Clippers Are in an Excellent Spot for Playoffs Despite Back-to-Back Losses

The Los Angeles Clippers' soft remaining schedule will be their biggest strength down the stretch.

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The Los Angeles Clippers suffered two straight disappointing losses. Against the Lakers and the Magic, on Friday and Sunday, respectively, the Clippers had a chance to either tie or win the game at the buzzer. The attempts by Nicolas Batum and Bennedict Mathurin were not good, pushing the Clippers down to tenth place in the West with a 27-30 record. With every game carrying a big weight in the playoff push, two close losses may be disheartening. In reality, the Clippers are in a great spot to make the playoffs.

Clippers' Soft Remaining Schedule Is a Major Advantage for Postseason

25 games are remaining in the regular season for the Clippers. 15 of those games will be played at the Intuit Dome. Per Tankathon, LA has the third-softest remaining schedule in the league based on opponents' records. The Clippers play the Pelicans three times, and the Kings and the Pacers twice in their final 25 games. That is 28% of your games against three of the five worst teams in the league.

Plus, the Clippers have four games in total against the Mavericks, Grizzlies, and the Bulls; three teams that have no interest in winning any more games the rest of the season. They also play the Bucks twice in their last 11 games. Milwaukee could very well be out of play-in contention by then and could rule out Giannis Antetokounmpo (who is already sidelined) for the season.

That's simply far too many games that could be automatic wins for the Clippers. Those games will be enough to keep the Clippers firmly in the play-in race. What will determine where they finish the season, however, will be their games against the Blazers and the Warriors. The Clippers play each of their play-in rivals twice between now and the end of the season. Winning out against them will give them an excellent chance of finishing with a top-eight seed.

Plus, the Clippers will be getting reinforcements soon. Darius Garland, who has yet to make his team debut, is expected to return to action in March, giving them the second offensive option they desperately need. With Bennedict Mathurin's emergence, the three-headed monster of Kawhi Leonard, Garland, and Mathurin should give the Clippers enough offensive juice to compete against anyone.

Leonard is currently dealing with an ankle injury, but he has not missed any time because of it and has continued to play at an MVP-caliber level. As long as he stays healthy, he will be the best player on the court more often than not. He gives the Clippers a chance to win on any given night. A three-game difference between them and the No. 8 seed Warriors is nothing considering the Clippers' easy schedule and the fact that they will face them twice in the next month and a half.