The Los Angeles Clippers were unquestionably in preseason form in Thursday’s lopsided defeat to James Harden and the Houston Rockets at the Stan Sheriff Center.
“I thought everybody came in with the typical first preseason game, ‘I’m going to show the coaches and the world that I have arrived,’ ” coach Doc Rivers said. “A lot of guys took a lot of bad shots, didn’t make the next pass. So I didn’t like that at all.”
He has some things he wants to see and not see for his team’s exhibition encore at 1 p.m. today against the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.
With superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George not playing this week, these games present a chance for the Clippers to play around with lineups that might appear during the regular season on nights when the big guns are held out for rest.
But there’s playing around and then there’s messing around. The Clippers starters Thursday — Patrick Beverley, Landry Shamet, Jerome Robinson, Maurice Harkless and Ivica Zubac — combined to score only 25 points in the 109-96 loss.
“We got a lot of space to grow, and we’ve got time to figure it out. That’s what the preseason’s for,” said Harkless, a veteran wing who was brought in via trade from Portland this summer.
They got in their final full practice of their Honolulu camp on Saturday afternoon in the University of Hawaii’s recently refurbished Gym 2. Rivers thought his team hadn’t done enough live action in practice leading up to its preseason opener, and looked to correct that. Leonard, the reigning Finals MVP, went fully live Saturday and impressed teammates with some blocked shots and pull-up jumpers. He isn’t expected to play today, though, and George is still out from contact.
The Clippers’ veteran second unit, led by guard Lou Williams and forward Montrezl Harrell, was productive Thursday and helped make the final score a little more respectable. Rookie point guard Terance Mann played a team-high 25 minutes off the bench and had eight points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Mann, who was drafted in the second round out of Florida State, enjoyed the sold-out environment at the Sheriff in his first career preseason game. He’d never before played the point in a game.
“It was pretty nice on Thursday. Everybody was there to see the stars,” Mann said. “James Harden (37 points) showed out, played a lot of minutes for Houston. So it was a nice environment. Definitely expect a loud one tomorrow, too.”
Mann and some teammates toured the “Jurassic Valley” at Kualoa Ranch and rode UTVs during time off on Friday. Rivers golfed on the Big Island.
Rivers has paid little mind to the Sharks, as he would any other opponent during training camp.
In Monday’s 140-71 loss to the Houston Rockets in Houston, the Sharks ran most of their offense through their two foreign players, former NBA big man Donatas Motiejunas and journeyman wing James Nunnally.
“Don’t know what to expect. I don’t really care,” Rivers said. “I’m more worried about how our guys play. I hope (the Sharks) play fantastic, if you want me to be honest, because I think that will push our guys. That’s it. I watched the Houston game. Houston got them so quick, it kind of ruined it to see how they really play.”
One thing, though: He said he hopes the CBA team gets out in transition.
“Because we were awful in transition (against Houston). So I’m hoping they really run,” Rivers said.
The Sharks are owned by NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming, who played for the Sharks as a teenager before making the leap to the NBA and playing nine years with the Rockets.
As of Saturday afternoon, plenty of seating remained. Lower-level tickets were available for $32.50 to $80, while upper-level tickets ranged from $8 to $15.
