Analyzing the Second Half of the LA Clippers' Regular Season Schedule
The first half of the LA Clippers' 2020-21 season has nearly come to an end. The team will play just five more games before heading into the All-Star break, which is set to begin March 5 and extend through March 9. After that, the Clippers will officially get into the second half of their slate.
Their first game will come against the Golden State Warriors on March 11, which will be nationally televised on TNT. From there, the Clippers will play three consecutive road games against the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks — giving them their first shot at revenge since their 51-point loss to the Mavs earlier in the season.
LA's next notable game occurs on March 27, when Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers make their first trip out to Los Angeles. Not only will this be the Clippers' first game against their former coach, but it's also the beginning of a nine-game homestand that continues through April 11.
During that stretch, the Clippers will also host the Milwaukee Bucks (March 29), Denver Nuggets (April 1), Los Angeles Lakers (April 4), Portland Trail Blazers (April 6) and Phoenix Suns (April 8). This is undoubtedly the toughest slate of opponents LA has left on its schedule, and the team is fortunate that it will play all of these contests at Staples Center.
Following their extended stay at home, the Clippers will head East for a brief three-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and 76ers. Between then and the end of May, the Clippers will also have road contests against the Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans and Suns.
May features a four-game homestand and a four-game road trip — the latter of which will lead the Clippers into the postseason.
The Clippers' final four home games of the year come against the Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Lakers and New York Knicks, while the road series features matchups with the Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.
In total, the Clippers will play 18 home games — one of which is a 12:30 tip against the Lakers — 16 road games, seven back-to-backs and will appear in 17 nationally-televised contests.
All in all, this doesn't look to be too tough a schedule. The Clippers were fortunate to get some of their more difficult opponents completely out of the way in the first half of the season, and the nine-game homestand at the end of March/beginning of April should be a nice advantage.
Of course, no game is ever easy in the NBA, and the Clippers will need to stay focused throughout the second half of the season as they look to earn one of the top playoff seeds in the Western Conference.
For a calendar view of the schedule, click here.
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