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Clippers vs Rockets Preview: Rested at Last
After a hellish schedule to start the season, the Clippers were finally able to get an extended rest the past few days. But will that be enough against the potent Houston Rockets, who proved a tough matchup for the Clippers last month? We will just have to see.
Game Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 6:00 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal
Projected Starting Lineups
Rockets: Fred VanVleet – Jalen Green – Dillon Brooks – Jabari Smith – Alperen Sengun
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Rockets: Tari Eason Questionable (Concussion)
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Terance Mann Out (Finger), Kobe Brown Out (Back), PJ Tucker Out (Away From Team), James Harden Questionable (Groin), Mo Bamba Questionable (Knee), Kris Dunn Questionable (Illness)
The Big Picture
The Clippers suffered their worst loss of the season on
Wednesday, getting absolutely pummeled by the Timberwolves in a 108-80 rout
that was not even as close as the score indicates. However, they have also just
received multiple days off between games for the first time since October 30 –
and that lack of rest was clearly impacting them in the Wolves game. If you’d
told the Clippers they’d be sitting at 14-10 after a tough schedule to start
the year, with zero games from Kawhi Leonard and extended absences from multiple
other players, they would have absolutely taken it. It’s certainly not a bad
spot to be in, not with Leonard continuing to ramp up and Norm Powell getting
back into the swing of things. If the Clippers can just stay afloat until Kawhi
returns, they will be in a good position to continue on their current
trajectory for a postseason berth. And, for this particular team, that’s all
you could have asked for nearly 1/3 of the way through the season.
The Antagonist
At 15-8 and boasting a Net Rating of 6.8, the Rockets are sitting comfortably in the second-tier of the Western Conference alongside teams such as the Grizzlies and Mavericks, with the only team clearly ahead of them in the conference being the dominant Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets have maintained their strong play on defense, boasting the second-best defense in the NBA behind only the Thunder, while improving their offense to around league-average. Despite the inconsistent play of Jabari Smith Jr and the frankly poor play of Jalen Green, the Rockets have continued to win games behind the excellence of Alperen Sengun, a strong stretch from Fred VanVleet, and the defensive terrors of Tari Eason and Amen Thompson off the bench. The Rockets might not have the experience or scoring talent to be a true contender, but right now there are not many teams in the NBA that are clearly on another level than them.
Notes
A Tough Matchup: The Clippers played the Rockets twice in a row back in mid-November, and lost both games quite handily. The Rockets were simply bigger, faster, and more athletic than the Clippers, who looked overwhelmed by the Rockets’ size, speed, and ferocity. The Clippers are, overall, playing better basketball than they were back at that time, but the Rockets pose similar issues now. Tari Eason potentially missing the game would be a huge deal, as having both he and Amen Thompson to bother Harden and Norm was a big reason the Rockets were able to stifle the Clippers’ offense. Remove him from the situation and maybe one of the Clippers’ main scorers will be able to shake free for a bigger game. The Clippers are home and rested, but the Rockets have had multiple days off too, so this remains a very challenging contest.
New Rotations: After the first dozen games of the season, when the same players basically clocked in every game for Ty Lue and the Clippers, things have been in flux. First Mo Bamba came back. Then Norm Powell went down. Then Kobe Brown went out. Then Norm came back. Then Terance Mann and Kevin Porter Jr. went out. Now, Porter Jr. is back in the mix. I would guess we see the same starting unit we’ve seen the past month take the court, with a bench unit of Porter Jr., Amir Coffey, Jordan Miller, Nic Batum, and Mo Bamba. The bench unit will miss Terance’s defense and size on the perimeter, but with Brown also out there really aren’t any alternatives here. The Clippers’ defense might continue to slip, but hopefully not too far. Jordan Miller will also ideally improve on defense as he becomes more accustomed to NBA speed and coverages – he was a good defender at lower levels and has the tools to be a good defender in the NBA. If he can make strides there, the Clippers should be in a solid spot.