In two hours for game 73, the LA Clippers will have taken the bus to Barclays Center to face the Brooklyn Nets. This is the second stop of their four-game road trip.
In their previous showdown with the New York Knicks, the Clippers forced Tom Thibodeau to waive the white flag, and LA won by 13. The score was relatively close at halftime, but head coach Tyronn Lue stormed New York in the third, which gave him a notable advantage.
There were defensive efforts across the lineup, but the starting five did a majority of the scoring. Franchise superstar Kawhi Leonard was close to a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while his sidekick James Harden dropped 29 points, six rebounds, six assists, and six three-pointers.
Secondary stars like Ivica Zubac, who posted a double-double, and Norman Powell, who scored 18, also chimed in. They each played over 30 minutes.
Furthermore, Derrick Jones Jr was one of the Clippers' most valuable players and did not receive enough credit for his performance against New York. In addition to scoring 12 points in 18 minutes, he grabbed six boards and had a defensive rating of 97.1(team-high).
The Nets, who have lost five straight, were last taken down by the Toronto Raptors, 116-86. Without glancing at the loss, Nicolas Claxton was the two-way center of gravity, as he stamped 22 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks in 29 minutes.
On the contrary, the Nets allowed Toronto to score free-handedly. Though they had stars in Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett show up, big man Orlando Robinson marked 23 points and 12 rebounds in the box scores in under 25 minutes of action.
Furthermore, the first impression of Brooklyn's recent outing is how weak they are defensively. This is an area Harden and Leonard should focus on exposing right away.
Is James Harden playing against the Brooklyn Nets?
Despite James Harden's questionable status against the New York Knicks, his name is not mentioned in the injury report in Brooklyn.
Full injury report for LA Clippers at Brooklyn Nets March 28th
The LA Clippers' two-way players(Seth Lundy, Trentyn Flowers, Patrick Baldwin Jr.) are out, as is Cam Christie, due to designation with the San Diego Clippers. Jordan Miller(left hamstring) is also out, as expected.
For the Brooklyn Nets, Cam Thomas(left hamstring), Day'Ron Sharpe(right knee), and De'Anthony Melton(ACL) are not available. Noah Clowney(soreness/illness), Trendon Watford(illness), and Ziaire Williams(illness) are questionable to play.