After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers clinched another win against Anfernee Simons and co. tonight. A contest that was virtually over in the first quarter itself, ended with two lead changes & three ties 125-117 in favor of the LA side, per NBA.com. By grabbing an eight-point win, Kawhi Leonard and co. have improved to a 44-25 record. However, with the New Orleans Pelicans also winning their encounter against the Miami Heat, merely 1.5 games separate the Pels from the Clippers in the Western Conference standings. Despite the possibility of falling down a spot in the standings, Tyronn Lue isn’t too worried.
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Clinching a fairly one-sided 111-88 victory over Jimmy Butler and co., the New Orleans Pelicans now hold a 43-27 record. Due to the losing spree that the Clippers suffered during the second week of March, Willie Green’s boys are in striking distance, sitting merely 1.5 games behind them, per NBA.com.
During the postgame conference, when Ty Lue was asked about the Pels, he didn’t seem to be bothered about his team’s position in the standings. Instead, the 46-year-old head coach emphasized the importance of being healthy. Revealing that the West was going to be tough, irrespective of the seed, Lue wanted his squad to focus on being injury-free.
“I just wanna lock in to be healthy. It doesn’t matter, whoever we play. The west is tough anyway. It doesn’t matter who you play, where you play, start on the road, start at home, it’s gonna be tough. It hasn’t bothered or phased me. Just gotta be healthy,” Lue said, per Tomer Azarly.
Tyronn Lue when asked about the Pelicans closing in on the Clippers in the standings:
“I just wanna lock in to be healthy. It doesn’t matter, whoever we play. The west is tough anyway. It doesn’t matter who you play, where you play, start on the road, start at home, it’s gonna…
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 23, 2024
Ty Lue’s statements are justified. With the star-studded squad being led by Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook, the Clippers wouldn’t be afraid and have preferences of going up against any particular team in the postseason. As long as they don’t have to participate in the play-in tournament, the seeding won’t be that much of a concern.
Additionally, even if the Pelicans do surpass them in the standings, it is more than probable that the Clippers would still end up facing them in the first round. A switch between the Pelicans and the Clippers for the #4 and #5 seed will not have any difference at all.
Tyronn Lue has had his Big 4 be relatively injury-free
The Los Angeles Clippers have been unfortunate over the past few years, with their All-Star duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard being constantly sidelined due to injuries. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case this time around.
The trio of Leonard and George have only missed 5 out of 69 games, so far. Whereas, James Harden has been sidelined 6 times throughout the campaign. On the other hand, Russell Westbrook recently sustained a horrific injury.
After being healthy for virtually the first five months of the 2023-2024 season, Westbrook fractured his left hand at the beginning of March. However, according to reports, the veteran guard could make his return to the lineup as soon as this following week, well in advance of the playoff.
Further, crucial role players such as Ivica Zubac, Normal Powell, Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, and others have also suited up for the majority of the campaign, with no one missing more than 12 games, per ESPN.
Heading to the tail end of the season, the Clippers would want to close out the last three weeks of the campaign on a strong note to enter the postseason with momentum on their side. Irrespective of their seed, Tyronn Lue and co. will be touted as one of the strong contenders to lift the 2024 Larry O’Brien trophy.
