Schedule Breakdown

Anthony Davila

Previous Breakdown: October/November | December | January | February | March

Clippers.com has 
    analyzed the schedule after its release earlier this month and
    also took a look at 10 of the biggest games for the coming season. Now, this
    latest series takes a closer look at the schedule with a monthly breakdown,
    moving on to February.

LOS ANGELES – To get the down time the Clippers have in January (12 games) and April (five games), concessions need to be made.

One of those is finding a way to truck through March, during which the Clippers play more games (18 total) and back-to-backs (five) than any other month of the season.

On the bright side, not many of the matchups are against teams who made the playoffs last season. Still, plenty of them are against fringe playoff teams from last year who could feasibly make a jump into postseason play this year.

Here’s a closer look at the Clippers’ schedule in March.

Matchups against last year’s playoff teams – 5

2016-17-schedule-breakdown-march

2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: March

Robyn Dixon

LOS ANGELES – The Clippers have to hope they got their rest in January, because February offers little down time apart from the annual All-Star break.

There’s no light at the end of the tunnel as the Clippers end a five-game road trip Feb 1 at Phoenix, as that marks the start of a back-to-back, with the Clippers returning home to play the Warriors on Feb 2 only to go right back out for another five-game trip, starting on the East Coast in Boston.

If their opponents’ records last year are any indication, the Clippers will be in for some stiff competition in February, with home matchups against Golden State, Atlanta and San Antonio and road matchups against Golden State, Boston, Toronto, among others. The Clippers will spend the majority of their February away from STAPLES Center.

Here’s a closer look at the Clippers’ schedule in February.

Matchups against last year’s playoff teams – 8

Most home games in a row – 2 (start of three-game home stand continuing into March)

Feb 2 vs Golden State – This will be one of the toughest games on the Clippers’ schedule, returning from a five-game road trip and playing the second game of a back-to-back against Golden State. The Clippers will come home after a Wednesday night matchup in Phoenix to host the Warriors Thursday night on TNT only to go right back on the road afterward for another five-game trip.

Feb 5 @ Boston – The start of that second five-game trip is in Boston, and if last year’s February matchup in Boston is any indication, this should be a fun one. That game went to overtime and ultimately resulted in a Boston victory, but it was as entertaining a matchup and as strong a point guard duel as anyone will see, with Clippers guard Chris Paul posting 35 points, 13 assists and five rebounds and Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas posting 36 points and 11 assists. Not to mention, the welcomes Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and forward Paul Pierce get when returning to Boston are worth seeing.

Feb 23 @ Golden State – By this point, these two teams will be tired of seeing each other. The Clippers and Warriors play each other three times in a span of less than a month from late January to late February, but this late February matchup is the final time the teams will face off. Both teams should be juiced for the matchup, coming immediately out of the All-Star break.

Feb. 18 vs San Antonio (105-86) – Mid-February 2016 had a ton of memorable games for various reasons. The Clippers beat Miami on the road, then needed a comeback win in overtime to beat a Philadelphia team that only had eight wins to that point, then suffered a late crushing defeat in overtime in Boston after taking control of the game. But coming out of the All-Star break, this emphatic win at home against San Antonio stood out most. Against a defensive-minded Spurs team that had only lost eight games to that point, the Clippers poured on 33 points in the fourth quarter to cruise to victory on an emotional night for many; a handful of Spurs and Clippers players and coaches earlier that day had attended the funeral of then-Oklahoma City assistant coach Monty Williams’ wife, Ingrid, and flew back to Los Angeles just hours before the game.

Feb 1-13: The Clippers start the first day of February on a back-to-back (at Phoenix before going home to host the Warriors), then go right back on the road for another five-game trip against three teams that made the playoffs last year (Boston, Toronto, Charlotte) and two teams with young talent (New York, Utah), playing six road games and seven games total the first 13 days of the month.

2016-17-schedule-breakdown-february

2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: February

Clippers.com has 
    analyzed the schedule after its release earlier this month and
    also took a look at 10 of the biggest games for the coming season. Now, this
    latest series takes a closer look at the schedule with a monthly breakdown,
    moving on to January.

LOS ANGELES – The Clippers get more rest days than game days on the schedule in January, as a grueling end to 2016 turns to a more reasonable start to 2017.

On four separate occasions in January, the Clippers get at least two days off following a game. There’s only one back-to-back, and the Clippers get three days off after it before playing in Golden State to close the month.

Still, they’ll see their fair share of challenging opponents throughout January, including home matchups against the Grizzlies, Heat and Thunder and road matchups against the Hawks and Warriors. With only 12 games and time to rest between most matchups, the Clippers should look as energetic in January as any month this season.

Here’s a closer look at the Clippers’ schedule in January.

Matchups against last year’s playoff teams
    – 5

Most road games in a row – 4 (start of five-game trip beginning end of month)

Jan 4 vs MEM – With Chandler Parsons joining an already formidable group and Mike Conley locked up for the future, the Grizzlies could be right back in the mix in the West with health on their side. This could end up being the toughest matchup the Clippers face in the first half of the month.

Jan 16 vs OKC – The Clippers might be tired of seeing the Thunder by this point. By the end of this game in mid-January, the Clippers will already have played Oklahoma City for the fourth and final time. The Clippers get a day off after a Saturday matchup against the Lakers to prepare for this Thunder game Saturday night on TNT.

Jan 28 @ GSW – While the Clippers will be well-rested for that Thunder matchup, it’s nothing like the rest they’ll get leading up to their final game of the month against Golden State. Their Saturday ABC matchup against the Warriors is the fourth game of a five-game road trip, but with three days off after a Tuesday matchup in Philadelphia, the Clippers could choose to come home beforehand. Whatever they do, they should be feeling sprightly that Saturday night.

Jan 18 vs Houston (140-132 OT) – J.J. Redick recorded a career-high 40 points, and the Clippers needed every one of them. The Rockets scored 42 points in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime, but after giving up the lead in regulation, the Clippers put the lid on the win with three straight 3-pointers to start overtime. The Clippers made a franchise-record 22 3-pointers as a team and got 28 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and six assists from Chris Paul and 16 points and 15 rebounds from DeAndre Jordan.

Jan 16-28: This may seem like a long time, but it’s a period of only six games, starting Jan. 16 against Oklahoma City. The Clippers close a five-game home stand with what will likely be tough matchups against the Thunder and Timberwolves before starting a five-game road trip, which includes the first game of a back-to-back in Atlanta and ample rest before ending the month with a road matchup at Golden State.

2016-17-schedule-breakdown-january

2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: January

Clippers.com has 
    analyzed the schedule after its release earlier this month and
    also took a look at 10 of the biggest games for the coming season. Now, this
    latest series takes a closer look at the schedule with a monthly breakdown,
    moving on to December.

LOS ANGELES – The Clippers roll into December in the midst of the lone six-game road trip of the year, but the minute the back-to-back in Cleveland and New Orleans ends the second day of the month, a chance to reboot approaches.

Only seven games are on the slate the next 17 days of December once the Clippers return home from their lengthy trip, which is particularly important considering the formidability of the opponents during that stretch, which includes their first matchup against Golden State, their third matchup against Portland and a quick trip to the East Coast to face Orlando, Miami and Washington.

The time between games should allow the Clippers to rest up and get in a couple practices should they desire, but the down time won’t last long once the holidays approach. A Christmas matchup against the Lakers starts the second of three back-to-backs and seven games overall in the final 10 days of the month, finished off with a back-to-back in Houston and Oklahoma City to cap the 2016 portion of the season.

Here’s a closer look at the Clippers’ schedule in December.

Matchups against last year’s playoff teams
    – 12

Matchups against last year’s playoff teams – 9

Dec 25 @ LAL – The Clippers go about two months to start the year without a game against the Lakers. What better time for a first look at Brandon Ingram than on another Christmas matchup against the Lakers for the second straight year? The Clippers’ win against the Lakers on Christmas last year started an 11-game winning streak.

Dec 7 vs GSW – Speaking of prominent first matchups against a team, this one on ESPN against the Warriors will be highly anticipated. Unlike the other times the Clippers face the reigning Western Conference champions this year, the Clippers will have plenty of time to both rest and prepare for this matchup, with two days off at home before and after the game.

Dec 31 @ OKC – More holiday fun here, as the Clippers travel to Oklahoma City for the second time to face Russell Westbrook and company, this time on New Year’s Eve. They won’t get much time to catch their breath to end December, as the matchup comes on the second game of a back-to-back and the third game in four nights after playing in Houston the night before.

Dec. 14 @ Detroit – Trailing by six points with fewer than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, this one seemed bleak. Down four points with 30 seconds remaining, it seemed even bleaker. But a game-tying 3-pointer by J.J. Redick with 19 seconds remaining off a dish from Blake Griffin, who scored 34 points, gave the Clippers life. The game went to overtime, where Griffin’s passing once again came in handy, finding Jamal Crawford wide open for the go-ahead 3-pointer with 12 seconds left and stealing a two-point win in Detroit.

Dec 22-31: The good news: The first 10 days of the month include only five games. The bad news: The last 10 days of the month include seven. Starting with a home TNT matchup against the Spurs on Dec. 22, in the final 10 days of December the Clippers have three back-to-backs and the lone stretch of four games in five nights of the season. That’s difficult enough, and made even more difficult by the fact that two of the three back-to-backs are against teams who made the playoffs last season, finished off by the New Year’s Eve matchup in Oklahoma City.

2016-17-schedule-breakdown-december

2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: December

Previous Breakdown: October/November | December | January

Clippers.com has 
    analyzed the schedule after its release earlier this month and
    also took a look at 10 of the biggest games for the coming season. Now, this
    latest series takes a closer look at the schedule with a monthly breakdown,
    beginning with October and November.

LOS ANGELES – The start of the 2016-17 season
    will mostly be about getting Blake Griffin back adjusted after missing half
    of last season and getting the four newcomers and two draft picks
    acclimated to their new homes.

But there won’t be any easing in to the year.

The Clippers start the season in Portland for a rematch of last
    year’s first round, then return home for a back-to-back. The first
    couple weeks of the season will include two matchups against Portland and
    two matchups against Oklahoma City, and the Clippers have back-to-backs on
    each of the first three weekends of November, including two on the road
    against formidable Western Conference opponents.

Here’s a closer look at the Clippers’ schedule in October
    and November.

Most road games in a row – 4 (becomes 6 extending
    into early December)

Oct 27 @ Portland – What better way to start the
    2016-17 season where it ended for the Clippers, who should be hungry and
    finally healthy as they look to take down the opponent that ended their
    injury-plagued postseason.      

Nov 2 vs Oklahoma City – This matchup follows a
    back-to-back to start the season against Utah and Phoenix, and it’s
    the first time the Clippers are on ESPN as they see the Kevin Durant-less
    Thunder for the first time. This will likely be the most highly anticipated
    home game to start the season for the Clippers, with Russell Westbrook
    going up against Chris Paul.

Nov 23 @ Dallas – OK, so, yes, last year’s
    first matchup in Dallas had much more anticipation around it. But DeAndre
    Jordan going back to Dallas still should be fun, and this will also be
    Raymond Felton’s first matchup of the season against his former team.
    If that wasn’t enough, this marks the start of the lone six-game road
    trip of the year for the Clippers, who’ll want to start it on the
    right note.

Nov. 09 vs. Memphis – This one was close
    throughout, with the Clippers eventually winning playing largely the style
    of game Memphis typically prefers. Neither team outscored the other by more
    than four points in any quarter, but with six points in
    the final minute from J.J. Redick, the Clippers avoided an early
    three-game skid and also got plenty of help from Blake Griffin, who added
    24 points and 12 rebounds.

Nov. 2-12: The end of this month marks the first four
    games of the lone six-game road trip on the schedule, yet it’s the
    start of this month that will likely be the toughest against teams who were
    in last year’s postseason. It starts with a home matchup against
    Oklahoma City, followed by a travel day to get ready for a road
    back-to-back in Memphis and San Antonio. The Clippers return home to play
    Detroit and Portland before hitting the road for a second straight weekend
    back-to-back against Oklahoma City and Minnesota.

Schedule Breakdown

2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: March

2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: February

2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: January

2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: December

2016-17 Schedule Breakdown: October/November