The LA Clippers took home a hard-fought 101-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in preseason action on Friday night. The game was played at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the former home of the Seattle SuperSonics.
Several young players showed out for the Clippers, including Jordan Miller who finished second on the team in minutes played with 28. He scored 15 points on 50% shooting and racked up six rebounds, two assists and a block as well.
Prior to the game, James Harden spoke with media and shared that he needed to work on turning the ball over. In LA's win, he still struggled with ball security and turned it over four times in 18 minutes. Clearly, this is something he will still be ironing out heading into the regular season.
Before the Clippers tip off their fourth preseason contest on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks, it appears they will be making one more addition to their roster. According to Law Murray of The Athletic, a source from the team has confirmed that LA will sign Braxton Key to their roster for the remainder of training camp.
Per team source, LA Clippers plan to add small forward Braxton Key to camp roster in Nate Darling’s place.
— Law Murray 🏟️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 13, 2024
Key was on a 2-way contract last season with the Denver Nuggets and has also played NBA games with the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. Also a 2019 NCAA champ (UVA) https://t.co/dk6ESn3kW6
The Clippers will sign Braxton Key to training camp roster
This comes immediately after news of the waiving of Nate Darling, who did not appear in the Clippers' win in Seattle. With Darling's exhibit-10 contract spot now dormant, it appears the front office wants to throw Braxton Key in there to see what he can show for the remainder of training camp.
For those unfamiliar with Key as a player, he has three years of NBA experience and has played with the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets. The 6-foot-8 wing is still working to carve out a career for himself with just 34 career NBA games under his belt, and he will have his chance during this last week of Clippers preseason.
The Clippers' roster still stands at 21 players with two games remaining in preseason. 15 players are rostered full-time with the team, while the remaining six are on part-time deals. Kai Jones, Alondes Williams, Braxton Key and Elijah Harkless are playing on exhibit-10 contracts, while Jordan Miller and Trentyn Flowers occupy two of the team's three available two-way spots. If Key really shows out, he will have a chance to earn LA's final two-way contract.