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Clippers vs Bucks Preview: What’s Up, Doc?
The Clippers will finish a lengthy homestand against the Milwaukee Bucks and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Game
Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Bucks: Damian Lillard – Gary Trent Jr. – Taurean Prince – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Brook Lopez
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo Probable (Knee), Khris Middleton Probable (Ankle), AJ Green Out (Quad), Tyler Smith Out (G-League), AJ Johnson Out (G-League)
Clippers: Kris Dunn Out (Knee), Jordan Miller Questionable (Illness), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team)
The Big
Picture
The Clippers
survived their four-in-five stretch with a 2-2 record, and are hanging onto the
6th seed in the Western Conference in a neck-and-neck race with the
Lakers for 5th. As they have all season, the Clippers are winning
based on defense – their defense has risen to 2nd in the entire
league, even as their offense has actually fallen to 23rd. Kawhi
Leonard is being re-integrated into the rotation, Norm Powell, Ivica Zubac, and
Amir Coffey have continued their excellent seasons, and Ty Lue is tinkering
around the fringes of the rotation. With the trade deadline approaching, the Clippers
are in a solid spot to keep their hold on a playoff spot – and maybe even try
to get some reinforcements at backup center to replace the ineffectual Mo
Bamba.
The
Antagonist
After starting the season at an embarrassing 1-6, the Bucks have gone 24-11 since then, a record more in line with what was expected of the preseason title contender. The team is led by Giannis, who is turning in another phenomenal, MVP-caliber season as he enters his 30s. Damian Lillard is having a bounceback season, performing at an All-Star level after a down campaign last year. The rest of the roster is not nearly as good, but they have gotten just enough from the usual cadre of role players as well as a couple of new guys (Trent Jr. and Prince) to be a solidly competent team on both ends. Nothing about the Bucks says they’re a title contender, but they are definitely a playoff team in the East, and nobody ever wants to play Giannis. They are a tough team to beat on a night-to-night basis, and can be downright impossible to stop if Dame is on a heater.
Notes
Guarding Giannis: In the past couple years, the Clippers have sometimes put Ivica Zubac on Giannis Antetokounmpo and stuck one of their forwards on Brook Lopez. Considering Kawhi Leonard is still working his way back into things, I would suspect the Clippers go with that strategy in this one, and put Kawhi on Brook while Zu takes Giannis. That would leave Derrick Jones Jr. at the point of attack on Dame, and Harden getting to rest on Taurean Prince with Norm handling Trent. Those are relatively favorable matchups for the Clippers, but Zu will need to do his utmost to stay out of foul trouble. The Clippers are in a bad spot when Zu can’t play in general, but it would be particularly brutal in this game, when he’s by far their best option on Giannis (Nic Batum might be 2nd). I’m curious to see if Ty goes this route, and if so, how Zu does.
Drawing Brook from the Paint: The Bucks’ defense has gotten all the way back up to 10th despite the fact that they only possess a few good defenders on the entire roster, and a lot of that is due to how good those defenders are. Brook Lopez is ancient, groundbound, and slow, but the man knows how to protect the paint and remains one of the best in the league at doing so. James Harden historically was one of the best players in the NBA at punishing paint-bound rim protectors, and while he’s no longer at that level, he needs to try to bring that back for this game. The more he can force switches and get Brook to leave the paint, the better chances the Clippers will have. If they drive right into the teeth of the defense all night or settle for jumpers, their chances of winning will plummet.
Hello Docness my Old Friend: Just felt like getting another bit of wordplay off. Anyway, Doc has done pretty well with the Bucks this season, somewhat surprisingly. I’m interested to see what his reception is at Intuit, as this will be his first time there. I don’t think many Clippers fans remember him fondly, but you never know.