t wait for that!

Clippers 2026 Preseason Game 4: Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ 2026 preseason continues with a road contest against the Pacific Division rival Sacramento Kings.

Game Information

Where: Golden One Center, Sacramento, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA League Pass

Notes

The Clippers’ starting lineup is not known for this contest, as Bradley Beal and Bogdan Bogdanovic are out for the game and Ty Lue has said John Collins is not starting. Considering Harden, DJJ, Kawhi, and Zu are locked in as the other guys, some likely options are Kris Dunn, Nic Batum, or possibly Jordan Miller. I’d lean Dunn, but we will see.

The Clippers went really hard in their game against the Nuggets on Sunday, so I’m curious to see if they play just as intensely in this game. I can’t imagine this game is a full dress rehearsal, but maybe Ty does want to see all of his key players log true regular season style rotations beyond just the first half. If I had to guess, we won’t see Kawhi and possibly Harden after halftime, and the second half is another extended look at the young guys.

One item of note is that Trentyn Flowers was waived yesterday, which opens up a two-way spot. The Clippers don’t have to fill that spot right away, and could sign anyone who’s eligible to it, but it seems likely that the third two-way will be filled by one of the other guys at training camp. Maybe if one of the young guys really stands out tomorrow they are able to earn that final roster spot.

Clippers 2026 Preseason Game 3: Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ 2026 preseason play continues with a game against the team that eliminated the Clippers from the 2025 postseason, the Denver Nuggets.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 6:30 PM PT

How to Watch: ESPN, KTLA, FanDuel Sports So Cal

Notes

The Clippers have not released an injury report for today’s game, so it’s unclear whether Bradley Beal (out in the first preseason game) or Bogdan Bogdanovic (started that game but left after two minutes due to a back injury and did not return) will play in this one. If either of them play, they will be the likely starter at shooting guard.

Ty Lue did mention after the first preseason game that John Collins would start tonight, presumably in place of Derrick Jones Jr. If both Beal and Bogi are out, it’s possible that DJJ and Collins would start together, but it also seems possible that Ty would just start Jordan Miller instead.

Key players on the Clippers mostly logged between 12 and 18 minutes in the first preseason game, and while I’d expect those numbers to go up a bit, nothing about this game indicates “full dress rehearsal”. The Clippers will of course be going up against an actual NBA team in this one, but there’s still no reason to treat this very seriously. I do hope there’s more defensive intensity from the jump compared to their game against the Loong-Lions.

Clippers 2026 Preseason Game 2: Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers kick off their 2026 season with a preseason game against the Guangzhou Loong-Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Game Information

Where: Frontwave Arena, San Diego, CA

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Unclear, seems to be on League Pass

I have very, very little to say about any preseason game, especially on a Clippers team that knows who their rotation players are and have roles more or less mapped out.

Bradley Beal will miss this game as he recovers from a knee injury, but he’s practicing with the team and it seems like he will appear at some point in preseason. Everyone else is a go, even Kawhi Leonard, so the Clippers should be able to give just about everyone on their roster a couple minutes of action in this one.

Outside of coming out the other side healthy, the only thing I’d like to see in this game is some progress from the Clippers young guys: Jordan Miller, Kobe Brown, Cam Christie, Kobe Sanders, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, and Trentyn Flowers. Hopefully one or two of them look good, and if not them, then maybe an Exhibit 10 guy pops a bit.

That’s about all! I can’t wait for the games that really matter, which are about two weeks away!

Clippers 2026 Preseason Game 1: Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers will wrap up their 2024-2025 preseason with a home game against the Sacramento Kings.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, KTLA

Projected Starting Lineups

Kings: De’Aaron Fox – Keon Ellis – DeMar DeRozan – Keegan Murray – Domantas Sabonis

Clippers: Kevin Porter Jr. – Amir Coffey – Terance Mann – Kobe Brown – Kai Jones

Injuries

Kings: Devin Carter Out (Shoulder), Trey Lyles Doubtful (Groin), Kevin Huerter Doubtful (Shoulder), Orlando Robinson Doubtful (Knee)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Mo Bamba Out (Knee), James Harden Out (Rest), Norm Powell Questionable (Rest), Ivica Zubac Questionable (Rest), Derrick Jones Jr. Questionable (Rest)

Notes

Who Plays: Ty Lue said before the game on Tuesday that James Harden wouldn’t play tonight, and left it an open question as to whether the Clippers’ other key rotation players would or not. In preseason I usually err on the side of guys not playing, so I think other vets like Norm and Nic Batum won’t play either, but whether Terance, DJJ, and Zubac do is a bit more questionable. Regardless, the Clippers will not be rolling out anything close to their “real” lineups, so there will be less to take away from this game than previous contests – which is not saying much. Hopefully we get some fun stuff or Ty decides to make this at least somewhat of a dress rehearsal.

Final Chances to Impress: If the Clippers don’t play their key players much, this could be a great opportunity for players on the fringes – Jordan Miller, Kobe Brown, and Cam Christie most notably – to make a case for themselves. Miller has impressed in his minutes, and Kobe has been quiet but looked ok, while Cam has really not stood out much so far. One preseason game is not going to change the minds of the coaching staff, but a standout performance by any of these guys could not hurt. The same goes for Exhibit 10 players, who might be angling for two-way deals from other teams or even deals from top international teams. Every game on the big NBA stage matters.

The Bones Situation: Late in the preseason game on Tuesday, Law Murray tweeted that only four active Clippers hadn’t appeared in the game – Bones Hyland, Trentyn Flowers, Elijah Harkless, and Braxton Key. The clear outlier there is Bones, who is on a full NBA deal and who the Clippers traded two second-round picks for just 1.5 years ago. Notably, the Clippers played Alondes Williams, an Exhibit 10 player who has logged just eight NBA games in his two-year career, over Bones. I’m not sure where things went wrong for Bones in LA, but he’s clearly not part of this team’s plans, and I almost wonder if they send him home like they did with PJ Tucker. Maybe not, because a suspension for Kevin Porter Jr. is likely coming, and in that case Bones would be fairly close in line for minutes, but it wouldn’t be shocking either. I wonder if we ever get a story on what happened with Bones and this team, but things have sadly gone way south.

Clippers vs Kings 2025 Preseason Game 5 Preview
Robert Flom

The Clippers will finally open up their new stadium, Intuit Dome, for the first time as a basketball arena with a preseason game against the Mavericks.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV, Bally Sports SoCal

Projected Starting Lineups

Mavericks: Kyrie Irving – Spencer Dinwiddie – Klay Thompson – Olivier-Maxence Prosper – Daniel Gafford

Clippers: James Harden – Norman Powell – Terance Mann – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Mavericks: Luka Doncic Questionable (Calf), PJ Washington Questionable (Hip), Brandon Williams Doubtful (Calf), Kessler Edwards Doubtful (Ankle), Maxi Kleber Doubtful (Ankle), Dante Exum Out (Wrist)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Mo Bamba Doubtful (Knee), Trentyn Flowers Out (Wrist), Norm Powell Questionable (Back)

Notes

Intuit Open for Business: While the Clippers’ much-ballyhooed new arena, the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, has been active for months as a concert and event venue, tonight is the first night it will function as its primary purpose – as a basketball stadium. Actual Clippers fans will be in Intuit, watching the Clippers play basketball (even if its preseason), and its kind of hard to grasp that this is all finally happening years and years after the announcement. We all hope that the Clippers finally having their own space and not sharing room with the Lakers (and Kings and Sparks) will help them further grow their brand and establish their identity, and it all starts tonight.

Does Ty Up Minutes: So far, Ty Lue has held fairly firm on not playing key players such as James Harden, Nic Batum, and Ivica Zubac more than one or two shifts in the first half, with the second half being dominated by second string, third string, and training camp players. Some coaches hold to that pattern the entirety of preseason and never do a full “dress rehearsal” as it were, while others (Tom Thibodeau notably) are fine playing starters upwards of 30 minutes. It will be interesting to see if Ty continues to play older veterans just a handful of minutes, or if this is a game where he wants to get a longer look at his “true” rotations and lineups.

Clippers vs Mavericks 2025 Preseason Game 4 Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers will hold their third preseason game of 2025 up in Seattle against the Portland Trailblazers.

Game Information

Where: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, KTLA

Projected Starting Lineups

Blazers: Scoot Henderson – Anfernee Simons – Deni Avdija – Jerami Grant – De’Andre Ayton

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Terance Mann – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Blazers: Shaedon Sharpe Out (Shoulder), Robert Williams III Out (Hamstring), Matisse Thybulle Questionable (Knee)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Mo Bamba Out (Knee), Trentyn Flowers Out (Wrist), Bones Hyland Hip (Ankle), Derrick Jones Jr. Questionable (Head)

Notes

Injuries Piling Up: Its preseason and somehow the Clippers’ injury list is already pretty extensive. Trentyn Flowers was never going to play minutes for the Clippers this season, but Bamba being out has led to extensive Kai Jones minutes, Derrick Jones being injured could push other guys up in the rotation, and we all know what Kawhi’s absence means. It is better to be injured in preseason than the regular season, and its not the worst thing for guys lower down in the rotation to get more minutes – but having reps with the actual rotation players would be nice too. Hopefully the injuries to Bones, Jones, and Bamba are not serious, and those guys get back in the action sometime in preseason.

Staggering the Starters: Ty Lue apologized after the Nets game on Tuesday for the second unit (Kris Dunn-Kevin Porter Jr.-Amir Coffey-Nic Batum-Kai Jones) and said he would try to avoid that lineup going forward. That’s interesting, because with Bamba and Leonard out, there aren’t a ton of other options there. The solution is probably staggering James Harden with Norm Powell to always have one of them out there. I’d probably take out Norm early for Batum, Coffey, or Dunn, then have him replace Harden at some point. Whether that means one of the guards (Porter Jr or Coffey) would be out of the rotation or Ty would just squeeze the minutes in is unclear. He also mentioned getting Jones playing more with Harden and Zu with the second unit, so maybe Zu is the one who staggers. We will just have to see.

Looking at the Blazers: This is the Blazers’ first preseason game this year, somehow, and they’re a team that will be intriguing to watch this season. Projected as one of the worst teams in the West, the Blazers still have talent, with the 2023 3^rd pick in Scoot Henderson and this year’s 7^th pick Donovan Clingan as highlights. Scoot had a very disappointing rookie season, but if he can get back on track the Blazers could be a fun watch and a tougher team night-to-night. Another thing to monitor: how long do the Blazers hold onto veterans such as De’Andre Ayton, Robert Williams, Jerami Grant, and Matisse Thybulle. They could presumably get assets for some of those players, so moves might well be made to further strip the team down at the deadline.

Clippers vs Blazers 2025 Preseason Game 3 Preview
Robert Flom

The Clippers will face off against the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets in their second game of the 2025 preseason.

Game Information

Where: Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Nets: Dennis Schroder – Cam Johnson – Dorian Finney-Smith – Ben Simmons – Noah Clowney

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Terance Mann – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Nets: Nic Claxton Out (Hamstring), Trendon Watford Out (Hamstring), Day’Ron Sharpe Out (Hamstring)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Mo Bamba Out (Knee), Trentyn Flowers Out (Wrist)

Notes

New Arena: The most exciting part of this game for me is that it’s in the Clippers’ new G-League arena in Oceanside, California. The Clippers’ G-League team was previously located in Ontario, in San Bernardino County/The Inland Empire. The arena and location in Ontario were fine, but the use of a new arena for the G-League Clippers (which will also be used by Indoor Soccer and Indoor Football League teams) shows the commitment of Ballmer to the organization. Playing in Oceanside, in San Diego county, will also hopefully help the Clippers tap further into the San Diego market and expand their fanbase. It’s also a fun historical move, as it brings the Clippers back to their San Diego home from 1978 to 1984. It should be a fun arena to play in and I’m excited to see it in action.

New Starting Unit: I’m very curious to see who Ty Lue plays in this game and with what units, as there were multiple surprises in Game 1 against the Warriors. Ty has already said that Terance Mann will start over Kris Dunn in this one, meaning that Dunn will presumably come off the bench with Kevin Porter Jr. Amir Coffey did not play in the first half in Game 1, but with Dunn and Porter Jr. both playing, adding Bones Hyland to the mix would seem incredibly small even for Ty, so my guess is Coffey and Kobe Brown round out the second unit along with Kai Jones. Still, there could be surprises, as preseason is the time to tinker!

Figuring Out the Harden-less Offense: Results do not matter in preseason, but process does, and the Clippers were incredibly sloppy with the ball in Game 1 against the Warriors. They had 20 turnovers to 21 assists, and if you remove James Harden from the equation, that falls to 18 turnovers to 13 assists. The lack of an organizing offensive presence when Harden was out of the game was apparent, and while that might be Kawhi Leonard when he’s healthy, the Clippers will need to figure out some way to stay afloat in the inevitable games Leonard misses. Whether that’s Ivica Zubac post-ups, Kevin Porter Jr. ISOing (yuck), or Norm Powell scoring packages, the Clippers have to do something to center their offense when Harden is resting. Let’s see if there’s any progress on that front in this game.

Clippers vs Nets 2025 Preseason Game 2 Preview
Robert Flom

I was not planning on writing a recap about this game, but I had some thoughts I wanted to get down, so here goes.

Notes

Starting Unit: Ty Lue ran out a somewhat unexpected starting unit of James Harden, Kris Dunn, Norm Powell, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac. Now, Kawhi Leonard was out with his knee, and Nic Batum did not play, so it’s hard to draw too much from it. However, Dunn getting the nod over Terance Mann was interesting, and while Dunn was very quiet on offense, his defense was as fantastic as expected. Harden and Zu both looked great, and Norm was sharp. Honestly, while there were still some very sloppy plays and bad turnovers, I thought it was an intriguing (if tiny) lineup. I can’t really see this being a starting group, but it might be something to watch for.

The Second Unit: Tonight, the second unit was Bones Hyland, Kevin Porter Jr., Terance Mann, Kobe Brown, and Kai Jones. And, honestly, it was rough. Hyland and Porter Jr. have some differing strengths (Bones is a better passer and long-range shooter, Porter a better pure scorer) but both have a tendency to overdribble and make bad decisions, and having both of them out there made the offense unpleasant to watch. Notably, the Bones-only third unit in the third quarter was much better and flowed more on offense. I just don’t think those two can play together. Brown played 27 minutes, the most of any Clipper by far, but did most of his damage in the 4th quarter. Terance did not stand out much but this is not his kind of game.

Little Amir: Amir Coffey did not play in the first half during the Clippers’ “real” rotations, which was interesting. There might not be too, too much to take from that, especially this early in preseason, but it was definitely notable.

Big Trouble: Kai Jones’ box score – 4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in 22 minutes – ended up looking pretty good. But I was very underwhelmed by him in this game. He plays very hard, which is nice, and the athleticism is clearly present. But he’s sloppy on the glass, his screens barely make contact, and his offensive skills outside of dunking are limited. It’s just one game and he’s barely played in a year, but this was not an encouraging outing for me.

Jordan Miller Impresses: Jordan Miller’s box score does not stand out – 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in 18 minutes – but I thought his defense was fantastic and he showed some of the same downhill abilities that made him such a threat in Summer League. Just like with Kobe Brown, the outside shots will have to fall sooner or later if he’s going to stick in an NBA rotation, but the defense, transition scoring, and catch-and-go abilities make him someone I’d like to see the Clippers actually play this year.

Clippers Fall to Warriors 91-90 in First Preseason Game
Robert Flom

The Clippers take on the Warriors in their first game of the 2025 preseason in tropical Hawaii.

Game Information

Where: Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

When: 4:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV, KTLA

Projected Starting Lineups

Warriors: Steph Curry – Brandin Podziemski – Jonathan Kuminga – Draymond Green – Trayce Jackson-Davis

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Terance Mann – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Warriors: Andrew Wiggins Out (Illness)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Mo Bamba Doubtful (Knee), Trentyn Flowers Out (Wrist)

Notes

Who Starts: This is the biggest question for the Clippers entering preseason – and the regular season. With Kawhi out, only two starters are locked in: James Harden at point and Ivica Zubac in the middle. I’d be fairly surprised if Derrick Jones Jr. wasn’t another starter. That leaves two spots, with the likely candidates being Terance Mann, Norm Powell, and Nic Batum. Batum is the logical replacement for Kawhi, but the Clippers want to keep his minutes low and probably maintain his rotation spot to the second unit. They could start both Norm and Terance, but that would make them very, very small. There are other candidates to start, such as Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr., and Kobe Brown, so it is anyone’s guess as to who Ty Lue rolls out tonight.

The Bench Rotation: The players of that group who don’t start will probably figure into the Clippers’ second unit, but again, Lue has many options. Does Bones Hyland get any run alongside Dunn, who can make up for his defensive weaknesses? Is Amir Coffey the backup small forward/power forward, or does one of Jordan Miller or Kobe Brown grab that spot. Does Ty roll with a small-ball second unit, or does Kai Jones get the nod with Mo Bamba likely out? The game outcome doesn’t matter, but who gets the call earlier in the game during more legitimate playing situations is a good indication of what the Clippers’ coaching staff is thinking early in the preseason.

The Young Guys: While preseason is an opportunity for veterans to play their way into shape and for the coaching staff to implement plays and principles, its also a great opportunity for youngsters to show they can pass veterans and make an impact. The Clippers young guys – Kobe Brown, Jordan Miller, and Cam Christie (Flowers is out) – should all get real minutes in preseason. I’d like to see Kobe shoot the ball well and be able to stay in front of opposing players on defense. For Jordan, I’d love continued aggression driving to the rim and the ability to force turnovers. Cam might play the least of the three, but hopefully just looks like he belongs on the court with real NBA players.

The Training Camp Players: The Clippers have four players on their training camp roster who are not under contract with them for this season – Kai Jones, RayJ Dennis, Nate Darling, and Alondes Williams. The player that is the most likely to get real minutes is by far Jones, as he will presumably be the backup center with Mo Bamba out. The Clippers’ lack of depth at center is also why Jones is the favorite of these guys to get the Clippers’ final two-way spot. Still, even if these players only get a few minutes in the second half, it’s a chance to show off for the Clippers, other NBA teams, and even international squads. Usually nothing happens with such players, but every once in a while one pops, so it’s always fun to keep tabs on them.

Clippers vs Warriors 2025 Preseason Game 1 Preview
Robert Flom