How will the Milwaukee Bucks handle the Los Angeles Clippers’ offense by committee approach?
After losing Paul George to an elbow injury earlier this season, the Clippers’ biggest problem has been their offense. As you’d probably expect, it’s not easy to replace the production of an MVP finalist, who’s your leading scorer by eight points per game.
So the Clippers have needed to get offense from basically everyone. Reggie Jackson leads the team with 16.7 points per game, followed by Morris with 15.8, Luke Kennard with 12.1, and Terance Mann with 10.0. Add in the 18.7 points per game that Powell averaged with Portland and there are a lot of dudes to worry about for the Clippers, even if they aren’t big names.
The Bucks certainly learned that lesson in their loss to the Clippers in LA last year, where Morris (25), Kennard (21), and Jackson (20) all had big games along with Leonard’s 23 and Mann’s 14 off the bench. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that they could do that again, but with Powell providing the 23. They went 19-of-34 (55.9 percent) from 3 in that game and Leonard didn’t even hit one.
They were able to take advantage of the Bucks allowing them to take above-the-break 3s and they’re a team that can make a lot of 3s if they’re given those looks. In fact, they’re shooting nearly 40 percent on above the break 3s this season, the seventh-best mark in the league.
Still, the Bucks are one of the best defensive teams in the league and more than have the capability to slow down such a balanced attack. A lot of this game will come down to jump shooting on the Clippers’ part, though, and we’ve seen how streaky that can be.
Milwaukee got enough rest in their game last night with no starter going over 27 minutes, so they’ll be rested enough for this one in what should be a highly competitive affair.