Clips Nation - Clippers-Nets game coverageWhat it do babyyyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47967/clipsnation_fave.png2016-02-29T22:20:03-08:00http://www.clipsnation.com/rss/stream/96891612016-02-29T22:20:03-08:002016-02-29T22:20:03-08:00Final: Clippers 105, Nets 95
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<p>The L.A. Clippers beat the Brooklyn Nets, 105-95, Monday night, but that wasn't the real story. The Clippers unveiled their new mascot, and he is phenomenal. </p> <p>The Los Angeles Clippers were able to overcome a suboptimal effort to beat the Brooklyn Nets 105-95 Monday night. <span>Chris Paul</span> followed Friday's stellar 40-point showing with a tidy 23-point, 13-assist effort as LAC was able to avoid the disappointing upset. The 17-43 Nets showed some heart but ultimately weren't able to overcome the sizable talent discrepancy. But, really, this game was all about what happened at halftime when the Clippers unveiled their new mascot, Chuck the Condor.</p>
<p><b>1st quarter</b></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a>, as they've done quite a bit lately against inferior teams, came out flat on both ends of the floor. Brooklyn sped out to a 10-2 start on the back of <span>Brook Lopez</span> and <span>Thaddeus Young</span> who combined for seven of the first 10 points. LAC answered with a 10-2 run of their own, though, as <span>Paul Pierce</span> scored five straight against his former club. There was a frenetic pace to the beginning of this game, though both teams were struggling to convert. The teams essentially traded buckets for the remainder of the period. <span>J.J. Redick</span> got off to a fine start, going 4-for-4 from the stripe and 2-for-2 from three to lead L.A. with 10 in the first. After one, the Clips held a 29-27 lead.</p>
<p><b>2nd quarter</b></p>
<p>Both teams rolled out all-bench groups to start the second, and neither was able to assert itself enough to gain any separation. Despite that classically questionable <span>Jamal Crawford</span> shot selection, Jamal got off to a hot start himself scoring a quick 12 on 4-for-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from long range. Unfortunately, no other reserve was really able to get going. <span>Jeff Green</span>, following a strong game last Friday, missed his first four shots. He'd finish with seven points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes of action.</p>
<p>Once again, the Clippers were playing down to the level of their opponent. The <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Nets</a> weren't doing a whole lot of scoring, but LAC repeatedly missed chances to assert their will. Just before the break, though, a Redick longball capped a 15-4 Clipper run to give the home team a 52-46 advantage.</p>
<p><b>Halftime</b></p>
<p>It was evident throughout the first half that the Clipper players were just distracted by the looming mascot unveiling. A condor!? Named Chuck!? TELL US MORE. The Clippers haven't had a mascot since this thing, so it's easy to see why there was so much anticipation:</p>
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<p>Beyonce and Jay-Z were also sitting courtside, and they were obviously there to see the condor. And, man, were they in for a treat.</p>
<p>The impeccably-named "Chuck the Condor" (certainly a nod to Jamal) flew down from the rafters and revealed himself to the world. Helmet, kneepads, arm bands, No. 213 jersey, cheap cut-off sweatpants shorts and all. What's with all the padding? Does he ride motorcycles? Is all this protection a tribute to the Clips' dubious reputation as floppers? And why can't they give him shorts to match the jersey? It looks like he's wearing a frayed diaper. But one thing we do know is that Chuck can dab (via @FlyByKnite):</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Y'ALL, THERE IS A PICTURE OF CHUCK DABBING <a href="https://t.co/zwkvITqRKi">pic.twitter.com/zwkvITqRKi</a></p>
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/704533942041341952">March 1, 2016</a>
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<p>The halftime festivities were capped off with Steve Ballmer dunking off a trampoline, because CLIPPER NATION IS LIT, Y'ALL (h/t @TheCauldron):</p>
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<p><b>3rd quarter</b></p>
<p>Green got the start in place of the injured Luc Mbah a Moute in the third after LMAM left with an eyelid laceration late in the second. He didn't return, and Doc Rivers said afterward that he's doubtful to play Wednesday.</p>
<p>Both teams were so awestruck by the majestic mascot that the actual game continued to lack any sort of flow following the break. A 7-0 Brooklyn run capped by a <span>Bojan Bogdanovic</span> three-ball put the Nets back in front 70-69. Did I mention that the Clippers have a habit of playing down to teams like this? What had been a six-point Clipper lead was flipped into a six-point deficit after a Thad Young hook shot.</p>
<p>LAC was finally able to string something together after that, though, as they mounted a quick 10-0 surge - buoyed by Crawford - to close the frame to take an 81-79 lead into the fourth.</p>
<p><b>4th quarter</b></p>
<p>The fourth began with <span>Wesley Johnson</span> throwing the ball out of bounds, in case you needed an indication of how poorly the Clippers were playing in this game. On the bright side, the Nets cemented their status as an awful basketball team early in the frame. They turned the ball over three times in the fourth's first four minutes as the Clips were finally able to build a definitive lead at 87-80. <span>Doc Rivers</span> decided to bring Paul and Jordan back into the game early to try and put this one away.</p>
<p>Brooklyn's first FG of the quarter came on a Lopez flush just ahead of the halfway point, but LAC rallied to eventually push the lead up to 11 with another Crawford jumper with 3:12 to go. It was the Clippers' largest lead of the game to this point and the first time all night it seemed as though they had full control.</p>
<p>For the first time all game (Chuck the Condor NOT included), things finally got exciting following back-to-back alley-oops from Paul to Jordan that put Lawler's Law into effect. Lopez is a subpar defender and athlete, yet LAC hadn't really been able to take advantage of either until this point. An acrobatic, driving layup from CP3 effectively iced the game with about a minute to go, and the Clips capped off the 105-95 win with yet another D.J. lob.</p>
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<p>The Clippers were able to sneak out of this game with a W, but it was far from convincing. The Nets are one of the league's bottom-feeders, but they showed good fight in sticking with L.A. throughout. This game was largely uneventful, so let's forget about that and watch one of the aforementioned DeAndre jams (via @TheCauldron):</p>
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<p>D.J.'s head looks like it's at least half a foot above the rim, which is absurd.</p>
<p>The Clippers may have gotten away with doing a little looking ahead with the <a href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Thunder</a> set to invade STAPLES Center in a couple of days. After that, LAC will face Atlanta, Dallas, OKC again, New York, Cleveland, San Antonio and Houston. That's quite the difficult schedule, and the Clippers were lucky to avoid the slip-up in this one. The defense was stellar, particularly in the second half, as the Nets shot just under 42% for the game.</p>
<p>Los Angeles was almost completely dependent on the backcourt offensively, with Crawford, Paul and Redick combining to score 68 points. Crawford led all scorers with 23 on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, while Brooklyn got a double-double (25 points, 10 boards) from Brook Lopez.</p>
<p>The Clippers (39-20) have now won 11 of the last 12 games against the Nets at STAPLES Center, and will continue the climb to the No. 3 seed in the West against the Thunder on Wednesday.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2016/2/29/11137100/los-angeles-clippers-brooklyn-nets-chuck-condor-chris-paul-brook-lopez-deandre-jordan-steve-ballmerTaylor C. Smith2015-12-13T05:00:05-08:002015-12-13T05:00:05-08:00Film Room: Inside the 24-8 Nets run in the 4th
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<p>With 8 minutes to go, the Los Angeles Clippers had an 85-67 lead, and then the Brooklyn Nets went on a 24-8 run in 4:10 to cut the lead down to 2 points. This Film Room examines what the Nets did on offense.</p> <p class="pgh-paragraph has-dropcap" id="paragraph0"><font face="verdana">Despite not trailing over the final 41 or so minutes, the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Clippers</a> weren’t without incident during Saturday’s win against the <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Brooklyn Nets</a>. They built a sizeable lead, watched it quickly deplete, and then had to gut out a victory in the final couple of minutes. It wasn’t pretty. During a little over four minutes, the Nets cut an 18-point deficit down to just 2 by hitting some shots they were missing earlier, but also by getting much more favorable matchups in other areas. This edition of the Film Room will look at that run, and see what, if anything, led to the lead decreasing.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">In the 24-8 run that they gave up, the Clippers still shot 3-of-6 from the field. It wasn’t as if their offensive production went ice cold or anything like that. The Clippers still were able to hit some shots, but Brooklyn also did a smart thing by taking Los Angeles out of their offensive rhythm by intentionally fouling <span>DeAndre Jordan</span>. In that sequence, Jordan went just 1-of-4 from the line. The Nets came down the court time and time again after Clippers possessions, and they mostly got fantastic shots or quality mismatches. Let’s take a look at Brooklyn’s scoring spurt.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">This possession is the second one in Brooklyn’s run. The first possession ended in <span>Jarrett Jack</span> free throws. This is the first one that sees the Nets put the ball through, well, the net. Jack and <span>Andrea Bargnani</span> run a simple pick-and-pop action at the top that’s designed to get Bargnani or Jack free for a jumper. Neither happens. However, Jack spots <span>Thaddeus Young</span> posted up against <span>Paul Pierce</span> on the right block. Jack passes to Young, and Young proceeds to drop in a little left-handed post hook that gets Brooklyn off and rolling. There’s nothing Pierce can even do here. It’s a tough-ish shot, but Young is crafty.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">The Clippers shut down this possession decently early on, but the movement by Young off the ball to give Jack a lane to pass the ball is pretty important. It allowed the Nets to get a third option look at the basket. That third option was a post-up possession for a player averaging 1.05 points per possession and 55.6 percent shooting on post-ups. Any time you can dump the ball to someone like that, it’s a good result. Young uses his length advantage to get his shot off against Pierce, and the Nets cut into the deficit just a little more.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">Next time down the court, the Nets run the pick-and-pop action again. However, this time the Nets get the shot they really want. Bargnani runs a slip screen, and he pops at about 20 feet. <span>Austin Rivers</span> rides the hip of Jarrett Jack over the top of the screen, and DeAndre Jordan shuffles over to stop any paint penetration. Unfortunately, Jack has a clear passing lane back to Bargnani after a reverse pivot, and Bargnani fires an absolutely wide open mid-range jumper that splashes home. This is where the new pick-and-roll coverage by the Clippers comes back to haunt them, and the next play also will show it.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">On the ensuing possession, the Nets once again run the pick-and-pop. Jack starts on the right wing, and then he crosses over back to the left wing to get another slip screen from Bargnani. Rivers recovers over the top of the screen, Jordan is set to defend the drive, and Jack pocket passes back to Bargnani just below the arc for another wide open mid-range jumper. And, yet again, Bargnani sinks it. The new pick-and-roll coverage takes a beating two plays in a row.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">The issue here for the Clippers is that Jordan doesn’t respect the big man that’s popping out. The same thing happened over and over again in the prior game against the <a href="https://www.blogabull.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Bulls</a>, but it’s also something that’s happened all season long. The Clippers want the big man to stay in the paint rather than with the popping big. Maybe that’d have been an adequate system five years ago, but now it’s asking for trouble. Jordan should have helped and recovered rather than just helping and staying. <span>Blake Griffin</span> was on the back line to defend the Jack drive, and that’s where communication should have happened. Jordan needs to step out on the shooter. This is something that has plagued the team all season.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">With the Clippers lead down to 14, the Nets come down to work another pick-and-pop action between Jack and Bargnani. As Bargnani flares on the slip screen, Rivers switches onto him to negate the open jumper. This leads to Jack having to isolate against Jordan just above the left wing. Jack backs up a little bit, inches forward, gets Jordan on his heels, and then Jack fires up a slightly contested three that goes down. Jordan could have played this a little better, though. When Jack starts to walk Jordan down, Jordan, for some reason, stays flat-footed and switches his stance. This positioning gives Jack just enough space to hoist the three. Jordan needed to get up on Jack more here. Still, it’s a fantastic shot in its own right.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">The lead is down to 13 points here, and the Nets are about to trim it just a little bit more. Because of the cross screen action at the free throw line, Blake Griffin has to switch onto Thaddeus Young, and DeAndre Jordan is stuck guarding Andrea Bargnani. When the switch happens, <span>Joe Johnson</span> swings the ball to Bargnani on the right side for what could be an open jumper. Jordan reads this, but he does something bad. Instead of just forcing Bargnani into a tough decision, Jordan closes out way too fast, and this action allows Bargnani to beat Jordan to the baseline. Bargnani gets around Jordan, goes up for the layup, and Jordan has no choice but to foul him.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">This is absolutely pitiful defense by Jordan here. Yeah, he gets switched onto Bargnani, but Jordan absolutely cannot let Bargnani beat him off the dribble on a closeout. It’s absolutely pathetic. The Nets attacked Jordan over and over in this sequence. They bet on Jordan playing the pick-and-pop conservatively, which he did, and then they bet on him getting antsy because of that, which he did. This wasn’t a good look for the third place finisher in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season. Bargnani’s spacing really impacted Los Angeles’ defense during this entire stretch. Jordan needed to run out to Bargnani, but he should have done so under more control. This can’t happen.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">With the lead down to 12, the Nets needed a spark to cut it even more. They got it in the form of a tough shot. Jarrett Jack comes off a Thaddeus Young screen near the right elbow, and the Clippers defense starts to gravitate towards the strongside movement. Jack comes off the screen ready to shoot, and he sort of shot fakes, and then he pass fakes. From there, he finds Joe Johnson wide open on the weakside wing because <span>Wesley Johnson</span> left him alone to defend the rolling Young. Jack hits Joe with the pass, and Wesley closes out on him, but Joe knocks down the triple to cut the deficit down to single digits.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">In reality, the Clippers played this semi-well. When Jack comes off the screen, the defense is there to greet him. There’s no pass to the rolling big because Wesley digs down to prevent it despite Jordan’s weird jumping attempt to block the air. Griffin jumps out on Bargnani, Crawford is with his man in the corner, and Wesley recovers to Joe. The shot is highly contested, but the veteran Brooklyn wingman knocks it down anyways. This is just a guy knocking down a tough shot.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">The Nets get a rebound here and push the ball up the court. Jack fires it up to Joe Johnson on the right wing, and Johnson immediately dribble drives to his left to draw the defense towards him. Due to the hard sprinting by Young into the paint, <span>J.J. Redick</span> has to dig down and prevent a pass to the rim. Jordan is playing a rover role, and that’s where Redick’s help defense came in handy. However, Johnson swings the ball to Redick’s man, <span>Bojan Bogdanovic</span>, in the corner. Redick attempts to recover, but he’s too late to give an adequate contest. Bogdanovic fires the shot, the ball goes in, and the deficit is back into single digits once more.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Los Angeles’ defense was in scramble mode during this entire play, but they also clamped down on an easy bucket before giving up a semi-contested look. Redick did his best to help and recover, but he was simply too late on this play. Credit the Nets on this entire play. They got the Clippers out of sorts by pushing the ball up the court, and then they got a good look from a good spot by doing so. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the other team.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">This is an elaborate pick-and-roll set designed to get Bargnani on a pop action initially. However, the Clippers defend the first action really well. This leads the Nets into a secondary pick action that forces the Clippers into a switch by putting <span>Chris Paul</span> on Andrea Bargnani in the post. Bargnani gets the switch, Jack gets him the ball, and Bargnani faces up, draws contact, and scores the bucket while drawing a foul. Because of this, the Clippers see their lead dwindle from 7 to 4 in the blink of an eye. Bargnani really killed the Clippers in the fourth quarter offensively, and this play illustrates just another way he was able to make an impact.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">Finally, we get see the Nets attacking another mismatch. Brooklyn spots J.J. Redick guarding Thaddeus Young in the post, and Jack gets him the ball after turning down a pick from Bargnani. Young gets the ball near the right elbow, spins to the left, and then spins back to his right almost immediately so that he can hoist up a left-handed hook shot. The ball splashes through, and the Clippers now see their lead down to just 2 points. Young used his length, strength, and moves in the post to take advantage of Redick.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">During the run, the Nets got some timely makes on tough shots, but they also took advantage of the Clippers’ lackadaisical defense at times. The Clippers routinely switched guards onto good post players, and they also didn’t play the pick-and-roll nearly as well as they should have. It was a perfect marriage of good offense, bad defense, and proper movement. Runs happen in basketball. It’s one of the things that makes the sport so great, but the Clippers allowed a run at one of the worst times.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Had they stayed engaged defensively then perhaps none of this happens. As it goes, they still won the game. However, routinely allowing quality shooting big men to get wide open looks from the mid-range, letting guards defend in the post against solid to good post players, and just having lapses defensively is not the way to go about business. They’ll need to pick it up in the future to avoid this type of sluggish play. Credit the Nets, though. They took advantage.</font></p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2015/12/13/10021806/film-room-inside-the-24-8-run-by-the-brooklyn-nets-in-the-fourth-quarter-los-angeles-clippersJustin Russo2015-12-12T16:58:04-08:002015-12-12T16:58:04-08:00Clips break road losing streak, beat Nets 105-100
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<figcaption>Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Lawler's Law prevailed as the Clippers broke their 7-game road losing streak to the Nets, but it wasn't as easy for the good guys as we might've hoped.</p> <p>It was a tale of two halves for the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a>, who have quite the knack for turning a potential blowout win into something far more sinister and and unnerving.</p>
<p>The Clippers went up big rather easily in the first half by creating offensive opportunities because of defensive efforts, which was aided by hot shooting from <span>J.J. Redick</span> and a near-perfect half from <span>Chris Paul</span>. The game had personality and flow for the Clippers early, as they led 57-44 at halftime.</p>
<p>Things got testy late in the second quarter though, when <span>Thaddeus Young</span> pushed J.J. Redick to the ground, eliciting a strong reaction from Deandre Jordan. The play was initially ruled a common foul, but after a long review, Young was issued a Flagrant 1 foul and DJ was handed a technical. Say, don't you hate reading this kind of recap and read of an in-game ruckus like this, and not having immediate access to video of it? Me too, man. I got you.</p>
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<p>Good to see the big man jumping to JJ's defense. Proud of you guys!</p>
<p>But, true to form, the Clippers came out flat in the second half, and a lackadaisical effort on defense led to some good looks for Brooklyn, who decided they'd capitalize on the Clips' shortcomings. The second unit played fairly well for the Clippers throughout the game, even in the second half. But the moment the starters returned in the fourth, Brooklyn made their run.</p>
<p>But before we get to that, the second half was not free of a ruckus either, no sir. The travesty of the decade--nay--the century (!) occurred when friendly grandfather figure and current Clipper great <span>Paul Pierce</span> pump faked at the three point line, drove the lane and put up a left-handed dunk over Thaddeus Young--but the GOSH DARN BUCKET WAS CALLED OFF because of an "offensive foul." Well, NBA officials, your call of a foul was offensive. I jest, of course, but c'mon. He's 38.</p>
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<p>Papa Pierce finished with 10 points off the bench.</p>
<p>Brooklyn made a push late and cut the lead to two after making eight straight hoops in the waning minutes of the fourth, but <span>Blake Griffin</span> and Chris Paul turned to their bread and butter to right the ship. An aggressive driving slam dunk from Blake opened up the rim for him, as he nailed his next two long jumpers. CP3 hit his signature floater late and sunk two free throws late to seal the deal.</p>
<p>Blake finished with 21 points and nine rebounds and Chris Paul had a stunning 15 points and 14 assists. J.J. Redick had a big game, finishing with 21 points including shooting 4-6 from three. Despite how close this game became, here's this fun fact from Justin Russo, who was live tweeting the game on <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ClipsNationSBN">@ClipsNationSBN</a>: Clippers never trailed after Redick hit a three to give them the lead with 5:38 to go in the 1st quarter. They led the final 41:38.</p>
<p>It wasn't as easy a road to the finish line as it could have been, but the Clippers got another road win and broke a long Brooklyn/New Jersey drought in the process. They'll head to Detroit next and play the <a href="https://www.detroitbadboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link" style="background-color: #ffffff;">Pistons</a> on Monday evening.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2015/12/12/10004464/clippers-break-road-losing-streak-beat-nets-105-100Jul Jessup2015-12-12T13:45:02-08:002015-12-12T13:45:02-08:00Los Angeles Clippers at Brooklyn Nets
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<p>Go Clippers!</p> <p></p>
<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table"> <tbody> <tr> <th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#ED174C"><font color="white">2015-16 NBA Regular Season</font></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center> <img src="https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4180880/lacballlogo.0.png"> </center></td> <th align="center" width="20"><strong><font size="4">@</font></strong></th> <td width="240"><center><img src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4432305/netslogo.0.png"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center><strong><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> (13-10)</strong></center></td> <th align="center" width="20"></th> <td width="240"><center><strong><a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Brooklyn Nets</a> (7-15)</strong></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#006BB6"><font color="white"><strong>December 12, 2015 — 2:00 PM PT</strong></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>Prime Ticket, YES, The Beast 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#006BB6"><font color="white">Projected Starters</font></th> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><strong><span>Chris Paul</span></strong></td> <th align="center" width="20">PG</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Jarrett Jack</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><strong><span>J.J. Redick</span></strong></td> <th align="center" width="20">SG</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Bojan Bogdanovic</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><strong><a href="www.sbnation.com/nba/players/35092/luc-mbah-a-moute" class="sbn-auto-link">Luc Richard Mbah a Moute</a></strong></td> <th align="center" width="20">SF</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Joe Johnson</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><strong><span>Blake Griffin</span></strong></td> <th align="center" width="20">PF</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Thaddeus Young</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><strong><span>DeAndre Jordan</span></strong></td> <th align="center" width="20">C</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Brook Lopez</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <th bgcolor="#006BB6" colspan="3" align="center"><font color="white">Efficiency Stats ('15-'16)</font></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><strong>99.27 (12th)</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">Pace</th> <td width="240"><strong>98.76 (16th)</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><strong>103.7 (7th)</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">OffRtg</th> <td width="240"><strong>97.3 (28th)</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><strong>101.0 (14th)</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">DefRtg</th> <td width="240"><strong>103.0 (19th)</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><strong>+2.6 (10th)</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">NetRtg</th> <td width="240"><strong>-5.7 (25th)</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#006BB6"><strong><font color="white">Injury Report</font></strong></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><strong></strong></td> <th width="20" align="center"></th> <td width="240" style="text-align: left;"><strong><span>Rondae Hollis-Jefferson</span> (Out) Ankle</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><strong></strong></td> <th width="20" align="center"></th> <td width="240" style="text-align: left;"><strong><span>Chris McCullough</span> (Out) Knee</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><strong></strong></td> <th width="20" align="center"></th> <td width="240" style="text-align: left;"><strong><span>Andrea Bargnani</span> (Questionable) Hamstring</strong></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2015/12/12/9925172/gamethread-los-angeles-clippers-at-brooklyn-netsJul Jessup2015-12-12T00:00:02-08:002015-12-12T00:00:02-08:00Preview: Los Angeles Clippers at Brooklyn Nets
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7oVqqP5DZScvmlHYGfrpQXH1AKE=/0x0:3386x2257/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47882263/usa-today-8363263.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Clippers had their 3-game win streak snapped on Thursday while the Nets are riding a season-high 2-game win streak. Last year's game in Brooklyn ended in heartbreak for the Clippers.</p> <p> </p>
<table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" cellspacing="5" border="1" cellpadding="5" align="center">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="#ED174C" colspan="3" align="center"><font color="white">2015-16 NBA Regular Season</font></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center> <img src="https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4180880/lacballlogo.0.png">
</center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><b><font size="4">@</font></b></th>
<td width="240"><center><img src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4432305/netslogo.0.png"></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b><a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Clippers</a> (13-10)</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.netsdaily.com/">Brooklyn Nets</a> (7-15)</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#006BB6" colspan="3" align="center"><font color="white"><b>December 12, 2015 — 2:00 PM PT</b></font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>Prime Ticket, YES, The Beast 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="#006BB6" colspan="3" align="center"><font color="white">Projected Starters</font></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Chris Paul</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Jarrett Jack</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>J.J. Redick</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Bojan Bogdanovic</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="www.sbnation.com/nba/players/35092/luc-mbah-a-moute">Luc Richard Mbah a Moute</a></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Joe Johnson</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Blake Griffin</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Thaddeus Young</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>DeAndre Jordan</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">C</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Brook Lopez</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#006BB6"><font color="white">Efficiency Stats ('15-'16)</font></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><b>99.27 (12th)</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>98.76 (16th)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><b>103.7 (7th)</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">OffRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>97.3 (28th)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><b>101.0 (14th)</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">DefRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>103.0 (19th)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><b>+2.6 (10th)</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">NetRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>-5.7 (25th)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="#006BB6" colspan="3" align="center"><b><font color="white">Injury Report</font></b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><b></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td style="text-align: left;" width="240"><b><span>Rondae Hollis-Jefferson</span> (Out) Ankle</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><b></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td style="text-align: left;" width="240"><b><span>Chris McCullough</span> (Out) Knee</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><b></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td style="text-align: left;" width="240"><b><span>Andrea Bargnani</span> (Questionable) Hamstring</b></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>The Los Angeles Clippers are coming off of a tough three-point loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Chicago Bulls</a> on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets have won two in a row – granted the last one came against the terrible <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/">Philadelphia 76ers</a>. The Nets upended the Clippers at the buzzer last season when the two met at Barclays Center. It was an improbable comeback for Brooklyn, a sad collapse for the Clippers, and a huge shot by Jarrett Jack. Clippers have to avoid a similar fate this time around.</p>
<p>Brook Lopez leads the Nets in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting. He’s always a tough cover considering his vast array of post moves, as well as a deadly mid-range jumper (47.5 percent on 16-to-24 foot shots this season). DeAndre Jordan will have to be on his A-game to stop Lopez. Thaddeus Young averages 16.2 points on 52.8 percent shooting, but he’s not a threat outside of the arc. He has his own arsenal of crafty shots and mid-range jumpers that the Clippers will have to honor.</p>
<p>The Nets are a poor offensive team, which isn’t shocking considering the lack of floor spacing that is going on there, but they can get key shots from several players. Joe Johnson is still there to provide some veteran shot-making ability, and Jack is more than capable of his own heroics. After playing a bad offensive team on Thursday night, the Clippers get another one in this game. Hopefully it goes a lot better than it did against the Bulls, though.</p>
<p>Blake Griffin still leads the Clippers in scoring, and that’s not a shocker considering how good he is. His ejection against the Bulls was something people have been talking about for the last couple days, but what’s done is done. Griffin’s been struggling with his jumper lately, but the red-headed freckle-faced jumping jack will be needed to dust off the Superman cape once again if the Clippers are to win this game.</p>
<p>Chris Paul’s still struggling with his own issues, but the Point God is capable of having an awesome performance whenever the team needs it. His miscues at the end of last game have been beaten over the head, but let’s not overlook his key shots earlier in the fourth quarter to help keep the Clippers close. He’s still the second best player on the team, and they’ll need him to play like it.</p>
<b>Fun Fact</b>
<p>Jay-Z is no longer an NBA owner, but he’ll always be one of the best parts about Brooklyn Nets games. Hova had to sell his minority ownership stake in the Nets in order to pursue NBA certification so that he could become an agent. On the bright side, at least the world still has Beyonce.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2015/12/12/9905446/los-angeles-clippers-brooklyn-nets-meet-way-too-early-on-a-saturday-afternoonJul Jessup