213hoops.com
Clippers vs. Pistons Game Preview
The Clippers have had a couple days to rest and recover, and will now face a revamped Pistons team.
Game Information
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
When: 12:30 PM PT
How to Watch: Clippervision, Bally Sports SoCal
Tickets: For great deals on Clippers tickets, check out Barry’s Tickets!
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden, Terance Mann, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac
Pistons: Cade Cunningham – Jaden Ivey – Ausar Thompson – Mike Muscala – Jalen Duren
Injury Report
Clippers: None
Pistons: Isaiah Stewart out (ankle).
The Big Picture
The LA Clippers will have had a few days of rest since their last game, a home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. That can either be a good thing or a bad thing considering how the Clippers have often started in early Saturday games.
The loss against the Pelicans wasn’t all that surprising. The Clippers were jet-lagged and weary returning from their Grammy road trip. The road trip is what should be discussed. The Clippers went 6-1 and solidified any lingering questions as to whether or not this team should considered a championship contender.
This is a team that has put themselves in real position to grab the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference standings. The James Harden trade, while criticized by many at first, has turned out to be just what the Clippers needed to vault themselves into contention.
The Clippers also stayed relatively quiet at the trade deadline. Aside from acquiring the draft rights to Ismael Kamagate, they opted to head into the final stretch of the season with the roster as is. The front office has the utmost confidence in this group and based on what they’ve shown on the court, that confidence in justified. As always, the name of the game has been staying healthy.
The Antagonist
The Pistons come to town having made a major shakeup at the NBA trade deadline. They offloaded some of their vets like Monte Morris, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Alec Burks.
Ever since setting the record for the longest losing streak in NBA history, the Pistons have actually been playing better basketball. They’re 3-3 in their last six games which is a massive improvement for them. They’ve won the first two games of this West Coast road trip in Sacramento and Portland. They had a big win against the Oklahoma City Thunder a little over a week ago.
This has all the makings of a game where the Clippers starters come out sleepwalking. Thankfully for them, the bench, led by Russell Westbrook and Norman Powell, has often come in and woke the team up. This feels like a game where they’re going to have to do the same.
213Hoops may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this post.