The LA Clippers have a chance to sweep the league’s best team, by record, and extend their win streak to seven games as the season winds down.
The LA Clippers clinched their seventh playoff berth in the last eight seasons after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Now, the focus shifts to positioning themselves in the playoff standings, where they currently sit at sixth.
The Milwaukee Bucks, meanwhile, have kept pace in the Eastern Conference, leading the conference with the league’s best record at 56-19. Giannis Antetokounmpo is right in the thick of the MVP conversation (and should win), posting Shaquille O’Neal-esque numbers and leading a Bucks team that been hit with injuries as of late.
The first meeting between these two teams happened way back in November, which the Clippers won 128-126. Lou Williams, the likely front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year, hit a running shot with three-tenths of a second remaining to give the LA their seventh win on the season.
Montrezl Harrell was the leading scorer in that matchup for the Clippers, posting 26 points and nine rebounds. Patrick Beverley added 21 points while Tobias Harris posted 21 points and 11 boards.
A big portion of the victory for the Clippers in the first matchup was their willingness to get to the line, shooting 22-27 from the stripe to Milwaukee’s 16-23. This season, LA has the league’s highest number of free throws attempted per game, and it’s been helping them win plenty of games.
The entire Bucks starting five posted double-figures while the bench was outscored 52-23 in the loss, but Giannis dominated, scoring 27 points and grabbing a game-high 18 rebounds.
This game has pretty much the same meaning for both squads, maintain the pace in the race for the playoffs. The Clippers have won the last three matchups against the Bucks with the last loss coming on March 15, 2017. The Bucks lead the all-time series 64-52.
The LA Clippers will be without Patrick Beverley and Luc Mbah a Moute tonight against the Bucks, while guard Landry Shamet will return to the starting lineup, according to The Athletic‘s Jovan Buha. It’s unknown how long Beverley will be out, but it was announced today that Mbah a Moute will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery.
The LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks will face off tonight at 5:00 PM PT. Expect a tight one as the Clippers look to improve their playoff position.