The Clippers will look to keep the good vibes going when they return home to play the young Blazers.

Game information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 p.m. PT

Here's how to watch: KTLA, AM 1150

Expected starting lineups

blazer: Anfernee Simons – Toumani Camara – Deni Avdija – Jerami Grant – DeAndre Ayton

Hair clippers: James Harden – Norman Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Terance Mann – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

blazer: Shaedon Sharpe is out (shoulder), Robert Williams III is out (thigh), Matisse Thybulle is out (knee)

Hair clippers: Kawhi Leonard out (knee), Mo Bamba out (knee), PJ Tucker out (away from team)

The big picture

The Clippers are coming off a fantastic weekend where they won two straight road games against two teams, the Nuggets and Warriors, who were expected to be ahead of them in the standings. Both games were distinct defensively, with the pesky Clippers forcing turnovers, grabbing big rebounds and generally making life difficult for the opponent. It's still very early in the season, but you have to be happy with the Clippers' performance so far, especially in terms of their energy and fight.

The antagonist

The Blazers are 1-3 but have played decently for the most part after an embarrassing first game loss to the Warriors. Their veterans performed well early on, with the notable exception of Deni Avdija, with Grant, Ayton and Simons all having one or two big appearances. Donovan Clingan also made an immediate impact on defense; While the Blazers are slowly moving him forward, he can completely change the game in his shifts in the second unit. The third overall pick in last year's draft, Scoot Henderson, still had heavy turnovers and outside throws, but is getting to the finish line more and shooting better from two-point range. In short, they're likely in for a classic season of “tanking hard until March but still trying to win games early” that shouldn't be taken lightly.

Notes

Get simple buckets: This Clippers team won't be good on offense without Kawhi Leonard playing, but this game against the Blazers is a chance for them to perform well in that regard. Camara, Avdija and Grant are all good full-backs, but Simons and Henderson are really bad on that side, and Ayton is nowhere near where he used to be. This will be a great opportunity for Harden in particular to really go downhill and get some easier looks than he's seen so far. Hopefully he can perform more efficiently than he did in his first three games.

Maintain intensity: The Clippers are somewhat of an underdog team, but are still considered by most to be in a different league than the Blazers. In games like these, against non-major opponents, it happened that previous Clippers teams made a mistake and played down to the other team's level, especially on defense. This Clippers team doesn't have the depth of talent that those groups had, and they absolutely need to maintain that “dog” on defense. I'd like to see them come out, play with fire and put some real pressure on a Blazers team that isn't great offensively either. This will be a good test to see how the Clippers play against likely lottery teams and if they can maintain the intense defense that has been such a delight so far.