Clippers vs. Kings 2025 Preseason Game 5 Preview • 213hoops.com

The Clippers will conclude their 2024-2025 preseason with a home game against the Sacramento Kings.

Game information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 p.m. PT

Here's how to watch: Clippervision, KTLA

Expected starting lineups

Kings: De'Aaron Fox – Keon Ellis – DeMar DeRozan – Keegan Murray – Domantas Sabonis

Hair clippers: Kevin Porter Jr. – Amir Coffey – Terance Mann – Kobe Brown – Kai Jones

Injuries

Kings: Devin Carter Out (shoulder), Trey Lyles Doubtful (groin), Kevin Huerter Doubtful (shoulder), Orlando Robinson Doubtful (knee)

Hair clippers: Kawhi Leonard is out (knee), Mo Bamba is out (knee), James Harden is out (break), Norm Powell Questionable (break), Ivica Zubac Questionable (break), Derrick Jones Jr. Questionable (break)

Notes

Who plays: Ty Lue said before Tuesday's game that James Harden would not play tonight, leaving open the question of whether or not the Clippers' other key players would play. In the preseason I'm usually on the side of players not playing, so I think other veterans like Norm and Nic Batum won't play either, but whether Terance, DJJ and Zubac do is a little more questionable. Regardless, the Clippers won't be running anything close to their “real” lineups, so there's less to take away from this game than from previous contests – which isn't saying much. Hopefully we get some fun stuff, otherwise Ty decides to at least make this a dress rehearsal of sorts.

Last chances to impress: If the Clippers don't let their key players play often, this could be a great opportunity for players on the sidelines – most notably Jordan Miller, Kobe Brown and Cam Christie – to step up. Miller has impressed in his minutes and Kobe has been quiet but looked good while Cam hasn't really stood out so far. A single preseason game isn't going to change the coaching staff's mind, but an outstanding performance from one of these guys couldn't hurt. The same goes for Exhibit 10 players, who may be waiting for two-way deals from other teams or even deals from top international teams. Every game on the big NBA stage counts.

The bone situation: Late in Tuesday's preseason game, Law Murray tweeted that only four active Clippers did not appear in the game – Bones Hyland, Trentyn Flowers, Elijah Harkless and Braxton Key. The clear outlier there is Bones, who has a full NBA contract and for whom the Clippers traded two second-round picks just 1.5 years ago. Notably, the Clippers played Bones against Alondes Williams, an Exhibit 10 player who has only played eight NBA games in his two-year career. I'm not sure what went wrong for Bones in LA, but he's clearly not part of this team's plans and I almost wonder if they'll send him home like they did with PJ Tucker. Maybe not, as a suspension for Kevin Porter Jr. is likely imminent, and in that case Bones would be pretty close for a few minutes, but it wouldn't be shocking either. I wonder if we'll ever get a story about what happened to Bones and this team, but unfortunately things have gone way down the drain.