Wednesday’s scrimmage against Orlando marks the first time the LA Clippers will have taken the court since March 10. Even though this will be a scrimmage game, you can expect a similar level of competition to what the Golden State Warriors provided four months ago.
The Clippers aren’t treating this as a game to win. Doc Rivers said he spoke with Magic head coach Steve Clifford ahead of time to discuss strategies for the scrimmage so that both teams can practice specific game situations.
“We play Orlando tomorrow. I can tell you right now I know what they’re going to do, they know what we’re going to do. Steve and I shared exactly,” Rivers said Tuesday. “We’re looking at this as an opportunity to get better for both teams. So coaches are absolutely sharing things. We’re asking them in this quarter can you do this, on-side, out-of-bounds, can you do this defense, then what do you want me to do. I think it’s been great in that way.”
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
Time: 12 p.m. PT
Location: The Arena, Orlando, Florida
TV: Fox Sports Prime Ticket, NBA TV (Clippers radio announcer Noah Eagle will be calling the game remotely)
Streaming: fuboTV
Each NBA team will begin the scrimmage phase with one 40-minute game with four 10-minute quarters to ease the players back into game shape. The following two scrimmage games will run the normal length of 48 minutes and promise to deliver higher levels of intensity.
The Clippers are in the very first game that the league is staging in Orlando (perhaps that’s why they’re playing the “home” team). This will be the first opportunity for fans to view the courts at Disney World, see what games look like without fans, and listen to all of the chatter among the players, who will be wearing uniforms with their own names as the social justice messages won’t be debuting until the seeding games.
More news for Wednesday:
- As the NBA prepares to return from its hiatus, The Wall Street Journal looks back at the first American basketball game that was cancelled due to the coronavirus.
- Nekias Duncan looked at which NBA players are least reliant on homecourt advantage, and two Clippers have done very well on the road.
- More musings on life in the bubble, where Austin Rivers hasn’t yet run into his dad, even though he knows where to find him.
- The Inglewood City Council approved the environmental impact report for the Clippers arena. Construction is set to begin in the summer of 2021.