The LA Clippers have a chance to end the year on a high note, but will need to take care of a surging Charlotte Hornets team. The team can now begin their march toward a playoff spot and a win today will set them in the right direction.
The LA Clippers are treading water and have been it seems since the season started because of injuries. They now have a chance with Blake Griffin and Milos Teodosic back in the fold to help settle the offense and facilitate in the half court. Having both helps, but it is bittersweet because of the injury to Austin Rivers last game.
The Clippers have a chance to start the new year on a high note and will have a chance to get a meaningful win against a team coming off a nice few games and some wins against Golden State and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Clippers with Griffin and Milos will give DeAndre Jordan some easier looks and some rim shaking jams. It will also help to get Jordan on the move with against a Dwight Howard who looked to be in top form against the Warriors.
Without Rivers
The Clippers without Rivers will need to spread the ball around to account for his scoring recently. The team has been competitive in a lot of games (even the loses), but if games like the one against the Lakers mean anything, it shows the Clippers can still score and can still be exciting.
LAC guard Austin Rivers (right Achilles strain) to be held out of today’s game against Charlotte, league sources tell ESPN. The expectation is he returns Tuesday for Memphis.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 31, 2017
Blake Griffin should be able to shoulder the scoring load, but Rivers has provided some timely shots and can not be overlooked anymore of what he brings to the team. Milos will help find others in their spots and he will be able to add some firepower if others are struggling.
They will need Jawun Evans and Sindarius Thornwell to step it up and continue to give much-needed energy, and if they can find the bucket anything helps.
Kemba Walker is likely to go off at any moment and will keep the guards on their heels the team will likely need some good team defense to try to slow down the always attacking Walker.
Control the Paint
It’s simple. If the Clippers and their bigs can control the paint, they are likely to walk out of staples with an extra win under their belt. If they let Dwight Howard have another night like he did against the Warriors then it could be a tough night for the Clippers to get a win out.
The Hornets are a long team, so their wings will be able to cut and get to the hole but the Clippers bigs have played well and expect another big game from Montrezl Harrell who has played extremely well in limited action chipping in 15 points in 16 minutes. As long as they can stay out of foul trouble the team should be able to keep the paint under control, but they will need to play disciplined team defense to walk out with the win.
Notes
DeAndre Jordan has pulled in double-digit rebounds in 15 straight games. He has 7 games of 20 rebounds this season.
Blake Griffin is one of only four players to score 23 points, 7+ rebounds, and 5+ assists.