Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers

As 2024 closes, it’s a good time to reflect on how the year treated the San Antonio Spurs. While they certainly started the year on a rough note, they’ve finished strong, going .500 in the new NBA season. On New Year’s Eve, the Spurs will have a chance to finish the year strong and head into 2025 with a record above .500.

They’ll need to overcome a tough Los Angeles Clippers squad in order to do so. The Clips have been a top-5 defense in the NBA without Kawhi Leonard, who has missed the beginning of the season due to injuries. Outside of their leading scorers, James Harden and Norman Powell, LA has some scrappy players like Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac, who make life tough for opposing teams. Los Angeles is coming off a late-game victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.

San Antonio lost their previous meeting with the Clippers this season despite jumping out to an early 40-14 lead. The Spurs have played two straight games in which they failed to score over 20 points in a quarter. Another frame like that could be disastrous for San Antonio on Tuesday night.

This game marks a difficult stretch of the Spurs’ schedule in which they’ll only play three games against teams with a losing record in January. Getting a win to end the year could help them build momentum going into what will likely be a difficult month.

December 31st, 2024 | 6:00 PM CT

Watch: FanDuel Southwest | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: David Duke Jr. – Out (G League), Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), Riley Minix – Out (G League)

Clippers Injuries: (coming off back-to-back, must report by 1 p.m. CT)

What to watch for

The Spurs bench unit

San Antonio has gotten uneven play from its bench lately. Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson hasn’t found an answer at backup center, Stephon Castle has struggled, and the wings haven’t given consistent production. Because of this, the Spurs bench rotation has fluctuated over the last few games. The Clippers are a fairly deep squad with contributors like Nic Batum, Amir Coffey, and Kevin Porter Jr. coming off their bench. It will be interesting to see what combination of players Johnson uses to contend with the Clippers’ depth.

Keeping Zubac off the glass

If the Spurs aren’t careful, Zubac will make them pay on the glass. In their last matchup, Zubac snatched up 13 rebounds; 10 were offensive. The Spurs just gave up 11 offensive rebounds to Rudy Gobert on Sunday night. They have to find a way to limit the Clippers’ second opportunities – that starts with making things difficult for Zubac in the paint.

Consistent offense

San Antonio cannot afford to have the offensive droughts they’ve experienced in the last two games. Part of that has to do with the inability of the second unit to create consistent advantages in the half-court. The Spurs’ offense cannot be Wembanyama-or-bust against the Clippers’ defense. Offensive drivers like Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson have to find ways to score, making the Spurs a more dynamic attack. An inefficient night from the supporting cast could bury San Antonio.

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