Three things to look for in LA Clippers’ first preseason matchup
The LA Clippers will begin their preseason schedule Thursday night against the Houston Rockets. Here are three things to keep an eye on in their debut.
Clipper Nation, the day has finally come. It’s been nearly six months since we last saw the LA Clippers play a basketball game, and tonight, they’ll take the floor once again.
Plenty has changed since the Clippers were eliminated in Game 6 of the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The Golden State Warriors, the team that knocked them out, aren’t what they used to be — and that holds true for several of the league’s former powerhouses as well.
The Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder (just to name a few) all lost superstar talents this summer. With that, the power has shifted to some of the league’s “lesser” teams. That group most notably includes the Clippers, who struck gold this summer in the form of two of the game’s best wings.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are officially members of the Clippers. And although they won’t be playing Thursday night, fans will still have plenty to look forward to as LA kicks off its preseason slate of games.
The Clippers will host the Houston Rockets tonight at 10:00 p.m. PST in a matchup of what should be two of the West’s top teams this season. The Rockets, much like the Clippers, boast their own dynamic duo in James Harden and Russell Westbrook and will provide a challenge once the regular season begins.
However, this night will be less about the stars as Westbrook will reportedly sit out along with Leonard or George.
That means it’ll be up to the rest of this Clippers team to earn their first preseason victory — something they should be very capable of doing.
LA is among the deepest teams in the league, with players like Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams and JaMychal Green all expected to come off the bench. Those three players alone combined to average 46.0 points per game last season, and it’s arguable that the players surrounding them in the second and third units are improvements over what the Clippers had last season.
Some of those new bench players will get to start on Thursday night in the place of Leonard and George, which could give us our first clue as to what the load management lineups will look like. But before getting too deep into that here, let’s take it to the next slide.