The Los Angeles Clippers will host the Hornets in the NBA regular season, and since Leonard's injury absence, the Clippers' nine-game winning streak has come to an end, losing to the Thunder and Celtics, two powerhouses this season. As expected, the Thunder and Celtics are the test of the Clippers' true strength, and it is a little regrettable that the absence of the small card is not the complete strength of the Clippers.
Although the Clippers currently sit in fifth place in the West with a 17-12 overall record, the next few teams are in hot pursuit, with the Mavericks, Pelicans, Rockets, Lakers, Warriors and Suns all close behind, and they will be overtaken if they are not careful.
This game against the Hornets is an easy game for the Clippers recently, and the Hornets are currently in the third lowest overall position in the East and are on a seven-game losing streak, which gives the Clippers a chance to win.
The Hornets actually have no shortage of offensive personnel, with seven players averaging double-doubles per game this season, but since the injury of core player Ball, the team has basically missed the victory, and the record is closely following the bottom-ranked Wizards and Pistons.
Facing the Hornets in the East, the Clippers only need to do the following to win.
First of all, you have to pay enough attention to the defensive end!The Clippers don't think they're a losing streak and take it lightly on the defensive end.
It has been mentioned before that the Hornets have a lot of players who can score despite Ball's absence. Rochier, Hayward, Washington, Bridges and Miller, among others, could all be scorers for the Hornets, and once they find their touch, they won't lose to the Clippers on the offensive end.
In the previous two games, the Clippers did a poor job on the defensive end, allowing the Thunder to score 134 points, and the Celtics to score 145 points!
Secondly, the offensive end should be more rational!
This season's Clippers are not short of offensive players, and the arrival of Harden has activated the entire team, and Harden has played at a very high level during the nine-game winning streak.
Despite Harden combing on the court, Mann and Powell and others also have to be more aggressive, facing the Celtics in the last game, they still chose to shoot on the outside when they had a very poor hand, and the two combined for 3 of 19!When you don't feel good shooting, you should be more aggressive and choose a more consistent way to score instead of shooting from the outside.
The most critical point to win depends on Harden, George's scoring ability is undoubted, but relatively speaking, George prefers individual ability to score. Harden, on the other hand, needs to lead his teammates, and not only that, but he also has to play his own scoring ability, so that the Clippers will play relatively easily.
If the Clippers themselves lack aggression and the Hornets don't have a chance to win the game.
With the team suffering a two-game losing streak, as Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said, despite the team's full schedule, it cannot be used as an excuse to lose the game, and the team needs to regroup.
And this game against the underdog Hornets is their chance to restart their winning streak. Just imagine, the Clippers will seize the opportunity. And Harden struggled in the last game, and this game is optimistic that he will change and will step up and lead the Clippers to a big victory.