Game Preview: Los Angeles Clippers vs Philadelphia 76ers

By Josh Wilson | Feb 8, 2016

Feb 7, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) drives to the basket as Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) applies pressure during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

The Philadelphia 76ers are looking for their first consecutive wins of the season against the tired Los Angeles Clippers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off of their seventh win of the season in Monday night’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, who are right in the middle of a 4-game road trip, in which they are 2-0 so far. The Clippers won impressively on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Heat, despite being bumped and bruised.

The Clippers have a few key injury problems. First off is Blake Griffin who will be out for a few weeks, who the Sixers were rumored to inquire about acquiring in a trade. Austin Rivers, son of the Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, is also out for a month or more.

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The two opponents are quite contrasting. The Sixers are the youngest team in the NBA, while the Clippers are the fourth oldest. The Clippers do a lot of things well, and among that is scoring, as they put up over 104 points per game largely due to their efficient 46.3 percent shooting that is fourth in the league. They are 10th in 3-pointers made per game in the league, so defending on all fronts will be important for Philly on Monday.

The Sixers are coming off of one of their seven wins over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, and have had a day to rest before this matchup. They won the game without their starting point guard Ish Smith, but he should be back in the rotation for Monday. The team might be better off playing him off the bench as he rests his ankle a bit more, though, since T.J. McConnell is coming off of his best game of the season.

McConnell, in the last game, scored 17 points and totaled 6 assists, with just 2 turnovers. He also forced 2 steals. His fight has kept him going all season, and the win over the Nets was largely seen as the game that Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor worked best together during, and that’s been credited to McConnell in some cases.

McConnell plays hard, and has great energy. I’d love to see him get the starting nod while Ish rests some more against the Clippers. Of course, the Sixers will need Ish in this one, but he can do just as well off of the bench.

The Clippers have a great point guard of their own in Chris Paul, who is fourth in the league in total assists, fifth in steals per game, and is eighth in player efficiency rating.

Additionally, the Sixers seem to be using Okafor more at the 4-spot, which has worked well. In the last game, he had 22 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks. It was quite possibly his best and most balanced performance in his short NBA career thus far.

Prediction

The Sixers will keep themselves in this for the first half against the tired Clippers, but they will turn it on in the second half to pull away. The Sixers aren’t even close to the talent level of the Clippers.

Next: Fighting Hard Is T.J. McConnell's Only Way

Where to catch the game

CSN Philly will broadcast the game
97.5 The Fanatic has the radio call
NBA League Pass is available for those who want to stream or are out of the market