Late-Night Hoops in L.A.: Shorthanded Nets Brace for a Battle at the Intuit Dome
The NFL’s Conference Championship weekend might be dominating the headlines, but over on the West Coast, there's a different kind of showdown brewing. The Brooklyn Nets are in Los Angeles to kick off a five-game road trip, and they’re walking into the Intuit Dome tonight to face a Clippers squad that’s hungry and physical. Tip-off is set for 9:00 PM ET, and for Nets fans burning the midnight oil, this one’s worth staying up for - even if it might be a tough watch.
Nets (12-31) @ Clippers (20-24)
📍 Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
📺 YES Network
🕘 9:00 PM ET
Let’s start with the obvious: Brooklyn is banged up. The injury report reads more like a rotation than a list of absences.
Cam Thomas, Nolan Traore, Noah Clowney, Haywood Highsmith, Chaney Johnson, and Tyson Etienne are all out. That’s a lot of youth, scoring, and depth missing for a team that’s already searching for stability.
The good news? The team made it to L.A. safely after navigating some wild Northeast weather.
It’s 62 and sunny in Southern California - a welcome change from the chaos back home - but the Nets aren’t here for vacation. They’ve got a fight on their hands tonight, and it starts in the paint.
The Zubac Problem
Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe are going to have their hands full with Ivica Zubac. The Clippers big man is putting together a quietly dominant season on the glass.
He’s tied for fifth in the league in rebounding, pulling down just over 11 boards a night, and he’s a menace on the offensive end - grabbing nearly four offensive rebounds per game. That’s not just hustle; that’s positioning, timing, and brute strength.
Zubac isn’t just cleaning up misses, either. He’s a force at the rim, finishing efficiently and protecting the paint with his size and footwork. For Claxton and Sharpe, this isn’t just about matching physicality - it’s about staying out of foul trouble, boxing out with precision, and making Zubac work on the defensive end.
Clippers’ Injury Landscape
The Clippers aren’t at full strength either. Bradley Beal (hip fracture), Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), and Derrick Jones Jr. (knee) are all sidelined. Kawhi Leonard is listed as questionable with a knee issue - and as always with Kawhi, availability is a game-time mystery.
Still, even without those pieces, this is a deep Clippers team that can throw multiple looks at you. Paul George remains the focal point, and with guys like Norman Powell and Terance Mann stepping into larger roles, L.A. has more than enough firepower to punish a short-handed Brooklyn squad.
What to Watch
For the Nets, this is a gut-check game. With so many players out, it’s going to take a collective effort - especially on the defensive end.
The key? Limiting second-chance opportunities and keeping the Clippers from getting into a rhythm early.
That starts with rebounding, and that means Claxton and Sharpe have to bring everything they’ve got.
Offensively, Brooklyn will need someone to step up. Whether it’s Mikal Bridges finding his shot or a spark from the bench, the Nets can’t afford long scoring droughts against a Clippers team that thrives on momentum swings.
This road trip won’t be easy, and tonight’s opener sets the tone. If the Nets want to stay competitive, they’ll need to play with energy, discipline, and a little bit of grit. The margin for error is razor-thin - but that’s often when teams learn the most about themselves.
Tip-off’s coming. Let’s see what Brooklyn’s made of.