Los Angeles Clippers look to stay hot in New Orleans
Guard Play
Even though the team is winning, the starting guards have been lackluster. Avery Bradley did show some of his defensive prowess against James Harden on Sunday night and Patrick Beverley seemed more engaged. Still, neither has been what we expected to start the year.
Tonight offers a chance to bounce back though. Elfrid Payton and Jrue Holiday, while not a bad backcourt, don’t offer an extremely hard challenge for the Clippers. With a little less effort required on the defensive end, Bradley and Beverley might be able to shine offensively.
This rings true for the other two guards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lou Williams, who have proven to be an amazing duo off the bench. Williams, while still seeming a little rusty, is still scoring 14.3 points in his three appearances while Shai is adding 8.3.
Williams defense, of all things, was impressive in the win over Houston. His chase-down block of Harden late in the fourth quarter was a huge moment for the team. In fact, he has looked good defensively in every game, putting him at 12th in defensive win shares.
SGA has impressed all around, using his length to harass players (8th in defensive win shares) and to help him get to the rim. This game could be won or lost by the bench, so having both players contributing could push LA over the edge.