After falling in three of their past four games, the Los Angeles Clippers hope a return home will get them on track as they play host to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
When the teams met last month at Atlanta, while far healthier than they are now, it was Los Angeles that came away with a 149-144 victory as both teams shot over 51 percent from 3-point range.
The Clippers dropped consecutive home games to the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves before a road victory against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, followed by a 112-104 road defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
James Harden has missed each of the past two games for the Clippers with a left shoulder strain.
“It hurts him (emotionally); it pains him to do that because he wants to play every night,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said of Harden missing games. “As a medical staff, as a team, we just thought it was best for him to (sit Friday and) try to get himself right.”
Kawhi Leonard has managed to play in the past two games despite leaving the loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday with back spasms and not playing against the Bucks on Sunday because of left groin soreness.
“He’s just making the sacrifice of trying to be on the floor for your teammates and your team and that’s huge for us,” Lue said of Leonard. “Whenever he’s fighting through certain things to try and be on the floor, that means a lot.”
Paul George also missed the Clippers’ loss to the Bucks with left knee soreness but has played the last three games. Plus, the availability of super sub Norman Powell is in question because of a left shin injury.
With 16 games remaining in the regular season, the Clippers are clinging to the fourth spot in the Western Conference, just ahead of the Pelicans.
The Hawks are on a three-game losing streak after a 124-122 road loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday. Atlanta is 0-2 on a five-game road trip that stays in Los Angeles for a game against the Lakers on Monday.
It was an emotional stop at Utah for Hawks coach Quin Snyder, who spent eight seasons as head coach of the Jazz.
The Hawks are 5-5 since Trae Young has been out following finger surgery and have lost each of the last two contests since Saddiq Bey was lost for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
After missing three games with a sprained right ankle, Jalen Johnson returned for Atlanta on Friday with 26 points on 8-of-23 shooting, while also going 4 of 8 from 3-point range.
“He’s got such a natural feel for the game,” Snyder said of Johnson. “You can see it on television but when I got there last spring, it jumps out at you, the feel he has. He’s just really versatile, he can pass it, shoot it defend.”
Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 33 points against the Jazz and has averaged 26.6 since Young has been out.
For all of their injury issues, the Hawks still are 10th in the Eastern Conference standings and in possession of a play-in tournament spot as they await Young’s expected late-season return.
The Clippers last had a 2-0 season sweep of the Hawks in 2017-18.
–Field Level Media