Thanksgiving was great on Thursday, but the day after was awesome for LA Clippers fans as well.
Not only did the Clippers get a blowout win, but the Los Angeles Lakers experienced a crushing three-overtime upset loss to the Sacramento Kings.
The Lakers blew it to a 7-12 team (entering the game) at home, and the Clips are going to play them on Wednesday. The Clippers can’t afford to take an upset to an inferior opponent like the Kings, especially with them getting a bit healthier as of late. They can learn from the Lakers, though, when it comes to avoiding an upset to Sacramento.
The LA Clippers absolutely have what it takes to prevent an upset to the Sacramento Kings.
The way that the LA Clippers can avoid being put on upset alert by the Kings is actually somewhat simple: Rebound, and protect the basketball. That’s exactly what the Lakers didn’t do on Friday.
They turned the ball over 19 times. The Kings turned it over just 13 times.
Sacramento averages just 14 turnovers per game (tied for 12th-least), and the Clippers turn it over 15.3 times per game (tied for 22nd-least). It’s something that the Clippers will need to focus in on, but not something that they’re incapable of doing. They have two point guards who are fine ballhandlers, and a coach who has proven that he can draw up good plays for this Clipper team, even when they’re shorthanded.
If the Clips can play their game and not be sloppy, they’ll protect the basketball. As far as rebounding went in that Lakers-Kings game, the Lakers were out-rebounded 56-51.
The Kings are a solid rebounding team. They’re tied for 11th in the league with 54.4 boards per contest, and the Clippers are unfortunately tied for 18th at 53.3. The reason the Clips can get the job done, however, is due to Serge Ibaka being back.
He’s recently been playing with the Clips after a brief G-League stint, and the Clippers will improve from a rebounding standpoint as he continues to get his feet under him this season. His length is even far more valuable than his 6’10” height. He hasn’t brought down a lot of boards this season so far, but he hasn’t been ready to play a lot of minutes just yet.
By Wednesday’s game, however, he may be good to go. Eventually it’s going to click for Ibaka, who was the second-best rebounder last season for the Clippers. There’s no better time than the present for Ibaka to find his stride again, and he has a chance to help the Clippers be better on the boards.
Ivica Zubac is averaging a career-high 8.5 rebounds per game, and Isaiah Hartenstein is averaging 5.1 per game despite limited minutes. Now with Ibaka back in the rotation, the rebounding has the chance to really improve.
The Clippers should be able to handle the Kings pretty well, and won’t need to worry about them stealing another game in Staples Center as long as they crash the boards and protect the ball.