Clippers Win Big by 26 Points! Harden Scores 10+2+15, After the Game, Leonard Enters the Court to Celebrate Victory with Teammates Beijing time, the NBA regular season Clippers hosted the Hawks at home. The Clippers' starting lineup today is Harden, Dunn, Powell, Leonard, Zubac. The Hawks' starting lineup is Trae Young, Daniels, Krajicek, Lissaj, Capela. Leonard made his season debut after a long absence due to injury. It's hard to say how he will perform in his first game back. However, as long as Leonard returns, it is believed that the Clippers' record will continue to improve. The Hawks just had a tough game against the Lakers yesterday, and today they are playing their second game in as many nights, which may lead to some fatigue for the players, which could be an advantage for the Clippers. At the start of the first quarter, how is Leonard performing? He caused turnovers on defense and hit a three-pointer on offense, even while being guarded closely by the opponent. It seems that both offensively and defensively, he is back at full strength. The two teams played back and forth in the first quarter, with the Clippers taking a slight lead at one point, but the Hawks were able to respond in time and reduce the gap, preventing the Clippers from gaining momentum. At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led the Hawks 29-28 by a single point. However, in the second quarter, the situation changed dramatically. After a brief struggle between the two teams, the Clippers began to dominate on…

Title: Defeat! The Hawks' Five Tigers Score 77+23, Harden with 10+15, Leonard's Debut Surprise, Western Conference Landscape Changes Content: On January 5, 2025, Beijing time, the Clippers with a record of 19 wins and 15 losses faced the Hawks with 18 wins and 17 losses at home. The Clippers' top star, Leonard, made his season debut after returning from injury. How would he perform? The Hawks were playing back-to-back games, having lost to the Lakers the previous day and suffering their second consecutive defeat. They were eager for a strong comeback, but could they win against the Clippers with Leonard? The Clippers' starting lineup was Harden, Dunn, Powell, Leonard, and Zubac, while the Hawks were without Johnson, starting with Young, Daniels, Krajicek, Risa, and Capela. In the first quarter, Powell scored with a hook shot, Young made a layup, and Risa hit a three-pointer, giving the Hawks a 5-2 lead. Leonard responded with a three-pointer, and Daniels made a layup, leaving the Hawks ahead by 2 points. Zubac, Powell, and Dunn then took over, giving the Clippers a 3-point lead. Capela, Young, and Krajicek scored for the Hawks, but Jones, Powell, Batum, Harden, and Coffey went on a 16-0 run, extending the Clippers' lead to 15 points. Matthews and Young hit back-to-back threes, and Risa dunked, reducing the gap to 1 point. The first quarter ended with the Clippers leading 29-28. In the second quarter, Coffey and Powell scored 5 points in a row, extending the Clippers' lead to 6 points. Matthews and Rody closed the gap to 2 points,…

The Clippers have been eagerly awaiting Leonard's return since the start of the season, but it now appears that this superstar within the team has completely disappointed everyone. So far, Leonard has not made any moves to participate in the games, despite previously promoting his potential comeback multiple times. This operation has left fans utterly speechless, and the Clippers have now revealed a rather shocking message. They are fed up with Leonard and will take action against him. The Clippers are demanding that Leonard make a quick comeback for the game against the Hawks. They hope Leonard can participate, and the team's accompanying journalist has confirmed this, stating that the team will confirm the nature of Leonard's injury in the morning. It is clear that the Clippers are truly fed up with Leonard's behavior, which is why they have made such an arrangement. They want Leonard to provide a genuine explanation for his injury situation and stop using his injuries as an excuse not to play. It is evident that the Clippers also realize that renewing their contract with Leonard was a mistake, which is why they are taking a stricter stance towards this star player. Ballmer has also expressed a desire to terminate the contract with Leonard, as endlessly waiting for his return is clearly not a wise choice. The Clippers' hopes of relying on the aging Harden to lead the team to the championship are not very promising. The team built around Leonard with significant investment in the past now seems to have become a classic case of…

The first round of All-Star voting results are finally out. On the Eastern side, the top three frontcourt players are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns, while the top three backcourt players are LaMelo Ball, Donovan Mitchell, and Damian Lillard. In the West, the top three frontcourt players are Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry in the backcourt. Generally speaking, there are no surprises, as voting is primarily based on the season's performance. However, established superstars like LeBron, Durant, and Curry still have a strong fan base, ensuring their selection regardless of their current form, as long as they remain in the league. Among those who could potentially make their first All-Star appearance are Jaylen Williams, Alperen Sengun, Franz Wagner, Evan Mobley, Derrick White, Tyler Herro, and today's main character, Norman Powell. Currently, he has 110,222 votes, ranking him 10th among Western Conference guards. Objectively, such a vote count offers slim hopes in the competitive guard category, but it is undoubtedly significant for Powell. This is the first time in his 12-year career that he has reached an All-Star level, which is a massive recognition. Looking at his actual performance this season, he indeed deserves an All-Star selection, even outperforming many players ahead of him. At the start of the season, the Clippers were seen as a team outside the play-in tournament, but in the first five games, Powell averaged 25.4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, with shooting percentages of 49.5% and 41.3%. This performance was somewhat shocking, as…

The Los Angeles Clippers have been performing well this season, despite Kawhi Leonard being out for more than two months. Their ranking in the Western Conference remains within the top seven, which is better than expected. With Leonard set to return, the Clippers' offensive and defensive capabilities are expected to significantly improve, once again making them contenders for the playoffs. The departure of Paul George has not affected the team, as Powell has had a breakout season, averaging 24 points with a three-point shooting percentage of 44.45%, his best performance yet. James Harden has been instrumental in maximizing the potential of players like Powell and Zubac. Zubac, a second-round pick in 2016, initially played for the Lakers as a substitute, often during garbage time, averaging only 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. At that time, Zubac averaged less than 10 minutes per game. However, through hard work and improvement, he gradually increased his averages to 7 points and 4.9 rebounds, then 8.1 points and 7.2 rebounds. The Lakers later traded Zubac to the Clippers, where he became the starting center, receiving more opportunities and seeing an increase in his scoring and rebounding averages. In the 2021-22 season, Zubac averaged 10.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists; in the 2022-23 season, he averaged 10.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. After Harden joined the Clippers last season, he helped Zubac improve his efficiency in scoring off screens and in pick-and-roll situations, resulting in averages of 11.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 blocks, with both points and blocks reaching…

Leonard, as a superstar in the league, has always been a controversial player because his playing time is too short. It's common to not see him play for an entire season, and this season, the Clippers have been struggling under Harden's leadership. But since Harden is also at the end of his career, it's clearly impossible for him to continue leading the team alone. Therefore, whether Leonard can return to share the pressure is something that fans are very concerned about. However, Leonard seems to be continuing to tease the Clippers. Previously, Leonard stated that he might return to play during the Christmas game, but as everyone saw, Leonard did not return to play. Originally, it was said that he would return for the New Year, but Leonard's return has been postponed again. This time, the Clippers revealed that Leonard's return time will be postponed. Now, not only can the fans not accept it, but even some NBA players can't stand it. In the program, Rivers talked about: "Still acting, you shot an advertisement, saying for the 15th time that you will return to the game. But brother, go play on the court, that's your job, you've been injured 1500 times. I'm not saying the injury is fake, but Leonard hasn't really played." It must be said that now everyone's attitude towards Leonard is basically quite disappointed. They simply cannot understand how, as the actual leader of the Clippers, Leonard hardly plays. This attitude and the continuous promise of returning, then continuing to敷衍, will make both fans and teammates of…

The competition in the Western Conference this season is much more intense compared to the Eastern Conference. Apart from the first-placed Thunder team, the difference in wins and losses between the second-placed Grizzlies and the tenth-placed Warriors is only six games. It can be said that the teams in the playoff zone have a particularly large number of ranking variables, which also makes the Western Conference rankings change greatly: Rockets secure 3rd and aim for 2nd, Clippers aim for 5th, Spurs rise, Suns drop out of the top 10. Rockets Secure 3rd and Aim for 2nd! The first-placed Thunder team in the West currently has a 12-game winning streak, with a record of 27 wins and 5 losses, ranking first in the West, and leading the second-placed Grizzlies by 5 games, making the first position very stable! The competition for second place in the West is much fiercer, with the Grizzlies at 23 wins and 11 losses, and the Rockets at 22 wins and 11 losses. The difference in wins and losses between the two teams is only 0.5 games, and both have the possibility of taking second place! The Grizzlies' recent performance has been quite good, winning three out of four games. However, the team has encountered significant problems, namely too many injuries. Morant, Aldama, and Adi have all encountered injury situations, causing the team's performance to decline significantly. Especially with the Grizzlies' upcoming schedule not being easy, facing teams like the Kings, Warriors, Mavericks, Rockets, and Timberwolves, all Western Conference teams, it means the Grizzlies will suffer quite…

The Thunder have won again, defeating the Knicks 117-107 in a remarkable comeback, securing their 14th consecutive victory and solidifying their position as the undisputed first in the Western Conference. Despite trailing by 14 points at one point, the Thunder managed to turn the game around, demonstrating the qualities of a true powerhouse team. This 14-game winning streak has set a new franchise record for the Thunder, surpassing the previous record of 13 consecutive wins held by their predecessor, the SuperSonics. The Thunder are truly championship contenders, possessing all the necessary components for a title run. Their core player, Alexander, is capable of leading the charge and is currently the second favorite for the MVP award, only behind Jokic. Their frontline is bolstered by Holmgren and Hatton, while the wing positions are occupied by Jay, along with Caruso and Dort. Once Holmgren recovers from his injury, the Thunder will be unstoppable. Against the Knicks, the Thunder effectively showcased two key strengths. The first is their ability to deliver decisive blows, thanks to the supergiant Alexander. Hatton's dominance in the paint also left the Knicks in awe. They really didn't want to let Hatton go, but they had no choice. Hatton's relentless rebounding and his playmaking abilities make him akin to a blue-collar version of Jokic. The game was indeed thrilling, with both teams locked in a stalemate in the first quarter. The Knicks' starting lineup, featuring Brunson, Bridges, Hart, Anunoby, and Towns, were in full swing, with Thibodeau heavily relying on these five players, maintaining an eight-man rotation. The Thunder,…

On January 4th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continues. The Clippers have ended their three-game road trip, losing both of the last two games and are currently on a two-game losing streak. In the next game, they will host the Hawks at home, and there is also a reversal in the situation of the team's core Leonard, who was originally announced to continue to be absent, but two famous reporters Shams and Haynes successively announced his return, which means that his debut is finally coming. The Clippers are still very cautious. The original plan was for him to return against the Hawks, but the team wanted to postpone it. However, Leonard himself has a strong desire to return. Although the Clippers' accompanying reporter previously revealed that Leonard would continue to be absent, he also sighed that in the past five years, I have learned one thing from reporting Leonard's injury news, that is, nothing is 100% certain. Afterwards, the famous reporter Haynes said, "The Clippers want to be cautious, Leonard wants to play, and the current expectation is that he will make his season debut tomorrow!" Subsequently, another famous reporter Shams also announced this news, which means that the return is already a foregone conclusion, with no suspense. This is also a major benefit for fans, and the Clippers have finally waited for their core. From the final stage of last season, Leonard has been absent until now, and now he is finally returning. With the reports of the two major reporters, the Clippers' official also adjusted the injury…

Foreign media's latest prediction is that before the trade deadline, both the Lakers and the Clippers will make significant trades. The Lakers are expected to acquire Trail Blazers forward Grant, while the Clippers are expected to get Jazz guard Sexton. Los Angeles Clippers receive: Collin Sexton, Patty Mills Utah Jazz receive: Forward PJ Tucker, Center Cody Zeller, Forward Kobe Brown, Grizzlies' 2026 second-round pick (protected pick 31-42 from ATL), Clippers' 2030 second-round pick, Clippers' 2031 second-round pick The Utah Jazz will open up for trades before the trade deadline, with Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton both being included in trade negotiations. Sexton is an important backcourt player for the Jazz, and his price is not high, which is just right for the Clippers who don't have much to offer. The Clippers can't trade their first-round pick until 2030, and now they only have two second-round picks in 2030 and 2031. Los Angeles Lakers receive: Forward Jerami Grant, Forward/Center Duane Washington Jr. Portland Trail Blazers receive: Vincent, Rui Hachimura, Lakers' 2025 second-round pick After recently acquiring Finney-Smith, the Lakers really need to pursue Grant. In today's league, there can never be too many versatile wing players, and Grant is one of them. Grant is in his third season with the Blazers, and his usage rate has significantly dropped. He is no longer the Blazers' top scorer, making it a good time for the Lakers to acquire him. Grant has always been a valuable asset during the Blazers' rebuilding period, and they sacrificed their 2025 first-round pick to trade for him from…