The Clippers will look to continue their winning ways in Sacramento in a contest pitting one of the NBA’s best defenses against one of the NBA’s best offenses.
Game Information
Where: Golden One Center, Sacramento, California
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Terance Mann – Ivica Zubac
Kings: De’Aaron Fox – Kevin Huerter – DeMar DeRozan – Keegan Murray – Domantas Sabonis
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Mo Bamba Out (Knee), PJ Tucker Out (Away From Team), Cam Christie Out (G-League), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League)
Kings: None
The Big Picture
The Clippers have to be feeling pretty good. After dropping the first three games of their five-game homestand, the Clips won their last two, including a highly satisfying blowout victory over Paul George’s Sixers in his first game back in Los Angeles since he left this summer. Moreover, both wins corresponded to how the Clippers want to play: tough defense, aggressive transition offense, and just enough shooting to get by. The Clippers’ defense continues to prove its legitimacy; now ranked 5th on the season, the Clippers look every part of a top-five unit on that end, with long, active perimeter defenders and a strong anchor in Ivica Zubac. The question remains on offense, where the Clippers’ halfcourt attack frequently gets bogged down, especially when James Harden is out of the game. We will see if continued reps and familiarity will result in stronger and more cohesive offensive play as the season really gets into swing.
The Antagonist
The Kings have gotten off to an excellent start this year. They are 5-3 with a fairly difficult opening schedule, but their underlying numbers suggest they’re better than that. The Kings currently sit at 6th in the NBA in Net Rating (6.0), with the 5th best offense (not a surprise) and the 11th best defense (big surprise). DeMar DeRozan has fit right in next to De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, giving the Kings three guys who can be offensive hubs and are also capable of playing off one another. The defense is a bit harder to square, but Mike Brown always has his guys playing hard, and Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis are both plus defenders on the perimeter. They are a tough, veteran squad with a lot of weapons and a raucous home crowd, making this one of the most challenging Clippers’ games so far this season.
Notes
The Defensive Matchups: I’ll be interested to see how the Clippers come out on defense in this one. The Kings have three excellent scorers in Fox, DeRozan, and Sabonis, and surround them with two deadeye shooters with Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray. Zu will be on Sabonis, and I’d guess Derrick Jones Jr. takes Fox while Terance Mann draws the DeRozan assignment. That leaves Norm Powell and James Harden to cover the shooters, which can be dangerous as neither player is always the most attentive off-ball. I suspect we see Norm on the quicker Huerter, with Harden on the beefier Murray. If this game is close, I think this could be yet another Kris Dunn closing situation, as he’s the clear best option on the team on both Fox and super-sixth-man Malik Monk, who frequently closes for the Kings. If the Clippers can produce another strong defensive effort in this one, it might be the most impressive notch in their belt so far.
Can Harden Get Going: James Harden has been overall quite effective for the Clippers this season due to his sheer production, but he hasn’t really had a complete offensive game to this point. While the Kings are good on defense, they don’t have a great cover for Harden. He’s too big and strong for Ellis, Fox, Monk, or Huerter, and should still have a bit of a quickness advantage on Murray. Additionally, Sabonis is not the most frightening interior presence. Maybe this can be a game where Harden is able to finish inside, and/or the first contest where his three-point shot starts falling. The Clippers’ offense will probably look much, much better on nights when Harden is truly in his scoring bag, and tonight would be a great occasion for his first outburst of the season. Hopefully it happens.
Norm Powell, Scorching: There’s being on a heater and there’s whatever Norm Powell has been on to start this season. Norm is averaging 25 points per game in 33.4 minutes while shooting 53% from the field, including 48.5% from three on 8.5 attempts per game. He won’t continue shooting at this rate from outside or inside the arc, but the Clippers need to take advantage for as long as he’s playing like this, because most of his shots aren’t even hitting rim at this point. That Norm is doing this without his usual foul-baiting being successful is all the more impressive and has made his game that much more fun to watch. Let’s see if he can continue on this ridiculous streak for another game.