The Knicks are hoping to recover from their recent loss to the Lakers as they prepare to face the Clippers.
Knicks Seek Redemption Against Clippers
Yesterday afternoon, the Knicks laid an egg in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Tonight, they have a chance for redemption as they challenge the Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
The Knicks and the Clippers have both gone 6-4 over their last ten games. The last time they played each other was on January 7, when the Knicks won 123-111 on their home court. Jalen Brunson led New York with 26 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added a 20-11 double-double. Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 25 points.
Clippers’ Season Marked by Controversy
After a poor start of 6-21, L.A. has since gone 25-11, including two wins over Detroit. They have been performing as expected, winning the games they should and losing the ones they shouldn’t. Kawhi Leonard has been a standout performer, leading the team with 27.9 points per game on 50/37 shooting splits.
Offensively, the Clippers rank 12th in rating despite being 24th in scoring with 112.6 points per game. Their slow pace (28th) and poor rebounding (28th) contribute to this. Defensively, they’re slightly worse than middle-of-the-pack (19th).
The Clippers have faced distractions this season. There is expected league discipline due to allegations reported by Pablo Torre. The team allegedly funneled compensation to Kawhi Leonard through no-show positions at a company called Aspiration to circumvent the salary cap. Team owner Steve Ballmer claims to have been conned out of millions by Aspiration.
The bad press has tarnished a terrific season for the 34-year-old Leonard.
Injury Updates and Expected Lineups
At the trade deadline, L.A. dealt James Harden for Darius Garland, then shipped Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown to Indiana for Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson. Both moves added draft picks to their warchest. They also parted ways with franchise icon Chris Paul after he lost a noogie contest with coach Ty Lue.
Tonight, the Clippers will likely start Garland, Dunn, Derrick Jones, Jr., Leonard, and Brook Lopez. John Collins is OUT with a neck issue. For the Knicks, Miles McBride is still recovering from hernia surgery. Mitchell Robinson played yesterday, so expect him to sit tonight.
ESPN calls this one a toss up.
The Knicks should be favoured.