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The Los Angeles Clippers took care of the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon, extending their winning streak to three games. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George led the way in their second game back from the NBA's health and safety protocols. Just hours later, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and the new-look Brooklyn Nets, who look good offensively but horrible defensively, suffered a shocking loss to the Washington Wizards.
The Clippers and Nets will face each other next in a game many have pegged as a must-watch thanks to the five All-Stars expected to take the court.
When asked about the game, Paul George acknowledged the hype around the game.
“Yeah, I think everyone is looking forward to that matchup,” George said. “This ball club and the world is looking forward to it. Should be a great showdown, great matchup. We just finished one, we will prepare for them tomorrow. But yeah, looking forward to that.”
Oddly enough, Kawhi Leonard was in no mood to talk about the Brooklyn Nets. When asked about it after the Clippers' win over the Knicks, Leonard brushed over it.
“It’s gonna be tough, but I’m not gonna think about that today.”
The Clippers will enter Tuesday's game with the NBA's best record at 16-5, the best 3-point shooting percentage, the best point differential, and the best net rating. Oh, and that's including the 51-point drubbing they received at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.
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Still, head coach Tyronn Lue knows there's work to be done.
“We definitely have to get better,” Lue said following the win over New York. “It’s still a process and we still have to get better. It’s a lot of stuff we have to add, a lot of stuff we have to take advantage of, mismatches and things like that, that we don’t have in right now. But what we have been getting better at is defensively.
“Just continuing to keep getting better defensively. Offensively, we’re doing a really good job of sharing the basketball and just playing at our pace, I think has been good for us.”
The Nets are entering Tuesday's game with a 13-9 record. According to StatMuse, Brooklyn currently boasts a 122.6 offensive rating since the James Harden trade. If that holds, that would not only be the best in the NBA, but the best of all time. However, they also have a 119.9 defensive rating in that span, which is currently worst in the NBA and would also be the worst of all time.
Additionally, both Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant are among the top candidates competing for NBA MVP. Leonard is averaging 25.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 50.8 percent shooting from the field, 41.0 percent from three, and 91.8 percent on free throws. Durant is averaging 30.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game on 52.0 percent shooting from the field, 44.7 percent from 3, and 87.3 percent from the charity stripe.
The Clippers and Nets will tip off Tuesday night at 4:30 p.m. PT on TNT.
