Where: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV
When: Saturday, October 6th, 2012 @ 7:30PM
TV: Prime Ticket
Radio: KFWB News Talk 980
Clippers Starting 5
Bledsoe | Green | Butler | Griffin | Jordan
- Key Reserves
Crawford | Hill | Barnes | Odom
Nuggets Starting 5
Lawson | Iguodala | Gallanari | Faried | Koufos
- Key Reserves
Hamilton | Brewer | Randolph | McGee
Inactive List:
- Chauncey Billups (Left Achilles), Chris Paul (Right Thumb) and Trey Thompkins (Bone Bruise) are out.
- Wilson Chandler (Hip) and Andre Miller (Age) are out.
Tonight's preseason opener marks the first NBA game ever to be played on the Las Vegas Strip. A common strength of both teams is the quality of depth that they have compared to the rest of the league, but each team will be missing a pair of key players in tonight's match-up. The Clippers will be debuting their new Weekend Road Blues (alternates) as well as a host of new faces. With the injuries to Paul and Billups causing them to sit this one out, Bledsoe and Willie Green will have the opportunity to run with the first team. Over the course of preseason, Vinny will likely try out different starting SG's to see which is the best fit for the team while Chauncey is on the mend.
The most interesting match-ups (imo) are at pg and c. Lawson and Bledsoe are both two up and coming point guards in the league. Lawson has proven his worth as a starter, while Bledsoe is looking to further develop his abilities to lead an offense. DeAndre and JaVale have been linked and compared to one another since their rookie season and it's going to be no different tonight. Both have dedicated their summers to improving their skill level and furthering their understanding of the finer points of the game. Who wins tonight? Perhaps the team that is less distracted by what Vegas has to offer. We shall see...
