The LA Clippers face off against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Celtics at Staples Center tonight.
The LA Clippers will look to bounce back after a couple of disappointing losses versus the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves as they face off against the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics
This won’t be an easy game by any means for the LA Clippers. Boston comes in at 34-14 on the season, which puts them 1.5 games ahead in first place in the Eastern Conference.The Celtics have lost four straight games, including an upset to the Los Angeles Lakers last night.
Everyone knows about the addition of Kyrie Irving, but the arrival of Jason Tatum and growth of Jaylen Brown have also been huge for the team. The two young players look to be a big part of the Celtics’ future and should not be taken lightly.
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Injury Report
As of the time of writing, the LA Clippers injury report is the following:
DOUBTFUL: DeAndre Jordan (left ankle sprain)
OUT: Jawun Evans (sore lower abdominal)
OUT: Patrick Beverley (right knee surgery)
OUT: Danilo Gallinari (left glute injury)
OUT: Austin Rivers (right ankle injury)
Without DeAndre in the middle still, the Clippers will have a tough time defending Boston. The lack of DJ was apparent on Monday as the Timberwolves were able to pull down 18 offensive rebounds. The lack of a rim protector will also allow Kyrie Irving to drive with more ease, as if he needed the help.
Lou’s Revenge
With the reveal of the All-Star reserves last night, Clippers’ fans everywhere were upset that Lou Williams didn’t make the team. Lou himself was not too pleased either and took to Twitter to show his opinion on the selections. Several other players came to Lou’s defense, including former Clipper Jamal Crawford.
S/o @TeamLou23 . You're an all-star who just isn't playing in the all-star game. Real recognizes real. #respect.
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) January 24, 2018
Now, the league needs to watch out. Lou is coming for blood. Less than two weeks removed from his first 50-point game, Lou may be aiming higher. It’s obvious he thought that the best season of his career should have earned him an All-Star nod, so not it’s time for him to show everyone how wrong they were.
Hopefully Lou’s scoring alongside Blake Griffin, who has been putting up his own All-Star numbers, including a triple-double on Monday, will be enough to carry this still very injured Clippers team to a victory and back into the eighth seed in the West.
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