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Clippers vs Hornets Game Preview: Get the Easy Road Win
The Clippers will look to follow up the good vibes from San Antonio as they continue on their road trip against the bottom-dwelling Hornets.
Game
Information
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
When: 4:00 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Hornets: Vasilije Micic – Nick Smith – Miles Bridges – Josh Okogie – Taj Gibson
Injuries
Clippers: Kris Dunn Out (Knee), Cam Christie Out (Ankle), Kai Jones Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team)
Hornets: LaMelo Ball Out (Ankle), Brandon Miller Out (Wrist), Grant Williams Out (Knee), Mark Williams Out (Foot), Cody Martin Out (Abdomen), Tre Mann Out (Back), Josh Green Probable (Foot)
The Big
Picture
The Clippers overcame
an extraordinarily sloppy first half of basketball on Wednesday to beat the Spurs
going away on the road in San Antonio. A snooze-worthy opener culminated in one
of the Clippers’ finest closes to a game of the season, as the Clips
outexecuted the youthful Spurs, forcing turnover after turnover and scoring
with ease in transition to turn a close game into a rout. The Clippers’ defense
help up most of the night, and when their offense finally caught up, the team
looked great. It’s really been the story of the season, and the Clippers have
to hope that the increased presence of Kawhi Leonard will drive their offense up
the leaderboards (it’s at 20 now, the highest it’s been in a minute). If they
can just straighten out that end of the floor while sustaining their defense,
they will be in business.
The
Antagonist
The Hornets were an awful team (4th worst record in the NBA) even before injuries started felling them in recent games. The Hornets are 24th in Net Rating, so a bit better than their record, largely due to a shockingly competent (15th ranked) defense. However, with their three best players as well as multiple competent veterans out, the Hornets are just a husk of a team. It’s looking like yet another waste of a season in Charlotte, a team that has hit on LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, and Brandon Miller to some extent, but has not been able to keep any of those three guys healthy or surround them with a real NBA team. The Hornets will finish ahead of the Wizards in the standings, but could very well sink to as low as the second-worst team in the league by the end of the year. Maybe Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper could turn this franchise around – the Hornets had better hope so, anyway.
Notes
Get the Win: I write this note every time the Clippers play a terrible team but it is something that is just a fact of life in the NBA. When you’re a good team and you play a garbage team, you must secure the win. The rest of the NBA is too competitive and subject to variance due to three-pointers and overall talent level to be ultra-confident of a victory on most nights, so the games where the talent gap is significant you have to capitalize. The Clippers have done so this year, with their only losses to bad teams coming against the Blazers (very early in the season) and against the Bulls last week (extremely tough schedule). They just need to play competently tonight and they should get an easy victory.
Moussa Revenge?: One of the very few positive developments this season for the Hornets has been the play of former Clipper Moussa Diabate. Moussa has set career highs across every single category, and has logged 673 minutes so far this year compared to just 259 across two seasons as a Clipper. In fact, Moussa has played so well that the Hornets are likely to convert him from a two-way deal to a full NBA contract after the trade deadline. He’s still a raw offensive player, to say the least, but Moussa has increased his efficiency as a scorer and improved significantly as a defensive rebounder. It’s unlikely he punishes the Clippers as a scorer, but his energy, hustle, and rebounding could make an impact against a small Clippers’ second unit. It’s good to see Moussa out here thriving, even in a tough situation.
Clippers vs Hornets Game Preview: Get the Easy Road Win
Robert Flom