NBA Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night at the Staples Center. This will be the teams’ third meeting this season. The Spurs already lead the season head-to-head by 2-0 having defeated the Clippers
both at home and away matches.
In their last meeting at the AT&T center on the 11th of last month, the Spurs defeated the Clippers by a margin of 12 points. Notable performances were given by shooting guard Manu Ginobili and forward Richard Jefferson
who both scored 22 points apiece. The last match that the Clippers won against the Spurs was back in 2006 when they hosted the team, defeating them 98-85.
Coming fresh from a win last night, the Spurs recorded their eighth straight road win for the season when they defeated the Golden State Warriors in an away match. With Ginobili scoring 27 points and star forward Tim Duncan recording
his first triple-double for the season, the Spurs thrashed the Warriors with a 118-98 victory. Though he missed 9 of his 15 shots, Duncan scored 15 points with 18 rebounds and 11 assists.
His last triple-double came in 2008 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Talking to the press, Duncan said, "I couldn't make a shot so I figured I'd pass it and let somebody else make a shot. I wasn't trying to do it. Just the flow
of the game and the plays that were being called."
The Spurs top the Western Conference in the team standings with a 15-2 mark for the season. With a perfect 8-0 record on the road, their win-loss mark for home matches rests at 7-2. Their last defeat came on Friday when they hosted
the Dallas Mavericks. Mavericks ended the Spurs’ twelve-game winning streak with a 103-94 win. The Spurs bounced back in the next match and after having defeated the New Orleans Hornets (109-95) on Sunday and then the Warriors last night, the Spurs are back
on a two-game winning streak. Given their record against the Clippers, Duncan and the Spurs look to extend their winning streak by managing another win tonight.
With a short bench this season, the Clippers are having their worst season yet. In their last meeting with the Spurs, Clippers missed three of its players due to injuries. Chris Kaman was out due to a sprained left ankle, Baron
Davis had a sore left knee while Eric Gordon sported a shoulder injury. Although Gordon has returned to play, Kaman and Davis will most likely miss the match.
Clippers had until last week sported a 1-13 mark for the season. However, winning home matches against the Hornets last Monday and then against the Sacramento Kings last Thursday, they improved to a 3-15 mark for the season. They
had lost against the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz. Sporting a 3-7 mark at home this season, the Clippers don’t have much chances of winning against the Spurs, especially with a short bench.
Although Gordon and rookie Blake Griffin have taken to scoring points for the Clippers (averaging more than 20 points apiece), the Clippers still lack defensively allowing 105.1 points per game.
Although a long shot, the question still remains: will the Clippers finally win one against the Spurs? Or (as expected) will the Spurs extend their road wins to nine straight wins? All questions will be answered when the action
unfolds at the Staples Center.
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