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Clippers vs Bulls Preview: Can the Clippers Push Their Winning Streak to Five?
The Clippers have won four games in a row, but will likely be down multiple key players on the second night of a back-to-back against the visiting Bulls.
Game
Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Bulls: Josh Giddey – Coby White – Zach LaVine – Patrick Williams – Nikola Vucevic
Clippers: Kevin Porter Jr. – Amir Coffey – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Bulls: Torrey Craig Out (Leg), Chris Duarte Questionable (Personal), Jevon Carter Questionable (Illness), Adama Sanogo Questionable (Knee), Coby White Probable (Ankle)
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Load Management), James Harden Questionable (Illness), Kris Dunn Questionable (Knee), Ivica Zubac Questionable (Back), Norm Powell Questionable (Back), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team)
The Big
Picture
The Clippers
won in fairly dominant fashion last night in their biggest game of the season
so far against the rival Lakers. As usual this season, their defense is what
carried them to victory, with just a couple of spurts of good offense giving
them the edge needed to solidify the win. Unfortunately, despite the win
pushing the Clippers’ streak of victories to four, the Clips have barely made
any advances in the standings, as everyone else in the West in the play-in mix
and above continues to win on a frequent basis. Still, the Clippers appear to
have righted the ship from their swoon a couple of weeks ago, and are ready to
head into a more difficult part of their schedule with a (knock on wood)
healthy team.
The
Antagonist
The Bulls might be the most rudderless team in the NBA. Despite being just 18-25 and losers of five games in a row, the Bulls remain at 10th in the Eastern Conference. They are not an up-and-comer like the Pistons or Spurs, they aren’t a pseudo-contender like the Magic or Pacers, and they certainly aren’t taking like the Wizards or Nets. Instead, they are perfectly mediocre, a team with just enough talent to win some games but not nearly enough to really do anything with – all while blocking younger players from getting minutes. With a Net Rating of -3.2, they are the last team in the “competent” category before you get to the real stinkers (the injury-riddled Sixers are at -4.3, and the team with the next best Net Rating is Charlotte at a putrid -5.6). The Bulls have a fine offense (16th) and a bad but not awful defense (23rd). On any given night they can certainly beat you, but are probably going to end the season with 30-34 wins and a meaningless 10th or 11th seed. Blah.
Notes
Who Plays: The Clippers marked several of their key players as questionable leading into yesterday’s game, only for all of them to play. The reasoning would seem to follow that they want to rest multiple of those players in today’s game and have an excuse for doing so that will not get the NBA upset at them. Kawhi Leonard has already been ruled out, and Law Murray has said that a “mass rest day” could be forthcoming. Whether that means all of the guys who were ruled questionable yesterday – Harden, Norm, Zu, and Dunn – or just a couple of them remains to be seen. Regardless, I would expect at least one or two other rotation players not named Kawhi to be out for this one. Nic Batum is another candidate due to his age. If the Clippers go full rest route, a win will be unlikely, even at home against the middling Bulls. If just one or two other players rest, the Clippers at least have a fighting chance.
Rotation Updates: Things will be different in this game because Kawhi (and probably others) will be out, but the Lakers’ game (the biggest of the season) was informative for where Ty Lue is at regarding rotations. Terance Mann did not play, Mo Bamba logged just six minutes (all in the first half), and Kris Dunn’s minutes were cut significantly. We have seen a core group develop: the five starters of Harden, Norm, DJJ, Kawhi, and Zu, Amir Coffey as the sixth man, and Nic Batum as the only other veteran forward. After that, Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr., Terance Mann, and Mo Bamba are somewhere on the fringes (Dunn is currently the most solid but if he keeps bricking from three could slide) depending on the opponent and how Ty is feeling. Lots of things could change, but that’s how we seemingly stand right now as the trade deadline approaches.
Clippers vs Bulls Preview: Can the Clippers Push Their Winning Streak to Five?
Robert Flom