213hoops.com
Clippers vs Hornets Preview: Back Home, Win Streak Loading?
The Clippers have won two games in a row on the road and now return home to face a Hornets team that they crushed earlier in the season.
Game
Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 4:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac
Hornets: LaMelo Ball – Kon Knueppel – Brandon Miller – Miles Bridges – Moussa Diabate
Injuries
Clippers: Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)
Hornets: Mason Plumlee Out (Groin), Pat Connaughton Questionable (Illness)
The Big
Picture
The Clippers
continued their recent trend of winning ugly, salvaging an awful start against the
Pistons with their first 4th quarter comeback of the season. The
Clippers rode their forward duo of Kawhi Leonard and John Collins, the
lynchpins of their turnaround, while getting just enough defense from Kris Dunn
and scoring from Ivica Zubac to move over the finish line. The Pistons were
down their four best players, sure, but the Clippers were on the road on the
second night of a back-to-back, so it was a great win regardless. Ty Lue’s
35-20 comment when the Clippers were 6-21 sounded delusional at the time, but
the Clippers are now well on their way to fulfilling that mark.
The
Antagonist
The Hornets have been mostly competent this season despite their record, and have been downright good when they’ve had all their best players healthy. That might sound off to Clippers fans, as the Clippers destroyed the Hornets earlier in the season and the Hornets have a 14-25 record that has them firmly in the lottery. But the Hornets’ net rating is a -0.2, as they have the 10th best offense and 21st best defense in the NBA (ahead of the Clippers on both ends). Kon Knueppel is already one of the best shooters in the NBA, LaMelo has mostly stayed healthy, and Miles Bridges, Collin Sexton, and Brandon Miller score points relatively efficiently. Even the Hornets’ big man situation, which was much maligned before the season, has turned out ok, as Moussa Diabate has continued to develop and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner has been solid. The Hornets aren’t bad!
Notes
Standings Watch: The Clippers are still in 11th in West, where
they’ve sat most of the past couple weeks, but the standings have shifted around
them. At the very bottom, the Clippers have gained considerable distance from
the celling-dweller Pelicans and Kings, who seem locked into 15th
and 14th. The Clippers are also now two games ahead of the Jazz, who
appear to have started tanking, and 1.5 ahead of the Mavs, who just lost Anthony
Davis for a considerable period of time. Thus, barring some devastating
injuries, the Clippers should be safe from falling below 11th. Above
the Clippers, things are a little less peachy: the Trailblazers and Warriors
have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games while the Suns are 8-2 in their last 10.
The Clippers are just one game back of the Grizzlies in 10th, but
they will have to continue winning at a really good clip to get higher than
that anytime soon.
Clippers vs Hornets Preview: Back Home, Win Streak Loading?
Robert Flom