Clippers Rumors

Hoops Rumors: Clippers Season

Paul George made some interesting comments following the Clippers’ 17-point home loss to the Hawks on Sunday night.

The veteran forward stated the team hadn’t established an identity.

“We want to be a team that’s consistent and we want to establish an identity,” George said, as relayed by ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “I’ve always spoken about having an identity and I think it’s extremely important. Right now, I don’t think we have an identity.”

If George had said that during the first half of the season, no one would have thought much about it. But with the playoffs looming in about a month, that’s not something you want to hear from one of your star players.

The Clippers haven’t exactly imploded. However, they haven’t shown any consistency after moving 19 games above .500 in early February. They’ve lost 10 of their last 18 games, including four of the last five.

The recent defeats have been troubling. They’ve lost by 18 points to Minnesota, which is playing without star power forward Karl-Anthony Towns. The loss to the Trae Young-less Hawks was preceded by an eight-point loss to New Orleans, which outscored them 58-36 in the paint.

“It’s between the ears with us,” Kawhi Leonard said of their struggles. “We got to go out and do it.”

The Clippers are playing without sixth man Russell Westbrook, who broke his hand at the end of January. He’s expected to return before the postseason.

Leonard, George and Westbrook are a little banged up but they’ve all appeared in at least 60 games. And every team at this time of year is dealing with some injuries and a certain level of fatigue.

The Clippers are fourth in the Western Conference standings, one game ahead of New Orleans and 3 ½ games ahead of three other teams tied for sixth place. The Clippers, who have the oldest roster in the league, should be able to avoid the play-in tournament but that’s no longer a given.

They have back-to-back road games against the Trail Blazers this week, which could help them get back on track. Considering how they performed against Atlanta, the Clippers can’t take anything for granted.

That brings us to our topic of the day: Where do you think the Clippers will wind up in the Western Conference standings? How do you think they’ll fare in the playoffs – will their veterans carry them on a deep run or will they flame out early?

Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Davis, LeBron, Green, Kuminga, Suns

The Clippers have fallen back to Earth after rampaging through the league earlier this winter and doubt is starting to creep in, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. There are reasons for Sunday’s loss to the short-handed Hawks, Youngmisuk notes. It was L.A.’s sixth game in nine days and the team has injury concerns of its own, but some players are pointing toward bigger issues.

“We want to be a team that’s consistent and we want to establish an identity,” Paul George said. “I’ve always spoken about having an identity and I think it’s extremely important. Right now, I don’t think we have an identity.”

The Clippers have dropped four of their last five games and are 8-10 since peaking at 34-15 on February 5. Russell Westbrook has been sidelined since the end of January with a broken left hand, and Norman Powell is dealing with a lower left leg contusion that had him on crutches Sunday night.

Tyronn Lue said the coaching staff continues to emphasize positive habits, such as protecting the ball, getting back on transition, hitting the offensive boards and spacing the court. However, the effort to do those things hasn’t been consistent.

“When they do it, it works,” Lue said. “When you have so much talent and you have guys that can do it so easily, they don’t understand that your talent is great, but the talent’s got to be for the team as well. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I got to do something a little different to make sure that we’re doing what we’re supposed to do. … [But] I’ll never really overreact because I know we’re a good team … If you want to win, I know what it looks like. I’ve been there, I’ve seen it.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Lakers center Anthony Davis has shown improvement since suffering a left corneal abrasion on Saturday and is listed as questionable for tonight’s game with Atlanta, according to an ESPN report. Davis had to leave Saturday’s contest after being inadvertently hit in the face on a layup. His vision was impaired and his eye was swollen shut, but a source tells ESPN that his condition improved Saturday night and Sunday. L.A. is also listing LeBron James as questionable due to ongoing issues with his left ankle, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
  • While Draymond Green was away from the Warriors on his most recent suspension, he sent regular critiques to Jonathan Kuminga on his performance, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Those communications helped the pair form a partnership that has played an important role in Golden State’s surge in the second half of the season. Kuminga also credits Green for pushing the front office to select him in the 2021 draft. “He is one of the reasons I even ended up here,” Kuminga said. “Before they drafted me, he called [former Warriors general manager] Bob [Myers] and told him to bring me here. I think that was one of the greatest things to have ever happened.”
  • The Suns were unhappy with their defensive effort in Sunday’s loss at Milwaukee, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined by a hamstring injury, Phoenix allowed the Bucks to score 82 points in the first half and 140 for the game.

Los Angeles Notes: Powell, Westbrook, Lue, Davis

The Clippers are a little banged up going into the game against Atlanta tonight, according to Janis Carr of the Orange County Register.

Norman Powell left Friday’s game against New Orleans on crutches and won’t play due tonight due to a left leg contusion.  Terance Mann limped into the locker room during the first half on Friday but is in the starting lineup. Russell Westbrook is still out with a fractured left hand.

James Harden was listed as questionable but will play despite with a strained left shoulder. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are also showing signs of wear after a rugged stretch of the schedule.

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

  • The Clippers have lost four of their last seven games and their margin for error is shrinking, Law Murray of The Athletic notes. They have fallen to fourth place in the Western Conference standings and the oldest team in the league is now forced to rely on their depth.
  • Coach Tyronn Lue showed signs of frustration with his team after the eight-point loss to the Pelicans, Murray tweets. He expressed that some of his players may not be as competitive as he is. “What do you mean, falls on my shoulders? I’m competitive. I’m ready to compete right now. … I don’t play, they know what we’re supposed to do. So they got to do it,” he said.
  • Anthony Davis suffered an eye injury during the Lakers’ loss to the Warriors. The Lakers’ struggles after he left the game proved they can’t win any meaningful games without him, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times opines. They were outscored by 13 points after he left the game, Plaschke notes, and were outscored by 18 in the paint.

Hyland Has Big Game; Harden Out Again Friday

  • With James Harden out with a shoulder injury, Clippers guard Bones Hyland made the most of his opportunity in Thursday’s victory over the Bulls, observes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Hyland, who was often left open due to the attention paid to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, recorded 17 points (on 6-of-9 shooting), 11 assists, five rebounds and four steals in 32 minutes. Harden will miss his second straight game on Friday, though head coach Tyronn Lue said the former MVP is “feeling better,” tweets Law Murray of The Athletic.

Kawhi Returns, Harden Out On Thursday

  • Star forward Kawhi Leonard was available for the Clippers on Thursday after leaving Tuesday’s contest due to back spasms, but James Harden missed the game in Chicago due to a left shoulder strain. As Law Murray of The Athletic tweets, it snapped a streak of 59 straight appearances for Harden, his longest such run since 2017.

Pacific Notes: Kawhi, Little, O’Neale, Warriors, Kings

The Clippers got a health scare on Tuesday, when Kawhi Leonard had to leave the team’s game against Minnesota in the first half due to back spasms, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. If Leonard has to miss any time, it would complicate L.A.’s push for one of the top playoff seeds in the West, writes Law Murray of The Athletic.

However, Leonard traveled with the Clippers to Chicago and is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, tweets Youngmisuk, so it doesn’t appear the issue is significant.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Suns forward Nassir Little, who has missed the past seven games due to left knee inflammation, was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and is expected to be available for Thursday’s game in Boston, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Little is listed as probable for the showdown with the Celtics.
  • Suns forward Royce O’Neale said on Wednesday that it “means a lot” to hear team owner Mat Ishbia say that re-signing O’Neale will be a priority for the club this offseason, adding that it shows how much Ishbia “wants to win and keep the guys together” (Twitter video link via Rankin).
  • The Warriors‘ loss to Dallas on Wednesday makes it increasingly likely that Golden State will end up in the bottom half of the play-in bracket in the Western Conference, meaning they’d have to win two play-in games to even qualify for the playoffs, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The 34-31 club is now 3.5 games back of the No. 8 Mavs, who would hold the tiebreaker edge on Golden State if they win one of the team’s two remaining meetings in early April. “Yeah, it feels daunting,” Brandin Podziemski said.“Just for the fact that you don’t want to be the 10th seed. The 11th seed is, I think, four or five games behind us. So for us to get that low I don’t think is going to happen. But you don’t want to be the 10th seed and have to play two road games before you get into an actual series.”
  • A pair of Kings players set franchise records in a blowout win over Milwaukee on Tuesday, as Domantas Sabonis registered his 47th consecutive double-double, while Malik Monk took the lead for most career assists by a Sacramento reserve, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Sabonis increased his double-double streak to 48 games on Wednesday in an impressive victory over the Lakers that moved the Kings up to sixth in the Western Conference standings.

Clippers G League Franchise Moving To San Diego

The Clippers’ G League team will relocate to Oceanside, Calif. and rebrand as the San Diego Clippers, according to a team press release.

They’ll play at the brand new Frontwave Arena for the 2024/25 season. The NBA Clippers will also have new digs next season, as they’re on track to move into the $2 billion Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

It’s a sort of homecoming for the Clippers organization, as the NBA team played in San Diego from 1978-84.  Their current G League franchise, named the Ontario Clippers, will complete its season in Ontario, Calif. The NBAGL club was previously named the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario.

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank will continue to oversee basketball operations for both teams.

“We are proud to re-introduce the San Diego Clippers into this passionate sports market,” Halo Sports and Entertainment CEO Gillian Zucker. “Our G League team is a critical part of our business and basketball operation, and we are thrilled to be relocating to the new Frontwave Arena next season.”

L.A. Notes: Davis, Reddish, Tucker, Schedule

Anthony Davis overcame a sore left shoulder to deliver a historic performance in the Lakers‘ win over Minnesota Sunday night, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. His combination of 27 points, 25 rebounds, seven steals, five assists and three blocks had never been posted before in the league. Davis was listed as questionable for the game, still feeling the effects of a Friday collision with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the team’s medical staff had to wrap his shoulder with a heat pack whenever he wasn’t on the court.

“I felt it at times out there,” Davis said. “I still kind of feel it.”

McMenamin notes that the seven steals were a career high for Davis, and the 25 rebounds fell one short of his career-best mark. He has played a huge role in the Lakers’ recent surge, which has them six games over .500 and within two games of sixth place.

“I think we’re hitting our stride right now,” Davis said. “We’re just trying to keep going, keep pushing, knowing that just like last year, all we got to do is get in. We feel like it’s tough for anybody to beat us in a seven-game series. … We like our chances against anybody at that point.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

  • Lakers forward Cam Reddish sat out Sunday’s game and continues to deal with significant soreness in his right ankle, tweets Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Coach Darvin Ham said he expects an update on Reddish’s condition in the next day or two.
  • P.J. Tucker, who has seen limited court time since being traded to the Clippers in November, made his first start of the season on Sunday, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. The opportunity came because Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were both sitting out the second game of a back-to-back, and Tucker responded with seven points and six rebounds in 25 minutes. The 38-year-old forward believes he can still contribute to the team. “That’s what I do. It’s like breathing to me — physicality and making people work and not giving up easy plays and cave,” Tucker said. “That’s the stuff that comes naturally. Making shots and doing all that stuff is just extras.”
  • Coach Tyronn Lue was unhappy about the scheduling conflict that had his team playing two afternoon games 22 hours apart, per Greg Beacham of The Associated Press. The Clippers typically get the worst dates at Crypto.com Arena, and they were forced into the early contests because the Lakers had a home game Sunday night and the NHL’s Kings had a late game Saturday. Bucks coach Doc Rivers, whose team provided the opposition on Sunday, said he went through the same experience when he coached the Clippers. “It was awful,” Rivers said. “I think we did two or three of these (back-to-back afternoon weekend games) a year. It’s just not natural. Being here, you get used to it, but it’s still not normal.”

Ivica Zubac Returns From Illness

  • Clippers center Ivica Zubac was able to return today from the illness that forced him to miss two games earlier this week and prompted coach Tyronn Lue to keep on the bench for the second half of Wednesday’s contest at Houston, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Zubac had 16 points and nine rebounds in nearly 25 minutes and sparked a second half rally as L.A. defeated Chicago on Saturday.

Russell Westbrook Undergoes Surgery On Fractured Hand

Clippers guard Russell Westbrook underwent surgery on his fractured left hand on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The hope is that Westbrook will be able to return before the playoffs, Wojnarowski adds.

Westbrook suffered his broken right hand on Friday in a game against Washington. According to Wojnarowski, he’s now starting rehabilitation so he can be back before the postseason starts in April.

Westbrook, 35, has been one of the league’s top bench players after accepting the role change earlier this season. He’s averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 58 games.

Bones Hyland took over for Westbrook after he went down and played the backup point guard spot in L.A.’s win over the Timberwolves on Sunday.

It has been a roller coaster season for Hyland, who admitted the season was “challenging” and was sent home before the All-Star break. He’s averaging 5.7 points and 2.0 assists this season.