I've got a few minutes before the family activities begin in earnest - apparently we are braving the malls for holiday shopping today, so that should be fun.
Kaman rolled his ankle in practice Friday, and is probably NOT going to play in Minneapolis tonight. Depending on what you think about Kaman's recent mini-resurgence (2 straight double-doubles), this may or may not be a blessing. Of course it hurts the team's depth, but Aaron Williams ought to be ready to go, and he'll provide good post defense against the likes of Mark Blount. Assuming MDSr inserts Thomas into the starting lineup, Thomas will draw KG, and the rest of team will have to provide a lot of help. Ricky Davis has always killed the Clippers, but other than those two guys, it's hard to be real intimidated by these guys.
The real question... the only question... is how do the Clippers come out in the first quarter? As hard as it is to overcome a poor start at home, it's almost impossible on the road. At home, once you start a small run, the crowd gets behind you and can carry you over the top. The opposite is going to happen on the road. You have a poor start, the home crowd gets into it, and you might as well rest the starters for the Denver game.
Speaking of the Denver game - the second night of back to back, at altitude. That's a really tough gig. Surprisingly, the Nuggets are only 3-2 in the Pepsi can; although I don't think they have enough shooters to thrive in the run-n-gun offense, it makes all the sense in the world for their regular season home games. It should amount to the most significant homecourt advantage in the NBA. Although the Clippers have owned the Nuggets recently, it will be a very tough win.