Entering this season with the oldest roster in the NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers had an absolutely brutal start to the year, a 2-13 November being the biggest indicator that it would be a challenging season. Summer acquisition Bradley Beal fractured his hip just 6 games into the season and was lost for the year, while the team moved off James Harden before the trade deadline following the latest financial dispute between the Beard and an NBA front office. The seemingly forever-injured Kawhi Leonard
missed time early on and was on a minutes restriction upon his eventual debut, but he’s actually had one of the strongest seasons of his career and has the Clippers firmly in the play-in picture after a dreadful 6-21 start for LA’s other team. They catch the Spurs on a SEGABABA, following an epic clash with the East-leading Detroit Pistons nonetheless, but San Antonio has to at least be happy that they’re home for this one.
San Antonio Spurs (45-17) vs Los Angeles Clippers (30-31)
March 3 2026 | 7:00 PM CT
Watch: ESPN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: Harrison Barnes, ankle (OUT), Mason Plumblee, reconditioning (OUT), David Jones-Garcia, OUT
Clippers Injuries: Darius Garland, toe (OUT), Bradley Beal, hip (OUT), John Collins, neck (OUT), Yanic Konan Niederhauser, foot (OUT)
What to watch for
- Contrasting offensive styles will be on display tonight. Largely due in part to fielding the oldest roster in the NBA this season with an average age of around 33 years old, the Clippers are near the bottom of the league in terms of pace. Their opportunities in transition are few and far between, forcing them to rely on what has actually been a very good half court offense this season thanks to Leonard and the recently departed Harden. San Antonio on the other hand is in the upper half of the league when it comes to pace, fueled by a tough-nosed, young defense that’s among the most disruptive in the Association.
- Following the trade of longtime center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers, veteran big man Brook Lopez will be Victor Wembanyama’s main match-up. Lopez has always been great at using his massive wingspan to make up for comparatively limited athleticism, helping to anchor more than a few really good Milwaukee Bucks’ defenses in his run there. Lopez, in his 17th season, will be 38 years old in a little less than a month.
- In his 14th season, Kawhi Leonard is averaging the most points per game of his career. He’s shooting 50/38/90 from the field on his way to that 27.9 PPG average, all while still being a more than capable defender even at age 34 and with numerous lower body injuries over the years. As has always been the case with him, the biggest knock on Leonard is his availability, but he’s played in 47 of the Clippers’ 61 games this season. Leonard has only played more than 55 games for the Clippers twice in 7 seasons with the club. Here’s to hoping the next great San Antonio perimeter defender Stephon Castle draws the main assignment on the former Spur.
- With the offensive breakout of all the young talent on this team, Devin Vassell has scored for at least 20 points just 9 times this season, but 3 of those performances have come since the All Star break.
- Carter Bryant is becoming a player that fans just have to watch when they tune into a game. Bryant has made a substantial leap throughout the course of the season, especially on the defensive end where he can use his frame to really disrupt all sorts of players. He scored just 2 points in last night’s win over the Detroit Pistons, but he was everywhere defensively in his 19 minutes of action.
If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!
