3 Storylines to Watch in Clippers' Final 10 Games of the Season

With only three weeks left in the NBA regular season, the Los Angeles Clippers are entering the most important stretch of the season. Sitting at 36-36, the Clippers are in the midst of a playoff chase in the Western Conference. The remarkable turnaround after the 6-21 start has the Clippers on the brink of a playoff spot. In their final ten games of the season, there are three key storylines to watch for Clippers fans.

Darius Garland's Shooting

Garland has been shooting the lights out since arriving in LA. With 50.0/50.7/85.7 shooting splits on a career-high usage rate is better than any Clippers fans could have realistically expected from him. The former Cavalier is looking as shifty as ever, beating his defender one-on-one, getting to his spots, and draining shots from all over the court.

Shooting over 50% from downtown is obviously not going to sustain. There will be some regression to the mean. But if Garland can continue to combine elite efficiency and volume over the final stretch of the season, Clippers fans can like their chances of being competitive against anybody. Garland's pick-and-roll ability and off-the-dribble shooting are real threats. When combined with Leonard's unstoppable individual scoring, the Clippers' offensive ceiling becomes higher than ever.

Kawhi Leonard's Ankle

The superstar forward has been hobbled ever since tweaking his ankle against the Kings ten days ago. This has forced him to miss two games last week, but Leonard suited up against the Mavericks and the Bucks, helping the Clippers to wins. The 34-year-old will continue to be listed as questionable on the injury report going forward. The Clippers have one set of back-to-backs remaining on their schedule. Whether Leonard will be able to play in both games will speak volumes about how his ankle is feeling.

Clippers fans need to keep an eye on how Leonard is moving on the court. If he is limited in any way, the Clippers' odds of making any noise in the postseason will significantly fall. The fact that the Clippers won't get additional rest due to the play-in tournament may prevent Leonard from fully resting his ankle for a while.

Can Clippers Finish as the No. 8 Seed?

The most important thing for the Clippers will obviously be how they finish out the season. The race for the eighth seed between them and the Portland Trail Blazers will be significant in the Western Conference playoffs. If the Clippers can finish the regular season at No. 8, they should like their chances of clinching a playoff seed. They would have to win out of two games in the play-in to make the playoffs. In fact, if they beat the Suns in the 7-8 matchup, this would set up a first-round series against the Spurs, which they should favor over playing the OKC Thunder in the first round.

What complicates matters is the fact that the Blazers have the easiest remaining schedule in the league. They also play the Clippers twice until the end of the regular season. How the Clippers fare in those two clashes will determine where they finish the season. It would be a disappointing end to an exciting campaign for the Clippers to fail to secure a top-eight finish.