Orlando Magic vs LA Clippers
When: 3/30/2021 10:00 PM
Where: Staples Center

TV: 10:00 PM
LINE: -550
PREDICTION: Orlando Magic, LA Clippers

Oddsmakers currently have LA Clippers listed as 10.5 point favorites versus Orlando Magic while the game’s total is sitting at 218.5.

In stride and feeling good about the road ahead, especially early in a stretch of nine consecutive home games, the Los Angeles Clippers will run into the definition of a trap game Tuesday when they face the Orlando Magic.

The Clippers, coming off an impressive 129-105 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, will play Thursday against the Denver Nuggets, who rode them out of last season’s playoffs.

In between, they will square off with the rebuilding Magic, who have lost 13 of their past 15.

Orlando is also 0-2 after Nikola Vucevic was traded to the Chicago Bulls and Evan Fournier was dealt with the Boston Celtics.

With the always-focused Kawhi Leonard leading the way, the chances of a Clippers letdown are slim. Leonard was at the heart of a balanced attack from the starters Monday as the Clippers defeated the Bucks without Serge Ibaka (back), Patrick Beverley (knee), and Paul George (foot).

Even newly acquired point guard Rajon Rondo was out with right adductor soreness while scoring backup guard Lou Williams was shipped off to the Atlanta Hawks.

Four Clippers starters had at least 20 points in Monday’s victory, with Marcus Morris Sr. scoring 25, Leonard 23, Luke Kennard 21, and Reggie Jackson 20. Morris was making just his ninth start of the season while Kennard was starting for the eighth time.

“We need everybody engaged, even guys who are not getting minutes,” Leonard said after Monday’s victory. “They’re watching the game, seeing details of what (they) need to get better at or whoever is on the floor. Just listen to what they’re saying and if I’m seeing the same thing when I’m out there.”

It is a commitment to unity that has helped the Clippers to seven victories in eight games, all without Ibaka on the floor.

“Everything we have been working on and was frustrated about earlier in the season, we’re finally starting to see it come together,” first-year Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said.

The Magic are a long way from executing at a high level. They will be playing their second consecutive game at Los Angeles after falling 96-93 to the Lakers on Sunday.

Orlando will have to improve on the effort it gave against the Clippers on Jan. 29, when the Magic were dominated at home 116-90. Vucevic and Fournier were on the floor in that contest, but the duo scored only a combined 18 points on 7-of-26 shooting.

Now the Magic need to have faith in newcomers such as Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and R.J. Hampton, all three of whom made their team debut off the bench Sunday against the Lakers.

Hampton scored 10 points, Carter had eight points with eight rebounds and Porter had five points.

“Everybody came out and competed, (it’s) just fine-tuning some little things,” Hampton said. “We got a lot of new guys. We are a very young team. Down the stretch, those key plays that we got to make, I think over the course of (the rest of) the season, we will definitely do that.”

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LA CLIPPERS vs MINNESOTA
When: 2/10/2021 8:00 PM
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 8.5
PREDICTION: MINNESOTA , LA CLIPPERS

Oddsmakers currently have LA Clippers listed as 8.5 point favorites versus Minnesota Timberwolves, while the game’s total is sitting at 226.5.

The Timberwolves are 4-12 in conference matchups. Minnesota is ninth in the Western Conference with 24.1 assists per game led by Ricky Rubio averaging 6.0.

The Clippers have gone 11-5 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is fifth in the NBA scoring 114.8 points per game while shooting 48%.

The two teams play for the second time this season. The Clippers defeated the Timberwolves 124-101 in their last matchup on Dec. 29. Lou Williams led LA with 20 points, and D’Angelo Russell paced Minnesota scoring 22 points.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Jarred Vanderbilt is second on the Timberwolves with 6.1 rebounds and averages 6.4 points. Beasley is shooting 46.2% and averaging 22.6 points over the last 10 games for Minnesota.

Leonard has shot 50.4% and is averaging 26 points for the Clippers. Serge Ibaka is averaging 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 56.8% over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Timberwolves: 3-7, averaging 109.4 points, 42.6 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 8.8 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.6 points on 47.7% shooting.

Clippers: 6-4, averaging 114.7 points, 46.7 rebounds, 23.1 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.9 points on 46.4% shooting.

INJURIES:

Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns: out (health and safety protocols), Jarrett Culver: out (left ankle), D’Angelo Russell: day to day (leg).

Clippers: Patrick Beverley: day to day (knee), Paul George: day to day (foot).

BOTTOM LINE: Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers visit Malik Beasley and the Minnesota Timberwolves in Western Conference action.

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BOSTON vs LA CLIPPERS
When: 2/5/2021 10:05 PM
Where:

TV: 10:05 PM
LINE: -6.5
PREDICTION: LA CLIPPERS , BOSTON

Oddsmakers currently have the LA CLIPPERS listed as -6.5 point favorites versus the BOSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 220.

Back to where their run of strong play began, the Los Angeles Clippers will get reacquainted with their home floor again when they play host to the Boston Celtics on Friday.

The Clippers won six consecutive home games through the middle of January then tested their new-found good fortune with a solid 4-2 road trip against Eastern Conference opponents that ended Wednesday.

The Celtics will enter the middle game of their five-game trip out west hoping they can look back as fondly on their travels as the Clippers did. They are 1-1 in two games in California so far.

Friday’s Clippers-Celtics game will be the first since 2004 without Doc Rivers as the head coach of either team. Rivers was with the Celtics from 2004-05 until 2012-13. He immediately joined the Clippers and stayed until the end of last season.

The Clippers’ just-completed trip started with stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in COVID-19 health and safety protocols. They each missed two games and are back doing their thing again with a combined 60 points in a 121-99 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. It helped to purge Tuesday’s 124-120 defeat at Brooklyn from their system.

“Just a great overall team road trip,” George said. “Great camaraderie. I thought we built a lot of just team chemistry.”

George had 36 points alone against the Cavaliers, his second highest total in a game this season. He went 8 of 9 from 3-point range as the Clippers combined to make 20 3-pointers and shoot 58.8 percent from distance.

After typically sitting one of the two games when the Clippers played on consecutive nights last season, Leonard requested to play Wednesday, and head coach Tyronn Lue obliged. Leonard was a solid 9 of 14 from the field with 24 points in 32 minutes.

Leonard does not have any nights off for rest so far this season. His four games out of action are two games after taking elbow to his mouth and last week’s pair of games for COVID-19-related concerns.

However, the Clippers will be without point guard Patrick Beverley (right knee soreness), who will miss his seventh straight game.

Los Angeles is 11-2 going back to Jan. 10, a run that started after splitting a back-to-back at Golden State.

The Celtics were 8-3 to open the season but are just 3-6 since and not playing nearly as well as Eastern Conference title contenders such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Nets.

Boston started its current trip with a 111-107 victory at Golden State on Tuesday before falling 116-111 to a resurgent Sacramento Kings team on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points against the Kings and Jaylen Brown scored 21, one game after his 20-point streak was snapped at 10 following an 18-point effort at Golden State.

Boston was playing without three key guards in Marcus Smart (calf), Kemba Walker (rest) and Payton Pritchard (knee). Tatum played more of a point-forward role recording 10 assists, the second time he was in double digits this season. He also had nine rebounds.

“I thought we had a lot of guys that came in and gave us what they had, and I credit them for that,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said.

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LA CLIPPERS vs CLEVELAND
When: 2/3/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 7.5
PREDICTION: CLEVELAND , LA CLIPPERS

Oddsmakers currently have the CLEVELAND listed as 7.5 point favorites versus the LA CLIPPERS, while the game’s total is sitting at 218.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to the future, but don’t expect them to gaze past the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

Cleveland hopes to ride the momentum of its 100-98 win against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night while taking advantage of a Los Angeles team that burnt plenty of steam in a 124-120 road loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

The victory by Cleveland was highlighted by the play of youngsters Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, three players the Cavaliers hope will bring the franchise back to a championship level. Allen and Sexton are 22, and Garland just turned 21.

“The thing I think is great is you watch them work together, you watch them play together, and they don’t have to play on separate islands in isolation,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “They can play together. That’s where there’s positive signs of what can come.”

Allen replaced Andre Drummond (lower back) in the starting lineup on Monday and produced 23 points and 18 rebounds in his first start since he was acquired from the Nets in the James Harden deal in mid-January.

Garland had 19 points and 11 assists against Minnesota, his first double-double since missing eight games last month with a shoulder injury. Sexton produced 26 points in 41 minutes.

“Defenses have their hands full,” Bickerstaff said. “Darius has the ability to make all the shots in the pick-and-roll, and Jarrett has the ability to vertically space and catch the ball in the pocket and make moves and make outlet passes.”

The Clippers faced their first test against a top opponent since early in the season when they squared off with the Nets on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles’ Kawhi Leonard and Paul George couldn’t quite match up against Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant as the Clippers took only their second loss in the past 12 games.

Los Angeles committed just eight turnovers while the Nets gave the ball away 17 times, and the Clippers took 20 more shots.

“Usually in a game like that, we win,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.

The Clippers are 3-0 in the second half of back-to-back sets this season, and it’s expected they’ll bring back their same starting lineup against the Cavaliers.

Leonard, who has appeared in 18 of 22 games this season, played 39 minutes against the Nets.

George, who has appeared in 19 games this season, played 36 minutes against Brooklyn.

The Clippers have been without Patrick Beverley the first five games of their road trip and don’t figure to have him back for the finale against the Cavaliers. Beverley is nursing a sore right knee.

“One thing for sure is, we missed Patrick Beverley (against the Nets),” Clippers forward Nicolas Batum said. “He would’ve been huge for us (Tuesday) night. So Pat, come back please.”

Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. won’t play against the Clippers due to a right wrist injury that kept him out Monday.

Bickerstaff is perfectly comfortable giving his young players more game experience, especially against a team like the Clippers.

“Trust comes from actions,” he said. “To be able to have these moments, have the experience, have those actions, that’s where the trust is built and that’s how you get better. The more experience they get together, the more opportunities they get together, I think it’s gonna do nothing but get better and better.”

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LA CLIPPERS vs BROOKLYN
When: 2/2/2021 7:30 PM
Where:

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: BROOKLYN , LA CLIPPERS

Oddsmakers currently have the BROOKLYN listed as 1.5 point favorites versus the LA CLIPPERS, while the game’s total is sitting at 244.5.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets possess plenty of stars and an abundance of offense. It is defensively where the differences lie between the teams.

The Clippers seek a fourth straight win and 11th in 12 games Tuesday night when their six-game road trip continues with a visit to the Nets, who are coming off one of their worst defensive showings of the season.

“I think everyone is looking forward to that matchup, this ball club, and the world,” Los Angeles star Paul George said. “Should be a great showdown.”

Los Angeles enters the nationally televised matchup with 16 wins in the first 21 games and is surging since starting 6-4. The Clippers are scoring 118.5 points in their past 11 games and allowing 104.4.

On Sunday the Clippers continued to roll when they posted a 129-115 win over the New York Knicks, who lead the NBA in scoring defense. The Clippers posted their sixth double-digit win of this stretch and equaled their third-highest point total of the season.

Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and is averaging 29.8 points in his last five games since being held to 17 on Jan. 17 against Indiana. Leonard’s latest big day came on a day the Clippers shot 54.3 percent, marking the seventh time they shot at least 50 percent this season.

“We share the ball, we move it, we look for the open man and we emphasize passing up good shots for great ones,” George said. ” I think we’re doing a great job at that. We’re shooting them expecting to make them, and when we’re shooting great ones, we’re expecting to really hit them.”

Los Angeles recorded its latest win while playing without two starters. Patrick Beverley missed his fourth straight game with a sore right knee while Nicolas Batum was out with a left groin contusion.

Both may miss Tuesday’s game, meaning Patrick Patterson would start for Batum and Reggie Jackson would replace Beverley.

The Nets have ascended near the top of the East by winning six of nine games since acquiring James Harden to join forces with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The trio has displayed more than enough offense as the Nets are averaging 127.3 since Harden’s debut on Jan. 16, but their defense is allowing 124.6 points.

On Sunday, the Nets took a stunning 149-146 loss at Washington after allowing 3-pointers by Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook in the final seconds. Westbrook’s 3-pointer marked only the second time the Nets trailed and came after an errant inbounds pass by Joe Harris.

The Nets allowed the Wizards to shoot 51.9 percent, the second-highest opposing field goal percentage allowed by Brooklyn this season. The Nets also allowed 108 shots, representing a season-high for a regulation game.

It also was the third time the Nets allowed at least 140 points and the 10th time they allowed at least 120.

Kevin Durant scored 37 points while Harris matched his career-high with 30 points and Kyrie Irving finished with 26, but the Nets allowed 48 points in the fourth quarter and could not expand on an early 18-point lead.

“We had that game,” Irving said after the Nets fell to 9-2 when shooting at least 50 percent. “It should’ve been ours. So we just look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we can correct as individuals and as a group, especially on effort. I couldn’t guard a stick today.”

The Nets played Sunday without Harden, who missed his first game with a left thigh contusion. The injury does not appear serious and Harden is expected to play Tuesday.

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OKLAHOMA CITY vs LA CLIPPERS
When: 1/24/2021 4:00 PM
Where:

TV: 4:00 PM
LINE: -13
PREDICTION: LA CLIPPERS , OKLAHOMA CITY

Oddsmakers currently have the LA CLIPPERS listed as -13 point favorites versus the OKLAHOMA CITY, while the game’s total is sitting at 221.5.

Day games in Los Angeles aren’t always sunny affairs for the Clippers.

The infamous 51-point beatdown by the Dallas Mavericks on a Sunday afternoon last month is one of their most embarrassing performances in franchise history. The Clippers trailed by an NBA-record 50 at the break.

“We just have to come ready,” Clippers forward Paul George said of Sunday’s matinee matchup at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“That’s all it is, just come ready (and) just be prepared and get into our preparation early. That’s all it is. Simple as that. … Everybody’s just got to start that engine early.”

The Clippers will attempt to extend their season-high six-game winning streak in their second meeting with the Thunder in less than 48 hours.

Los Angeles motored to a 120-106 win over Oklahoma City on Friday behind 31 points and eight rebounds from Kawhi Leonard and 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists from George, who spent two seasons with the Thunder before being traded to the Clippers prior to the 2019-20 season. Serge Ibaka contributed 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 11 rebounds against his former club.

Nicolas Batum, whose wife gave birth to a baby girl hours before Friday’s game, added 14 points by hitting 5 of 6 shots, including all four of his 3-pointers.

“Just seeing him having a beautiful daughter and then come back and want to play the same night just shows his dedication,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “It means a lot to the team. Just happy for him.”

The Clippers also have enjoyed the pleasure of their recent play. They have averaged 123.8 points and limited opponents to 105.2 points per game during their streak.

In Friday’s game, the Clippers raced out to a big lead early and dominated for almost the entire contest. After leading by as much as 27, they allowed the Thunder to creep within 10 points late in the third quarter before resuming control in the fourth.

“They were the aggressor, but I thought we really helped them out,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told the Daily Oklahoman. “We gave them a lot of pretty clean plays. Once we got the game under control, I thought we played pretty well. I was really happy with the way we stood up tonight. It was kind of a landslide there early in the game.”

Ex-Clipper Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and eight assists for the Thunder, who have lost four of their last five contests.

“I just try to be aggressive and then make the right basketball play — whether that be getting in the paint to score or getting in the paint to pass,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, according to the Oklahoman. “I really just try to be aggressive for my teammates. I know when I’m in that mode that it’s easier on them.”

Luguentz Dort scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half. George Hill finished with 12 points, Mike Muscala had 11 and Hamidou Diallo chipped in 10 for Oklahoma City.

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INDIANA vs LA CLIPPERS
When: 1/17/2021 10:00 PM
Where:

TV: 10:00 PM
LINE: -6
PREDICTION: LA CLIPPERS , INDIANA

Oddsmakers currently have the LA CLIPPERS listed as -6 point favorites versus the INDIANA, while the game’s total is sitting at 222.5.

The Los Angeles Clippers will attempt to extend their winning streak to four games when they host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

On Saturday, the Pacers announced they had acquired guard Caris LeVert from the Houston Rockets for guard Victor Oladipo. The trade was reported to be in the works earlier in the week after LeVert was shipped to Houston by the Brooklyn Nets in a deal involving James Harden.

The 6-foot-6 LeVert, who averaged 18.5 points and six assists mainly as a reserve for the Nets, will not play against the Clippers. Indiana announced Saturday the fifth-year pro will be out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a small mass on his left kidney during a physical prior to finalizing the four-team trade.

The Pacers said LeVert will have further medical tests and would update as needed.

“We acquired Caris because of who he is as a young man first and foremost. His basketball skill and on court play speaks for itself and we know he has a great career ahead of him,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard in a statement.

“We will support Caris through this time and know that he will join us on the court as soon as he is able.”

Prior to LeVert’s arrival, the Pacers floored the Portland Trail Blazers 111-87 on Thursday. The win snapped an 11-game losing streak at Portland, where the Pacers hadn’t won since 2007.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting with seven assists, five rebounds and three steals and Domantas Sabonis had 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter for Indiana. Sabonis, who also converted 10-of-18 shots, grabbed 15 rebounds.

“We’re getting better and better,” said Brogdon, who has scored at least 21 points in six of the last seven games. “We handled a really, really good team tonight on the road. I think this was a statement win for us. We’ve got to build on it.”

The Pacers’ scheduled game Saturday at the Phoenix Suns was postponed Thursday due to the league’s health and safety protocols. The Suns didn’t have the NBA’s required eight players available because of contract tracing.

At Sacramento, the Clippers crushed the Kings 138-100 on Friday. Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and six assists and Paul George finished with 26 points as the Clippers beat the Kings for the 15th consecutive time on the road. Marcus Morris Sr. added 18 points off the bench.

The Clippers, who have won five of their last seven contests, played without Patrick Beverley (personal reasons) and Lou Williams (hip). It wasn’t clear if they would play Sunday.

Without them, the Clippers managed to pound the Kings with a second-half blitz, bolting from an eight-point lead at the break by outscoring them 37-16 in the third quarter.

“We’ve been having leads and we challenged our guys at halftime to be better defensively, set the tone, take the challenge one-on-one,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “I thought in the first half they got the ball fast and scored, beat us off the dribble one-on-one and I thought in the third quarter our team really sat down and defended and took the challenge one-on-one. That was good to see.”

Los Angeles hit 58.4 percent of their shots from the floor and made 18 of 35 3-pointers (51.4). The Kings shot 47.1 percent and went 8-for-26 on 3-pointers (30.8 percent).

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LA CLIPPERS vs PHOENIX
When: 1/3/2021 8:05 PM
Where:

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: 2
PREDICTION: PHOENIX , LA CLIPPERS

Oddsmakers currently have the PHOENIX listed as 2 point favorites versus the LA CLIPPERS, while the game’s total is sitting at 218.

The Los Angeles Lakers visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday in the first of two games during a three-day span between the two teams.

The Lakers captured a pair of wins in three days at San Antonio, including Friday’s 109-103 decision.

Anthony Davis had 34 points 11 rebounds and five assists for the Lakers. LeBron James finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 22nd triple-double with the Lakers, which moved him past Kobe Bryant into sole possession of third place on the franchise’s all-time list. He now trails Magic Johnson (138) and Elgin Baylor (26).

Dennis Schroder contributed 15 points and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 11.

The Lakers, who are second in the NBA in field-goal percentage at 50.2 percent, shot a season-low 40.6 percent against the Spurs. However, a 9-0 run in the final 2:30 allowed them to prevail.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said it’s crucial his club wins games during sub-par performances.

“I just think we persisted through our struggles, and that’s going to happen from time to time throughout a long regular season,” Vogel said. “You’re going to have some wins that are uglier than others. We knew coming into this season with the nature of the offseason and what not that there would be some ugly nights. The key is can you find a way to win when you’re not at your best. We were able to do that tonight.”

Dillon Brooks scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead the short-handed Grizzlies past the Hornets 108-93 on Friday in Charlotte. Kyle Anderson had 18 points and a career-best 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who only had nine players available for health reasons.

Brandon Clarke added 15 points, Jonas Valanciunas collected 14 points and 10 boards and Gorgui Dieng had 14 points and eight rebounds.

Memphis recorded a season-high 34 assists. Tyus Jones had 12 of them.

“Guys were hitting (shots) off his passes,” Brooks said of Jones. “He was finding the right guys wide open. He was getting a lot of attention on the defensive end. He was making the right plays.”

The Grizzlies feasted on the Hornets in the third-quarter. Brooks scored 10 points in the quarter as the Grizzlies increased a 53-47 halftime advantage to 83-67. Charlotte never got the deficit below double digits.

Memphis has been without point guard Ja Morant (ankle), who is expected to remain sidelined for another month. An ankle injury also forced reserve guard Grayson Allen to miss the Charlotte game. He’s is listed as day-to-day on the injury report.

“We’re a team where it’s next man up,” Brooks said. “Guys are ready. We play hard in practice, training camp. Guys are confident.”

Injuries and illnesses also have impacted the Lakers. Guard Alex Caruso, who did not make the trip, will miss his fourth consecutive game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was forced to leave the Spurs’ game in the third quarter with an ankle sprain. He is listed as day-to-day.

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LA CLIPPERS vs UTAH
When: 1/1/2021 9:00 PM
Where:

TV: 9:00 PM
LINE: 2.5
PREDICTION: UTAH , LA CLIPPERS

Oddsmakers currently have the UTAH listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the LA CLIPPERS, while the game’s total is sitting at 226.

The Utah Jazz face a tough task Friday night in Salt Lake City as they seek their first home win of the season while facing the Los Angeles Clippers.

Though the Clippers were the butt of many jokes around the sports world after losing by 51 points to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, they have bounced back with consecutive 23-point home victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves (124-101 on Tuesday) and the Portland Trail Blazers (128-105 on Wednesday).

More bad news for Utah, which lost 106-95 to the Phoenix Suns on New Year’s Eve after earning a one-point road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday: Kawhi Leonard is back for the Clippers.

Leonard led Los Angeles past the Trail Blazers with 28 points after missing the meltdown against the Mavericks and the game vs. the Timberwolves because of a mouth laceration that required eight stitches. He sported a protective face mask in the Portland game.

The Clippers have more weapons than just Leonard, of course. Paul George has led the team in scoring three times so far and had 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to support Leonard against Portland. Five Los Angeles players average double-figure scoring, and another four chip in between seven and eight points apiece each outing.

“Guys are playing hard, we’re locked in,” said Lou Williams, who scored 15 in the Clippers’ most recent win. “We know we have a lot of guys who are capable. We’re playing with trust.”

The Jazz also have a lot of capable guys, but they aren’t all clicking. Utah has struggled since opening the season with a 20-point win at Portland, dropping two of the past three games.

Normally boasting one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA, Utah has lost its only two games in Salt Lake City while winning both of its road contests.

“I guess the way I’d characterize it is we’ve had breakdowns, whether it be on offense, whether we’re not spaced. (And) defensively we’re over helping,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “There’s a number of situations where we need to be collectively better.”

Donovan Mitchell leads Utah with an average of 21 points per game, but he has yet to play consistently at an All-Star level this season. The Jazz really could have used Bojan Bogdanovic’s shooting against Phoenix, but the forward scored only three points, missing all five of his shots from the field.

“We just have to be better,” Snyder said. “We played really well against Portland, as well as we can play, and we haven’t played well since then. For us, there are certain things that we know that we need to do to be successful, and we need to do them. If we’re not playing to our strengths, it’s going to be difficult for us.”

The Friday contest will be Utah’s last chance in a while to win at home. After the game, the Jazz embark on a seven-game road trip that starts Sunday in San Antonio.

Utah won two of its three meetings with the Clippers in the abbreviated 2019-20 season. The Clippers have lost five straight in Salt Lake City, dating back to 2017.

The Jazz come into this matchup with a healthy roster, while the Clippers continue to be without Marcus Morris Sr., who is dealing with knee soreness.

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MINNESOTA vs LA CLIPPERS
When: 12/29/2020 10:05 PM
Where:

TV: 10:05 PM
LINE: -8
PREDICTION: LA CLIPPERS , MINNESOTA

Oddsmakers currently have the LA CLIPPERS listed as -8 point favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 229.5.

After enduring the worst defeat in franchise history, the Los Angeles Clippers will try to regroup when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

On Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks crushed the Clippers 124-73 in Los Angeles. The Clippers were awful from the start and faced the largest halftime deficit (77-27) in NBA history en route to the stunning outcome. At one point, the Mavericks led by 57 points.

Clippers forward Paul George tried to put a positive spin on the loss despite the magnitude of it.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” said George, who led the Clippers with 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting and missed all six of his 3-point attempts in 24 minutes. “Yes, we got our butts kicked today, but it’s one game. I think we’ll take what we need to take away from today and go to the next one.”

Clippers guard Reggie Jackson had a different take. He believes the embarrassing setback should force the Clippers to evaluate themselves.

“This game kind of emulates life and the biggest opponent in life is yourself,” Jackson said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “You got to look at yourself in the mirror, you got to figure out a way to be better, and that’s the goal. You’re either going forward or you’re going backwards so we’re just trying to take baby steps, continue to move in the right direction, bringing it together as a collective whole.”

The Clippers played without Kawhi Leonard, who sustained a mouth laceration in Friday’s win over the Nuggets. They also were missing forward Marcus Morris Sr. (knee), who has yet to make his season debut. Both practiced Monday.

Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns, who sustained a dislocated wrist in a win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday, will miss his second game.

His absence didn’t help the Wolves on Sunday when they lost 127-91 to the Los Angeles Lakers. Rookie Anthony Edwards had 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting to lead Minnesota, which played the second game of back-to-back contests.

The Lakers limited the Timberwolves to 36.9 percent shooting and forced them to miss 29 of 35 3-point attempts.

“It was out of reach early; we couldn’t get anything going,” said D’Angelo Russell, who managed just four points in 21 minutes. “We couldn’t stop the bleeding the way we wanted to. Even if we did, a lot played in their favor. It was a tough one. One of those nights for us.”

Guard Malik Beasley said the Timberwolves must put the lopsided setback behind them.

“We play a great team, the Clippers, who just took a loss as well, so it’s going to be a competitive game next game,” said Beasley, who scored eight points against the Lakers. “We’ll be ready.”

Guard Josh Okogie left the Laker game in the first half due to cramping and did not return. He is listed as day-to-day.

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