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Clippers vs. Hawks Game Preview
Game Information
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
When: 6:30 PM PT
How to Watch: Clippervision, KTLA, NBA TV
Tickets: For great deals on Clippers tickets, check out Barry’s Tickets!
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Bones Hyland – Terance Mann – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Hawks: Dejounte Murray – Wesley Matthews – Jalen Johnson – Vit Krejci – Clint Capela
Injury Report
Clippers: James Harden questionable (shoulder), Norman Powell questionable (leg), Russell Westbrook out (hand).
Hawks: Trae Young out (finger), Onyeka Okongwu out (toe), Saddiq Bey out (ACL), Kobe Bufkin out (toe), AJ Griffin out (leg/ankle), Mouhamed Gueye out (UCL).
The Big Picture
It’s that time of the season when pretty much everyone on an NBA roster is dealing with some sort of ailment/injury.
For the LA Clippers, they recently had a brief scare when Kawhi Leonard left the arena early against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to thoracic spasms. He’s seemingly okay though, as he’s played in each game since despite being listed as questionable and he did not appear on the injury report ahead of Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
There have been a few new additions to the injury report though since that Wolves game. James Harden has missed the last two games with a shoulder issue and he’s once again questionable against Atlanta.
Sixth Man of the Year candidate Norman Powell suffered a leg injury during the Clippers loss to the New Orleans Pelicans and is also questionable.
Thankfully for the Clippers, this Sunday isn’t a matinee game. With a later start, perhaps the energy will be there from the get-go.
The Antagonist
The Atlanta Hawks come to town as the walking wounded. Several key players, including star point guard Trae Young, have all been ruled out due to various injuries.
Even so, this is a team that was competitive despite being incredibly short-handed during the first two games of their current road trip.
But even when relatively healthy, this is a team that is not very good. They’re likely locked in to the final play-in spot even with a losing record.
With both Leonard and George available for this game, this is one the Clippers need to put away early and see if they can get these guys additional rest in the second half.
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