The Clippers begin their last stretch of the regular season with a game against a Spurs team that is priming up for next year, not this one.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Spurs: Chris Paul – Stephon Castle – Devin Vassell – Harrison Barnes – Bismack Biyombo

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Spurs: Victor Wembanyama Out (Blood Clot), De’Aaron Fox Out (Finger), Jeremy Sochan Out (Back), Riley Minix Out (Shoulder)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Knee), Amir Coffey Out (Hamstring)

The Big Picture

The Clippers have gone 14-3 in their last 17 games, pushing them from just over .500 at the 60-game mark to a team that could win 50 contests this year. That push has carried them up the standings, as they now sit in 5^th in the West. However, that spot is incredibly precarious, with an insane four teams holding a record of 46-32 and the Nuggets sitting slightly above at 47-32. If the Clippers can win out (or close to it) the rest of the year, they will make the playoffs proper in some fashion. If not, the play-in looms. First, they need to grab a win against the lottery-bound Spurs.

The Antagonist

The Spurs have had a bit of an odd season. They looked like they were going to well exceed expectations early on, as they were in the postseason race for much of the early part of the season before slumping in the middle of the season. At the trade deadline, the Spurs moved a lot of assets for Kings guard De’Aaron Fox to help them make a postseason push. Then, right after the All Star Break, superstar wunderkind Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the rest of the year with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, and the Spurs predictably collapsed from there. Add in a stroke to long-time head coach Gregg Popovich early in the season (which he is still out from – and may never come back from) and you have a bizarre year. The Spurs were formally eliminated from the postseason a couple days ago, but that’s been a foregone conclusion since Wemby went down. Still, the Spurs are continuing to play their key players big minutes and have won a handful of games recently. This might well be the Clippers’ last chance to beat up on a Wemby-less Spurs team for a long time.

Notes

Does Kawhi Play or No: Kawhi played in his first back-to-back of the season against the Mavericks and looked great in doing so. He has been listed as questionable for this one, the first game of a back-to-back with the second game against Houston. While the Spurs aren’t great, they are at home and still have a bunch of key players involved – no Kawhi at least moves the game from surefire win to “probable”. The Houston game is interesting, as the Rockets are very good, but if things break right for them on Tuesday they might have the 2 seed locked up and be prepared to start resting players their last three games. I would guess Kawhi plays on both legs of the trip just to give the Clippers the best chance of winning, but him sitting out against the Spurs makes sense and it’s a game the Clippers really should win without him.

Clippers vs Spurs Preview: The Final Playoff Push
Robert Flom

The Clippers will look to shake off a poor effort on Monday night against the Suns against a competitive and feisty San Antonio Spurs squad.

Game Information

Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

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

Spurs: Chris Paul – Devin Vassell – Harrison Barnes – Jeremy Sochan – Victor Wembanyama

Injuries

Clippers: Kris Dunn Out (Knee), Cam Christie Out (Ankle), Kai Jones Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team)

Spurs: Sidy Cissoko Out (Concussion), Riley Minix Out (Shoulder)

The Big Picture

The Clippers’ loss on Monday has been lessened by losses by the Lakers and Nuggets, but it doesn’t erase the sting of that defeat. Playing against a decent Suns team on the road is certainly not a gimme, but the Clippers really just did not show up ready to play against a division and postseason rival, and that’s not something we have seen much this year. The Suns were able to do whatever they wanted on offense outside of a stretch in the 3^rd quarter, with the Clippers lacking in physicality, energy, and execution. Mason Plumlee was a +22 in his 26 minutes off the Suns’ bench, for god’s sakes! That just can’t happen in the year 2025. The Clippers made valiant pushes at times, but the lack of any bench production (eight points between five players, with six of them from Amir Coffey) and the shaky defense doomed them. Hopefully the Clips come out with more zip tonight.

The Antagonist

The Spurs have fallen from their perch in the Western Conference postseason race to the outside looking in. Currently in 12^th, the Spurs are, however, just three losses back of the Clippers in 6^th and are clearly close enough to make a run back into the playoff picture. Advanced metrics, however don’t look too kindly on the Spurs – they rank 20^th in the NBA in Net Rating at -1.8, below all of the West teams above them in the standings. The Spurs could absolutely make win-now moves before the trade deadline, and if they do pull off a De’Aaron Fox move, for example, could definitely surge into the thick of things in the West. For now, most of their roster is still too young to be ready for serious games, and the Spurs are too mediocre at everything (17^th on offense, 18^th on defense) to be ready for action. Wemby is already a top-seven NBA player but the rest of the team is just not at his level yet.

Notes

Better Bench Minutes: The Clippers’ bench has been up-and-down this year, to put it kindly. However, they should hopefully be able to outplay the Spurs’ bench, which has not been a particularly effective group. The Spurs, in fact, generally look lost when Wembanyama and Chris Paul are not on the floor, and the Clippers need to win those minutes by significant margins to get a comfortable win. In close games, Wemby can take over – and Chris Paul can still do clutch-time Chris Paul things even at his age. If the Clippers receive actual production from their bench, it will go a long way. That starts with better three-point shooting (the bench was 0-9 from deep on Monday) but also includes pace and overall energy. I would really like to see “Less Bamba”. I feel bad for ragging on Mo, but he just has not been good, and I’d rather see the Clippers go small most of the time. Maybe Wemby’s presence will demand Mo off the bench, but I’d like to see what Nic Batum can do on his French countryman protégé.

Clippers vs Spurs Preview: The Road Trip Continues
Robert Flom

The Clippers, coming off a tough win over the Pelicans, will have a quick turnaround before having to square off against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on the road in San Antonio.

Game Information

Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas

When: 4:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Norman Powell – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac

Spurs: Chris Paul – Devin Vassell – Jeremy Sochan – Harrison Barnes – Victor Wembanyama

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Terance Mann Out (Finger), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), Cam Christie Out (G-League)

Spurs: None

The Big Picture

The Clippers narrowly avoided an awful loss to the Pelicans last night, settling instead for a frustrating – yet rousing – win. Norm Powell and Ivica Zubac saved the Clippers’ bacon, just as they have so many times this year, with Norm’s shooting and Zu’s dominance on the glass pushing the Clips to victory. A win is a win, especially on the road, but the Clippers’ turnover issue is back in full force right now, and their defense in the first half was not nearly to the level that this team needs to win games. Hopefully an evening or two in New Orleans had something to do with the sluggish play, as most teams will not give away games like the Pelicans did. Still, even with the frustrations, the Clippers continued to show their mettle in fighting back from a double-digit deficit to hold onto a win on the road.

The Antagonist

The Spurs continue to punch above expectations, placing in as a .500 team close to 40% of the way through the season. The Spurs are around average on both offense and defense, making their Net Rating quite in line with their actual record. The Spurs are led on both ends by burgeoning superstar Victor Wenbanyama, who is a top candidate for defensive player of the year while scoring 25.5 points per game and taking 9.4 threes per contest. The supporting cast is better than last year, largely due to the still-calming presence of Chris Paul, but can be inconsistent. The Spurs play hard, have a nice homecourt, and don’t back down from anyone, making them a consistently tough out despite their youth and shaky depth. Give them a year or two and they will be cooking with real gas.

Notes

Tired Legs: The Clippers are going to be at a pretty big disadvantage in this game. Not only did they play last night while the Spurs rested, but they are playing both sides of the back-to-back on the road and had to travel from New Orleans to San Antonio. On top of all that, Ty Lue really pushed in the chips for the Pelicans win, playing an 8.5-man rotation (Mo Bamba didn’t play in the second half) and pushing Norm Powell to 40 minutes with Harden and Zu at 36 and Dunn and DJJ at 32. Ty will probably have to go deeper into his bench in this one, and even that might not be enough against a young and rested Spurs team. This is a schedule loss if ever there was one.

Kobe Back: Quietly, Kobe Brown was moved off the injury report for the Pelicans game. Kobe has missed a few weeks with a back injury but is now seemingly available for Ty Lue. Of course, Kobe wasn’t in the rotation even when he was healthy, and is not going to be in the rotation now, but he is an option, and will help at minimum in balancing garbage time units. With Kawhi’s return approaching, Kobe will be further out of the rotation forever – yet it’s still good to see him suited up and ready to go.

Clippers vs Spurs Preview: Coming to Wemby’s Castle
Robert Flom

The Clippers take on the 3-3 Spurs and second-year superstar Victor Wembanyama needing to get back on track after suffering three consecutive losses.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: KTLA, WOAI 1200

Projected Starting Lineups

Spurs: Chris Paul – Julian Champagnie – Harrison Barnes – Jeremy Sochan – Victor Wembanyama

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

Injuries

Spurs: Devin Vassell Out (Foot), Tre Jones Out (Ankle)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Mo Bamba Out (Knee), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team), Cam Christie Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League)

The Big Picture

The Clippers are 2-4 after six games, but if you’d looked at their schedule before the season and said they wouldn’t have Kawhi Leonard for any of those games, a 2-4 record would seem reasonable. The reason for the glum vibes in Clipper Nation really boils down to that Blazers’ loss, a difficult at the hands of a poor opponent the likes of which the Clippers very much need to beat this year if they want to have any chance of appearing in the postseason. Even though it’s just one game, a record of 3-3 sounds a whole lot better than 2-4, especially considering the quality of opponent in that loss. Still, the team is playing hard, is excellent on defense (6th), and has played a tough schedule. Hopefully the offense (25th) is able to finally start limiting turnovers and become more consistent.

The Antagonist

The Spurs’ team profile actually looks remarkably similar to the Clippers, even though the roster composition and overall team dynamic is very different. The Spurs are a top-5 defense that struggles mightily to string together buckets, just like the Clippers. Unlike the Clippers, the Spurs are a very young team whose defense rests nearly solely on one individual, second-year sensation Victor Wembanyama. Wemby is already the most devastating force on defense in the NBA, a one-man rim deterrence who can also switch out onto the perimeter and defend smaller player. Offensively, Wemby is still prone to inefficiency and poor turnovers, but has been helped by the addition of Chris Paul, who still knows how to run an offense and find open players despite his limitations. The Spurs are also missing their second-best player in Devin Vassell and another key role player in Tre Jones, which makes them even more rudimentary on offense. Still, they are young, feisty, and won’t back down from anyone.

Notes

Should Ty Lue Change the Rotation: There’s been a lot of discussion on Twitter and the site about the Clippers adjusting their rotation to excise one of or both of Amir Coffey and Kevin Porter Jr. in favor of Jordan Miller and Bones Hyland. On one hand, I get it perfectly: Kevin Porter Jr. has been abysmal on both ends, and it’s hard to imagine Bones being worse on offense than him. I myself would rather play Bones or Miller compared to Porter Jr. But Ty Lue likes his 10-game sample sizes, and the team as a whole is playing with enough spirit and effort that I don’t think we get any benching of players yet. As for Miller vs. Amir, while I get that Jordan offers more theoretically on offense, Coffey has been fine this season and it’s just tough for coaches to go away from vets like that. If anything, the guy I might expect to be dropped from the rotation is Kai Jones, who is barely playing as is and has been largely ineffective when he does play. Putting in Miller or Kobe Brown for him for more small-ball is something I’d be intrigued by.
CP3 Reception: I’m curious as to how Chris Paul is received in his first ever game at Intuit. He’s obviously played in front of Clippers’ fans many times since he left the team in 2017, but I wonder if distance in time since Lob City, his increasing age, and the factor of a new arena will lead to him being greeted more fondly than in past visits. The Toronto Raptors just put Vince Carter’s jersey into their rafters, and Chris Paul’s jersey will presumably be raised into Intuit Dome’s ceiling at some point as well. I would guess he receives a mix of cheers and boos, but as he gets closer to retirement I think the shift more towards cheers will occur.

Clippers vs Spurs Preview: Getting Out of the Slide
Robert Flom

Despite some sloppy play that let the Spurs hang around, the Clippers made enough plays to pull out their third straight win, and second in San Antonio.

Summary

The Clippers were up 4-0 with a couple solid offensive and defensive possessions, but then things took a turn for the sloppy. Neither team could do much on offense in the halfcourt, with the Clippers scoring primarily in transition. The Clippers were up 16-8 halfway through the period when the bench started checking in. The input of fresh blood did not impact the quality of the game, however, which remained a bit messy. Nonetheless, the Clippers were more competent than the Spurs, and led 26-14 after one.

The modified bench unit with PG anchoring continued the Clippers’ lead, with Paul George doing the bulk of the scoring. His sizzling jump shooting had the Clippers up 17 at one point, with the Spurs’ shots finally dropping to keep them attached. A quick 5-0 Spurs run to get the lead down to 12 brought the Clippers’ starters back in at the 6:12 mark. The Harden-Zu pick and roll generated good looks for the Clippers, but they couldn’t convert. Late in the quarter, the Spurs finally made a run, and got it all the way back to 54-48.

Kawhi Leonard was the go-to option early in the 3^rd for the Clippers, as Paul George cooled off over halftime. Harden found him multiple times for easy looks around the rim, especially in transition, and the Clippers were humming on offense. Unfortunately, the Spurs kept pace, with their own offensive skills returning. That changed in the middle part of the quarter with Wembanyama out, as the Clippers went on a 14-0 run with their starters and Harden-Kawhi + bench unit in to get the lead up to 18. Just as in the first half, however, the Spurs closed the quarter on a 6-0 run to keep the deficit at 12 entering the 4^th.

The Clippers maintained their usual rotations to start the 4^th (except for Amir Coffey replacing Norm Powell, who had groin soreness), and the new rotations continued to work, with the Clippers holding a lead in the low-mid teens for the early part of the period. At around the 7-minute mark, Ty Lue brought the starters back – but kept Russ in instead of Mann. While Terance hadn’t shot the ball well, this unit (the Clippers’ previous starting group) again showed its worth (that is, bad) by giving the Spurs a 17-6 run to make things a bit close down the stretch. The Clippers made just enough shots and free throws to pull out the win, but it was less comfortable than it should have been.

Notes

Mann Misfiring: While Terance has overall played well this season and with this new starting unit, he was 0-3 from deep in this one and just can’t buy a long ball. He’s now just 2-17 from three this year, and teams are leaving him open. He’s a proven enough shooter at the NBA level that the shots will start to fall – the big thing with him is that he needs to keep shooting them. His defense, rebounding, and lack of need to have the ball in his hands is useful with the starters, and if he starts making his threes then the offense should really start to zing.

Efficient Kawhi: Outside of the Lakers game Kawhi Leonard has not truly “gone off” this season, but I thought this game was his best offensive showing outside of that. He scored 26 points on 17 shots, and was there every time the Clippers needed a bucket. He’s finally starting to figure things out with this new roster, and his defense is as active as ever. Hopefully a true scoring breakout comes soon.

Amir Time: Amir Coffey played 10 minutes in the second place instead of Norm, as mentioned above, and acquitted himself quite well. He scored four points on a couple nice drives to the hoop, had a couple strong rebounds, and forced a steal that led to a transition bucket. His defensive skills and ability to get downhill on offense remain useful on this team, and I hope he gets more shots in the rotation this year.

Clippers Eke Out 109-102 Win over Spurs
Robert Flom

Two days after beating the Spurs in San Antonio, the Clippers will try to do it all over again.

Game Information

Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

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

Spurs: Jeremy Sochan – Julian Champagnie – Keldon Johnson – Victor Wembanyama – Zach Collins

Injuries

Clippers: Mason Plumlee Out (Knee), Brandon Boston Out (Quad), Kobe Brown Out (G-League)

Spurs: Devin Vassell Questionable (Groin)

The Big Picture

After losing six games in a row, the Clippers have won their last two. They beat this same Spurs team on Monday in a wire-to-wire victory, looking like the far more competent and composed team. The Clippers are starting to work their rotations out, which is a bonus, and Daniel Theis has provided a big lift off the bench. Still, it all comes back to the stars, and Harden’s playmaking alongside Paul George and Kawhi Leonard’s two-way performances at the wings has been the catalyst for the Clippers’ victories. As long as those guys are healthy and playing well the Clippers will be pretty good regardless of the context around them.

The Antagonist

The Spurs were really bad on Monday on both ends of the court, proving unable to score consistently due to their lack of shooting or of providing much resistance to the Clippers. If Devin Vassell does play he will help their offense significantly. If not, the Spurs just don’t have a ton of punch. Despite Wemby’s fantastic flashes, he’s not good enough to push a team to greatness, and this Spurs team is too young ad undisciplined to do much around him anyway.

Notes

Just Win: The Clippers’ win on Monday was not pretty, but not all wins have to be beautiful basketball. The Clippers going down 3-7 in their record means they need to climb out of a hole early, and beating bad team such as the Spurs is a must. If they play as well as they did on Monday – not amazing, just fine – they should be able to pull this win out. And despite all their woes, being 6-7 would not be an awful spot.

The Harden-Kawhi Pick and Roll: The Clippers have staggered Harden and Kawhi as a pair with Russ and PG being the other two. The duos make sense, and while Russ and PG have tons of built in chemistry, we have seen Kawhi and Harden figure out some things as well in their weeks together. Each can run pick and rolls with the other to force switches, with Harden being able to burst by slower defenders and Kawhi able to bully smaller ones. As the two of them learn exactly where they like to get the ball and what pace to play at, their chemistry should only grow.

Clippers vs Spurs Preview: Doing it Again
Robert Flom

The Clippers beat the youthful Spurs in a wire-to-wire victory 124-99 in a game where nearly everyone on the Clips played well.

Summary

The Clippers had a solid first quarter, with their offense largely powered by James Harden. Harden had five points and five assists to no turnovers, and made some beautiful passes to Daniel Theis on the pick and roll when he checked in for Zu. The Clippers’ defense was by and large fine, and the Clips had a 33-27 edge after the first quarter.

The same pattern continued in the second quarter, with the Clippers’ defense not being great but the Spurs’ defense being so bad they were able to build their lead. Daniel Theis was a particular standout, hitting a beautiful floater off a 4v3 in the short pick and roll and then nailing a three on a pick and pop with PG. The Clippers led 53-39 and Russ was at the line shooting free throws, but he missed both and the Spurs went on a 7-0 run to get back into things. The starters came back and the ship was righted, with Harden continuing his brilliant start to the game. The result was a 66-55 lead at halftime.

The Clippers shifted the script a bit in the 3^rd, with their defense tightening up but their offense looking a bit more sloppy. Kawhi Leonard had a bit of a takeover, scoring repeatedly and from all over the court against a poor Spurs’ defense. The lead kept growing, and three of the starters exited at the 4:37 mark up 86-66. At this point, the Clippers’ fell apart, missing a bunch of open shots and allowing the Spurs to get going in transition. A 9-0 Spurs run got the lead down to 11 with 2 minutes to go.  Norm three restored order a bit, and the Clippers led by 14 going into the fourth.

Paul George went on a 7-0 run to start the period, giving the Clippers their largest lead at 21. The Spurs were able to battle back a bit, but the Clippers maintained a 20 point edge for most of the rest of the period through PG buckets with some contributions from Theis. Finally, at the 4:15 mark, both teams pulled the plug and garbage time ensued.

Notes

Time for Theis: I was impressed by Daniel Theis’ feel and defense in his first game with the Clippers. In this game he was flat-out phenomenal, going 8-10 from the field for 19 points in just 21 minutes, collecting seven rebounds, and dishing a couple assists. He has a nice touch from floater range, makes plays from the short roll or elbow, and is just a solid overall player who seems like a lock to provide steady backup center minutes until Mason Plumlee returns.

PG Closes: Another game, another great performance by Paul George, who has been fantastic this year. PG scored 28 points on 11-16 shooting, and 14 of those came in the 4^th quarter to seal the deal on the (admittedly terrible) Spurs. His game is still more jump-shot happy than I’d like, but he’s making all of them right now, he’s keeping his turnovers low, and his defense looks great. If Paul George plays like this all season, he will be right back in the All-NBA conversation.

Harden Deals: James Harden was cold shooting the ball, going 4-12 from the field and 2-8 from three, including several misses on wide-open catch-and-shoot threes. But I loved the way he ran the offense today. He had 10 assists to 0 turnovers, and had some passes the likes of which we haven’t seen in a Clippers jersey since Chris Paul ran the show. Harden also pushed the pace when the situation called for it, and was not afraid to pitch the ball up early to George, Kawhi, or Norm Powell to get into transition. Eve though he missed the threes, I also liked that he took those catch and shoot shots – he will really need to take a lot of those playing opposite of Kawhi and George.

Clippers Top Hapless Spurs 124-99 in Rout
Robert Flom

The Clippers are coming off a good win against the Rockets, but can get they get a winning streak going against the young Spurs on the road?

Game Information

Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

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

Spurs: Jeremy Sochan – Julian Champagnie – Keldon Johnson – Victor Wembanyama – Zach Collins

Injuries

Clippers: Mason Plumlee Out (Knee), Brandon Boston Jr. Out (Quad), Kobe Brown Out (G-League)

Spurs: Devin Vassell Questionable (Groin)

The Big Picture

The Clippers finally won their first game of the James Harden era on a game-winner by the bearded star in a nailbiter against the Rockets. Despite being 4-7, the Clippers are still 14^th in Net Rating with the 11^th best defense and 15^th-ranked offense. Daniel Theis showed some nice flashes as the backup center, which will help the reserve unit not bleed points, and Terance Mann is an effective connecting piece with the starters. The Clippers just need to keep building chemistry with their new starting and bench units and hopefully get into a rhythm to move back up the standings.

The Antagonist

After starting out a frisky 3-2 and raising the possibility of being somewhere close to “good” this year, the Spurs have fallen apart, losing their last eight games. The Spurs also rank dead last in Net Rating by a massive margin at -12.9, as they boast the league’ second-worst offense and second-worst defense. Devin Vassell and Tre Jones, two of their best players, have missed some time, but the Spurs are still very bad. However, they don’t care about wins or losses this year, which is all about development. Victor Wembanyama is the prize, and he’s been as advertised, with a presence that changes everything on defense and the ability to catch fire on offense. The rest of the roster is still very young and shaky, though if Vassell plays they’re a lot more dangerous due to his shooting and overall scoring package. Outside of that, the bizarre Jeremy Sochan point guard experiment continues, and Keldon Johnson can really score.

Notes

Guarding Wemby: The Clippers’ biggest (in terms of scoring margin) win of the season so far was against these Spurs. In that game, Robert Covington guarded Wembanyama, and his strength and smarts made life a nightmare for Wemby. RoCo is no longer on the Clippers, so it will be curious to see who gets that matchup. Kawhi would be interesting, as would Paul George, but I do wonder if Terance gets it since the Spurs don’t have a traditional point guard for him to hound. If Devin Vassell plays that changes matters a bit, as it’s one more dangerous perimeter player for the Clippers to deal with. Putting Zu on Zach Collins and having him to help on Wemby seems like the smartest play no matter who takes the wunderkind Frenchman however. PJ Tucker, for all of his uselessness on offense, would also be a good bet on Wemby on defense – though Wemby can help way off him on the other end.

Getting Kawhi Going: The Clippers’ best player so far this season, by far, has been Paul George – not their actual best player, Kawhi Leonard. While Kawhi has still been good – he’s averaging 21, 5.5, and 3.5 on good efficiency – he’s rarely looked like Terminator Kawhi, especially on offense. His free throw rate is by far his lowest as a Clipper, and he’s getting to the rim significantly less as well. It’s a bit unclear whether Kawhi just needs to get revved up, whether he’s lost a step, or whether the Clippers’ cramped spacing has hindered him so far. Regardless, it would be nice to see the Clippers try to get him going early with some easy buckets, maybe with designed plays to get him to the hoop or one of his pet midrange jumpers. The three-ball has been falling and Kawhi has upped his three-point intake, which is great, now the inside game just needs to be unlocked.

Clippers vs Spurs Preview: Sparking A Winning Streak
Robert Flom

The Clippers will try to get over their first loss of the season in a home game against the Spurs and wunderkind Victor Wembanyama.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

When: 6:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, Bally Sports SoCal, NBA TV

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Russell Westbrook – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Robert Covington – Ivica Zubac

Spurs: Jeremy Sochan – Devin Vassell – Keldon Johnson – Victor Wembanyama – Zach Collins

Injury Report

Clippers: Terance Mann out (ankle), Brandon Boston Jr. out (quad), Marcus Morris Sr. out (coach’s decision).

Spurs: None

The Big Picture

After the Clippers dominating opening night win against the Portland Trail Blazers, they followed up with a classic stinker against the Utah Jazz. Sure, the Clippers have not had much success in Utah in recent seasons, but the Jazz are not a very good team. These are the types of games the Clippers can’t afford to give away if they’re serious about this season.

It wasn’t just that the Clippers lost to the Jazz, it was the fact that they were down double-digits early in the game. Sure, it’s a long season and it’s just the second game of the season, but the loss highlighted some key issues that didn’t start this season.

The Clippers rebounding was poor, their late game execution was too stagnant, turnovers plagued them throughout the game, and their defense resembled a bottom five team in the league rather than the top five team they want to be.

The Antagonist

The San Antonio Spurs roll into town as one of the top must-watch teams on League Pass thanks to the arrival of French sensation Victor Wembanyama.

The Spurs are 1-1 on the season and probably won’t be that great of a team this year. But Wembanyama has already been sensational. He’s already had his share of jaw-dropping plays. The things he can do on the court are incredible for someone of his size and stature.

Stopping Wembanyama isn’t going to be the Clippers only focus against the Spurs though. The Spurs have quietly added quality young talent to their roster as they enter their rebuild. Jeremy Sochan is getting used to a new position at point guard and has a ton of potential. Devin Vassell might be one of the most underrated players in the league.

The Clippers have a couple of home games before they embark on a mini-road trip in about a week. This is their chance to string together some wins and build up some momentum.

Clippers vs. Spurs Game Preview: Wembanyama Rolls Into Town
David Yapkowitz

This Clippers have established a new high-water mark: A four game win streak. They did so by beating the Spurs for the second time in a week’s time and the fourth time this season. Check out how the Clippers disposed of the Spurs below:

Summary

The Clippers took control of this game from the jump, earning a 10 point lead six minutes into the game, and the game was never closer than that after the first quarter. LA went on to win the first half by 21 points, 78-57. They were led by Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, who had 22 and 18 points respectively in the first half. Like Tuesday’s game against the Lakers, they started the game shooting over 64% from the floor.

The Clippers narrowly won the third quarter, but shut the door early in the fourth. Brandon Boston, Jr., Amir Coffey, Moussa Diabate, and Jason Preston were able to handle the final seven minutes. Boston had two nice dunks and Preston pushed the lead to its height with 30 seconds left when he hit a three pointer to put the Clippers up 138-100, the eventual final score. The whole Spurs roster had a negative plus-minus; Keldon Johnson, though, stood out as a capable player. He had 19 points on 7/13 shooting. Isaiah Roby added 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Notes

The 213 Connection: Kawhi and PG combined for 62 points on 69% shooting. They only had 9 free throws total, but they each had seven assists and neither had a turnover. Paul George looked healthy, too, throwing down a huge windmill in transition. There are teams out there that have a single player who might be better than Kawhi and/or George, but they are starting to reassert themselves as one of the best duos in the league (when healthy, of course). Although this was just the Spurs, it feels like momentum is building for both of the Clippers’ stars. The next step will be having this level of performance against other playoff-level teams. This six-game road trip will provide quite a few opportunities.

Health Update: Luke Kennard returned to the court tonight, starting in Marcus Morris, Sr.’s place and logging 17 minutes. He only took three shots (of which he made two) and was generally on the fringes of the game. Morris was out due to his rib contusion, but he was questionable for tonight’s game, so he should be back soon. In fact, Morris—along with Preston and Wall—is traveling on the road trip. The only other roster consideration for the road trip is Moses Brown, who is nearing his 50-game cap. If he comes on the road trip, his time on the main roster will be over very soon. It will be interesting to see if the Clippers leave him in Ontario in order to extend his availability deeper into the season.

Checking In on Zubac, again: After the recent Mavs game, I expressed some concern for Ivica Zubac’s trend over the season. Tonight, he looked much more aggressive and, even better, the Clippers were actively looking for him in pick-and-roll actions. He only had 11 points and 5 rebounds on 4/5 shooting, but he drew three fouls and had two blocks on the defensive end. If teams are going to continue to blitz Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, having Zubac be a release valve in the paint helps a lot. He looked up to the task tonight, even though the numbers do not jump off the page.

Covington Looks Like Covington Again: 213Hoops readers might remember that I have not been a Covington campaigner this season. I have been skeptical that he can fix the issues that the Clippers have struggled with so far this year. But he continues to do well in these recent opportunities, looking like the guy we loved last season. Tonight, he had 13 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and an assist in 21 minutes on 5/7 shooting from the field and 3/5 from three. He is playing within himself, and he’s saving us from the infamous three-guard lineups.

That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ win against the Spurs. As always, check out The Lob The Jam The Podcast and Clips ‘N Dip for analysis throughout the week, and follow us on Twitter to watch the game with us!

Clippers sweep Spurs, 138-100: Four in a row
Kenneth Armstrong