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Clippers vs Grizzlies Preview: Bogdan’s Debut
The Clippers are closing in on a much-needed All-Star Break but have to integrate multiple new pieces into the rotation, including Bogdan Bogdanovic – who will be appearing as a Clipper for the first time tonight.
Game
Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:30 PM PT
How to Watch: KTLA, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Grizzlies: Ja Morant – Desmond Bane – Jaylen Wells – Jaren Jackson Jr. – Zach Edey
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Grizzlies: Cam Spencer Questionable (Thumb), Marvin Bagley Questionable (Knee)
Clippers: Drew Eubanks Out (Ankle), Ben Simmons Out (Return to Conditioning), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League)
The Big
Picture
The Clippers
got a much needed win against the Jazz on Saturday, but are in the middle of a
period of reconfiguration. With only 30 games to go, the Clippers have added
two seemingly core rotation pieces in Bogdan Bogdanovic and Ben Simmons, a
fringe rotation guy in Drew Eubanks, and two other rostered players with Patty
Mills and MarJon Beauchamp – and that’s not even counting Kawhi, who is still
getting into rhythm. The question now for the Clippers is how do they work to
integrate their pieces and figure out workable rotations while still keeping
afloat in the highly competitive Western Conference.
The
Antagonist
The Grizzlies
have had an excellent season through 50 games, coming in at 2nd
place in the Western Conference (though well behind the leading Thunder) with a
sparkling 7.3 Net Rating, good for 4th in the entire NBA. Even more
positively, the Grizzlies are a well-balanced group, ranking 7th in
Defensive Rating and 5th in Offensive Rating. That they are doing
all this despite injuries to much of their roster and a down season from Ja
Morant speaks to the level of talent on their team and how well they’ve hit on
the margins in the draft. Jaren Jackson Jr. is having a truly breakout season
and has morphed into the Grizzlies’ best player. Jaylen Wells might be the
Rookie of the Year favorite as a second-round pick. Zach Edey has had some
flashes of domination in his minutes. The list goes on. Suffice to say that the
Grizzlies are good, consistent, and a team that is right below the top tier of
contenders in the entire NBA, with a real chance to make a deep playoff run.
Notes
Some Rotation Changes: Well, despite what I said above, the Clippers will not get a chance to try their full rotations in this game, or on Thursday. Ben Simmons is out for this one, but will play Thursday, as he hasn’t gotten clearance on back-to-backs. Kawhi Leonard also doesn’t play back-to-backs, so he’ll suit up today but won’t tomorrow. Bogdan Bogdanovic, however, will play this one after missing his first game as a member of the Clippers’ roster on Saturday. Thus, I’d guess the rotations will be the usual starters, with Dunn, Bogdan, Amir Coffey, and Nic Batum as the four guys off the bench and the Clippers going small. I’m curious to see how Bogdan looks and who Ty Lue plays him with in his first game as a Clipper.
Rest Advantage: The Clippers, for seemingly one of the few times all season, will have a major rest advantage in this one. They haven’t played since Saturday and have been resting at home, while the Grizzlies played last night in Phoenix. It’s a late game for the Grizzlies, who then have to travel (albeit on a short flight) to Los Angeles. Even though the Grizzlies are a very good team, this is the kind of edge that the Clippers need to take advantage of. If they can get a lead early and put the Grizzlies on their heel, the Grizz might be too tired to mount a late stage comeback. The key, of course, will be playing sharp early – and not falling behind themselves.