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The Indiana Pacers have given the talented Los Angeles Clippers fits over the past couple of years winning three of the last four matchups including both games last year. Effort, especially on the defensive end, has leaned in Indiana's favor in the past, but tonight the talent gap is much wider.
Not only that, but the Clippers have now had their core together for a few years and as we've seen with the Blazers, Grizzlies and Hawks recently, a team with the right parts that stays together can play well together. The Clips have reeled off eight straight wins, yet remarkably are alone in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 15-5 record.
That record would put the Clips in first in the East, where it is equally remarkable that the Pacers are only two games out of a playoff spot despite dropping five games in a row and holding a .333 winning rate. Part of the Pacers' problems of late stem from the starting unit getting run over by opponents. It has been bad enough that Frank Vogel has to consider making a change to move Rodney Stuckey to shooting guard and starting either C.J. Watson or Donald Sloan. The Clippers lineup is a good match for that type of change, so we'll see how faithful/stubborn Vogel is with the current plan.
For more on the Clippers, check out Clips Nation. Also, please add your thoughts and observations on the game in the comments.
2014-15 NBA Regular Season | ||
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December 10, 2014 - 7:00 p.m. ET | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN | ||
TV: Fox Sports Indiana ---- Radio: AM 1070/107.5 FM The Fan | ||
Probable Starters | ||
Chris Paul | PG | Rodney Stuckey |
J.J. Redick | SG | Solomon Hill |
Matt Barnes | SF | Chris Copeland |
Blake Griffin | PF | David West |
DeAndre Jordan | C | Roy Hibbert |