Brooklyn’s season-high six-game homestand will continue without one of its starters after Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was lost for a few months with a fractured ankle. The Nets rookie had settled into the starting lineup and provided some stability to a group that started to show signs of improvement after a terrible start. Of course you can’t do much worse than going 1-9 in your first 10 games.
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TRAVEL/SCHEDULING/LETDOWN/LOOK AHEAD
The Clippers continue their road swing with a stop in Brooklyn Friday night. Los Angeles opened the five-game trip with wins against Minnesota and Milwaukee, giving the Clips six wins in seven games. They also improved to 4-4 SU and 4-3-1 ATS on the road. Coach Doc Rivers has opted to hold his pregame shoot-arounds the evening before games on this trip instead of the customary morning of games because of the time difference between Eastern and Pacific time zones. The Clips have one stop left on their excursion with a game at Detroit on Monday before returning to the Staples Center. They’re also in a stretch where they play nine of their next 11 on the road.
The Nets are in the middle of a six-game homestand and looking to make up for lost time after a horrendous 1-9 start to the season. They have shown signs of improvement, going 5-6 in 11 games since and split the first two games of the homestand. They played the Warriors tough before caving in the fourth quarter Sunday and defeated Houston Tuesday, to sweep the season series with the Rockets. The roster suffered a blow this week, however, when rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson fractured his ankle. He’ll be out for at least two months and will be hard to replace.
INJURIES
Hollis-Jefferson is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks after undergoing surgery on his right ankle Wednesday, the team announced. Hollis-Jefferson is averaging 5.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while making 14 starts for the Nets. Bojan Bogdanovic will be starting in his absence.
The Nets are expected to get center Andrea Bargnani back in the lineup after he missed several games with a hamstring injury.
KEY MATCHUP
It’s easy to forget that Jamal Crawford was a point guard coming into the NBA. He’s become such a prolific scorer that his passing skills are usually overlooked, especially late in games when points are needed and shots are so tempting for the veteran shooting guard who is one of the top 100 scorers in league history. Then there are nights like Monday, when Crawford’s passes make the difference. He threw a lob to DeAndre Jordan for a dunk and found Blake Griffin for the layup that put the Clippers ahead to stay during a 110-106 victory over the Timberwolves. “I have that, I guess, asset just tucked away,” said Crawford, who finished the game with seven assists to go with his 18 points. Crawford said he wants to do whatever it takes to help the Clippers win, something they’ve done with more regularity recently, prevailing in six of seven games following a victory in Milwaukee on Wednesday. Hollis-Jefferson is the Nets sparkplug defensively and the team will suffer initially with him out of the lineup. The Clippers will take advantage with Crawford tossing daggers at the Nets second unit.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
The Nets have played better since their horrible start but they likely dug themselves a deep enough hole that they can’t climb out. In relative terms, the Clippers also had an awful start to the season, but they are more talented and a likely candidate for a top seed in the Western Conference. The Clips got Chris Paul and J.J. Redick back from injuries and the rotations have set up nicely for Rivers. Crawford and Wesley Johnson moved back to their familiar roles off the bench, but is Luc Mbah a Moute the answer at small forward? The Clips need another body to fill that role with their quartet of stars. It may work in the regular season against teams like the Nets, but when the big boys come calling, I don’t think that lineup will work. It will on Saturday as the Clippers continue their roll with a win over the Nets.
Los Angeles 107, Brooklyn 98
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