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Clippers vs Wizards Preview: Beating the Worst
The Clippers are finally closing up their crazy four game in five day stretch against the league-worst Wizards.
Game
Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Wizards: Bub Carrington – Jordan Poole – Kyle Kuzma – Bilal Coulibaly – Alex Sarr
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Wizards: Malcolm Brogdon Out (Foot), Saddiq Bey Out (Knee), Marvin Bagley Out (Knee)
Clippers: Ivica Zubac Questionable (Eye), James Harden Questionable (Groin), Norm Powell Questionable (Back), Kris Dunn Questionable (Knee), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team)
The
Antagonist
The Wizards are by far the worst team in the NBA. Their record is 6-36, four wins lower than the next worst team (the Jazz). The Wizards’ Net Rating is -13.7, which is an insane 5.6 worse than the 29th ranked team, the Trailblazers, at -8.1. The Wizards are the worst team in the league on both offense and defense, an equally incredible feat. Really, if they continue on this pace, they are going to go down as one of the worst teams in NBA history, even if their record probably won’t set the all-time mark. That doesn’t mean the Wizards don’t have talent, but their young guys – Coulibaly, Carrington, and Sarr – are all incredibly young, and their vets are mostly checked out or injured. They are still an NBA team, and they have a couple guys who can score a lot, but they are an easy win for the other team almost every night.
Notes
No Excuses:
The Clippers are
going to be playing their fourth game in five days in this one, a scheduling challenge
so great that it’s been all but eliminated in the NBA. That said, there are no
excuses for them to lose this game. Six of the Clippers’ top 10 players did not
suit up last night against the Celtics, meaning they’ve had two days of rest
since Monday’s game. Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac (if he plays) didn’t play on
Monday either, giving them an additional day off. Yes, a couple of the Clippers’
key players (Amir Coffey, Derrick Jones Jr.) will have completed the full
four-in-five stretch, but enough of their top talent hasn’t that they should be
relatively close to full rest for this one. The Clippers more or less punted on
the Celtics game to secure this win, which means they better seal the deal.