Official Game Thread: Clippers at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

True To LouWillVille.

 

[I'm too lazy to update my draft. PG's out, Kawhi's out, Pat Bev's out. Bembry's on personal leave. Trae and Alex... we'll see! ~lw3]

 

Hooray! We finally got one!

Just once this season have the Atlanta Hawks watched from the comfort of home as an opponent trudges through a road game, the night before arriving to meet up at State Farm Arena. While it would be nice to nab a schedule win against a fellow jabroni, like the victory over the Boneless Warriors over a month and a half ago, whoever shows up for the LA Clippers (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Fox Sports Prime Ticket in LAX, NBATV elsewhere) will have to do.

A home win tonight is far from a certainty, but the outcome ought to be far easier on the eyes than the wing-clipping our Hawks endured on a lousy November weekend at Staples Center. Kawhi Leonard was DNP’d when Atlanta got LAmbasted by a 150-101 score, but tonight he may try to pick up where Paul George (out, hammy strain; 37 points, 11-for-11 FTs, 6-for-11 3FGs vs. ATL) left off during his home debut.

Cam Reddish (4-for-15 FGs, minus-45 on/off @ LAC) was there to bear the brunt of PG’s onslaught, and the Hawks’ swingman would appreciate not having to cover either PG or Kawhi today. Leonard (27.1 PPG; six consecutive games w/ 30+ points) logged 36 minutes and scored 36 with the aid of 29 FGAs to help his team edge the Mavs yesterday in Lukaland.

If Leonard plays tonight, it would be the first time in nine Clipper back-to-back series where coach Doc Rivers fields him in both games. Even before PG returned to action, Coach Doc sat Kawhi on either the front or back end of LA’s first three back-to-backs. Another player who sat the November game out, and may do so yet again, is guard-dog Pat Beverley.

Even without him or Kawhi on the floor against Atlanta, Hawks star Trae Young found himself overmatched (2-for-9 2FGs, 2-for-7 3FGs, 6 assists and 3 TOs) as the woeful shooting and the anemic defense brought about by starting Y2J (Young-Jabari-Jones) with two rookies proved insurmountable. The returns of Kevin Huerter and John Collins give Young (questionable, contused thigh) much more to stand toe-to-toe with the Clips at both ends on the floor, especially tonight if Huerter (4-for-19 FGs in last 2 games) shakes out of his recent slump.

For all their squabbles about imperfection and inconsistency, not having Leonard, George and Beverley playing a full slate has more to do with the Clippers (31-13, 3.5 games behind the Lakers atop the NBA West) staying in their intown rivals’ shadow. But what they have had to their benefit is a quality bench (NBA-high 51.3 bench PPG and 20.7 bench RPG) loaded with veterans who lead, and developmental guys, like Landry Shamet (5-for-8 3FGs @ DAL) in the clutch last night, who figure out how to step up when needed.

Back in his home metro, summertime AEBL star Lou Williams will be eager to show up and show out after a less-than-stellar performance (2-for-8 2FGs, 3-for-11 3FGs) last night in Dallas. Even though Beverley sat against the Hawks in November, a 2019 second-round pick named Terance proved to be a Mann amongst men (team-high 8 assists, career-high 13 points on 6-for-8 FGs) when inserted into the starting lineup.

Against Atlanta, the Clips were buoyed not only by super-subs Williams (15-for-15 FTs, 25 points) and Montrezl Harrell, but 2018’s lightly-used draft pick, Jerome Robinson, who sunk five of seven three-point shots along the way to his career-high of 21 points.

Against a Mavs team not renowned for their defensive exploits, the Clippers shot just 37.1 percent from the floor last night, including just 12-for-38 on threes. But LA’s fitness is maintained when they keep turnovers low (11-1, incl. last night @ DAL, when committing under 12 player TOs/game) and the charity stripe trips high, especially the backups (NBA-high 12.4 bench FTAs/game).

Versus Kawhi’s former team on MLK Day, you’d have thought Atlanta switched the ‘w’ in their team sobriquet with a ‘c’. Coach Lloyd Pierce’s troopers could ill afford another hackfest like they swam through on Monday’s 122-117 loss (season-high 34 personal fouls, 43 Raptor FTAs). Young’s 10-for-12 FTAs was perhaps the only thing keeping the Hawks from losing to the Clippers by 50 back in November, and his 18-for-21 marksmanship kept the Hawks crawling back in Monday’s game.

But the Hawks are burrowing animals, and they cannot dig their way out of holes as deep as the ones they create (14-5, 34-22, 112-91 Hawks deficits vs. TOR), certainly not with Thundersticks. And no amounts of Chick-fil-A sandwiches can be piled high enough to climb out of such holes if Trae can’t play. Neutralizing the Clippers’ offense by forcing them to make tough shots and tough passes without fouling will keep the Hawks within shouting distance for 48 minutes, if not ahead late in the game.

The upcoming schedule for the Hawks remains a tall order. But now that I’m done colluding with the Ukrainians to max out both Trae Young’s and Alex Len’s vote tallies (quid pro quo, baby! Alex has been upgraded to questionable tonight), I have a new pair of sipping words for the weeks between now and the end of All-Star Weekend. I’ll need our Hawks to cobble together as many W’s between now and then to make the utterance of those words by hoop pundits possible.

The sipping words? “ONE OF.” As in, “Trae Young is here in Chicago despite Atlanta being ONE OF the worst team(s) in the NBA.” Or, “I know the Hawks have ONE OF the worst team(s) in the Eastern Conference, but you cannot blame Trae Young for that, and most fans sure haven’t.” At this stage of the season, those two words together would sound, and taste, so sweet.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

C-Redd seeing Green!

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

35 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

[I'm too lazy to update my draft. PG's out, Kawhi's out, Pat Bev's out. Bembry's on personal leave. Trae and Alex... we'll see! ~lw3]

 

No Bembry?

[Gray Mule]

Could  it be?  Naw.  He ain't off to some place else.  Is he?  Nope.  Guess not.  Maybe?

[Blunt91]

Trae will be a game time decision with right thigh Contusion.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/injuries/

 

 

[Spud2nique]

Nice preview lw3. We can’t underestimate this team they fight like dirty dogs on the street. 1-12 they play hard. It’ll be interesting to see what we throw at them.

It’s tough to tell which Hawks team is coming out but I hope we get the one that feels like sharing the ball tonight. 

Clipps -3.5  o/u 234

GO HAWKS!!!

 

[lethalweapon3]

Trae and Alex are both still listed as questionable on the 5:30 PM injury report.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

I need lots of Zion plays this week to water down the highlights versus the preseason Hawks on TV.

Also TV-related, for whom it may concern, it looks like NBA League Pass free preview week is underway, as of MLK Day through this coming Sunday. Pretty full slate of games tonite, although I'm just into it to watch the embarrassing fans dancing and dogs catching frisbees at halftime. 

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

2 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

I need lots of Zion plays this week to water down the highlights versus the preseason Hawks on TV.

Also TV-related, for whom it may concern, it looks like NBA League Pass free preview week is underway, as of MLK Day through this coming Sunday. Pretty full slate of games tonite, although I'm just into it to watch the embarrassing fans dancing and dogs catching frisbees at halftime. 

~lw3

The baby race and puppy race were hilarious too.

[JayBirdHawk]

13 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

 It’s tough to tell which Hawks team is coming out but I hope we get the one that feels like sharing the ball tonight. 

Clipps -3.5  o/u 234

GO HAWKS!!!

 

This^

[Dnice]

Retro meets current..

 

[lethalweapon3]

No Trae tonight! (as per LP)

FWIW, when Jeff Teague last played the Clips back in mid-December, he came off the bench midway through the 3rd quarter to score 16 points, 2 assists and a charge drawn from Paul George to help the T'Wolves nearly erase a 27-point second-half deficit.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

While Trae is a no-go, we will get to see one Hawk every now and Len.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Let's get it, Bruno and Sixth Man Cam!

~lw3

[turnermx]

44 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Let's get it, Bruno and Sixth Man Cam!

~lw3

Good to see Bruno back in the starting lineup and John back at the 4. Let the kid learn the ropes. 2 rebounders on the front line.

[bleachkit]

Jeff, play like it matters. No dogging it.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

The baby race and puppy race were hilarious too.

My gf wanted to watch the Hawks game after and I wondered why. She quickly went to the puppy races and that’s it. What the...at least watch Trae meg that guy  

[macdaddy]

53 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

While Trae is a no-go, we will get to see one Hawk every now and Len.

~lw3

Chelsea: "coach Alex is on a 20 minute restriction"

LP: "he has been all year"

[Spud2nique]

Have a good time @macdaddy. Get some autographs and talk smack to some bum Clippers for the squawk. Let’s go Hawks get a win for the Mac 🖥 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

C-Redd seeing Green!

~lw3