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Clippers vs Cavs Preview: Kawhi Back
The Clippers welcome back star Kawhi Leonard, and it’s not a moment too soon, as they face a tough contest on the road against a strong Cavs team.
Game
Information
Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
When: 3:00 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac
Cavs: Darius Garland – Donovan Mitchell – Jaylon Tyson – De’Andre Hunter – Evan Mobley
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Probable (Ankle), Bogdan Bogdanovic Questionable (Hip), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring)
Cavs: Max Strus Out (Foot), Jarrett Allen Questionable (Finger), Sam Merrill Questionable (Hand)
The Big
Picture
The Clippers finally got a win yesterday, and did so in emphatic fashion behind James Harden’s franchise record-setting 55 point performance. While Harden continues to dazzle, it was the play of everyone else that was more encouraging: Chris Paul had by far his best outing of the season, Kobe Sanders and Cam Christie had nice plays, and Ivica Zubac looked pretty good on both ends. With Kawhi hopefully coming back today, the Clippers have at least a tad bit of momentum. It’s easy to get fooled by one game, so I don’t want to get hopes up too much, but the Hornets game was the best of the season so far by the Clippers. Now, if only Kawhi can stay healthy…
The
Antagonist
The Cavs have
been a bit up and down to start the season, but still sit at a pretty solid record
of 11-6 with a very good defense (8th) and average offense (15th).
Donovan Mitchell is having another awesome season (his best ever, to this
point), Evan Mobley remains an All-Defense caliber player on the back line, and
the Cavs are getting good role player performances from Sam Merill, De’Andre
Hunter, and Jaylon Tyson on the wing. Concerns remain regarding the Mobley-Jarrett
Allen fit as well as the Mitchell-Darius Garland pairing, but the Cavs have a
lot of talent and will be a good regular season team regardless. Against the
short-handed, road-weary Clippers, they are massive favorites.
Notes
Kawhi Back: It sure seems as though Kawhi will return from a 10-game absence tonight from a sprained ankle and injured foot. It remains to be seen whether he’ll have a minutes limit – he’s been doing cardio and practicing with the team, so I imagine he plays more than 20 minutes, but it also feels unlikely that he’d log 40. It usually takes players a few games to ramp up, but Kawhi’s injury was not major, so hopefully he’s fairly effective right away.
Ripple Effects: The more interesting questions aren’t about Kawhi, but what impact his return will have on the Clippers’ rotations. I think there’s at least a question about who Kawhi will even displace in the starting unit: it’s almost certainly going to be Kobe Sanders, but you could make a case to keep Sanders and replace John Collins to build a swifter, more shooting-heavy lineup, or switch out Kris Dunn to bring more size and shooting. Ultimately, I think Sanders will move to the bench, but I don’t think it’s 100% set, especially with how meh Collins has been. If Sanders does go to the bench, who then gets left out of the rotation? Is it Cam Christie? Bogdan Bogdanovic? Chris Paul? Bogi and CP3 have had good moments in the past couple of games, but Christie has played solidly as well. I would expect Christie to exit, but again, it’s not a stone-cold lock that he will.