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| 2015/16 NBA Regular Season | ||
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| March 5th, 2016; 7:30 PM PST | ||
| STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, California | ||
| Prime Ticket, KFWB 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM | ||
| Win-Loss Breakdown | ||
| 19-6 | East | 21-17 |
| 21-14 | West | 13-11 |
| 21-10 | Home | 19-12 |
| 19-10 | Road | 15-16 |
| 15-13 | .500+ | 17-16 |
| 25-17 | .500- | 17-12 |
| 7-3 | L10 | 4-6 |
| Probable Starters | ||
| Chris Paul | PG | Jeff Teague |
| J.J. Redick | SG | Kyle Korver |
| Luc Mbah a Moute | SF | Kent Bazemore |
| Paul Pierce | PF | Paul Millsap |
| DeAndre Jordan | C | Al Horford |
| Advanced Stats | ||
| 98.4 (13th) | Pace | 98.9 (10th) |
| 106.4 (6th) | ORtg | 102.9 (16th) |
| 100.4 (7th) | DRtg | 99.4 (2nd) |
| Injuries/Other | ||
|
Blake Griffin (quad/hand) Out Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (right eyelid laceration) Questionable |
Tiago Splitter (right hip) Out | |
The big picture:
Both conferences are shaping up for quite exciting races for playoff seeding to end the season. For the Clippers, every game matters--they now sit tied in the loss column with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the current 3-seed. Atlanta sits in 5th in the East, with 28 losses--just two away from Home-Court advantage in one direction, and two away from the lottery in the other. It's safe to say that the stakes are high for both of these teams.
The antagonist:
After having an outstanding season last year, as the best non-Cleveland team in the East, Atlanta has fallen back into the pack, replaced by Toronto as the second-best team in a one-team conference. Oddly, I view Kyle Lowry and Paul Millsap very similarly--brilliant players who are all too often under-appreciated, partially due to their low-profile nature and somewhat late-blooming careers. If Luc Richard Mbah a Moute does not play tonight, the Clippers will struggle a lot with Millsap. Atlanta played the Lakers last night, but won easily, with no player breaking 30 minutes, so they shouldn't be too tired for tonight's game.
Standings watch:
We're at a point in the season where it's important to keep an eye on a lot of games and teams--Boston @ Cleveland, Indiana @ Washington, Utah @ New Orleans, Houston @ Chicago, and of course this game, Atlanta @ LA Clippers--they all have big-time playoff implications. It's time to break out that League Pass subscription and quit your day job.