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The 2019–20 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 50th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), their 42nd season in Southern California, and their 36th season in Los Angeles.
| 2019–20 Los Angeles Clippers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Doc Rivers |
| General manager | Michael Winger |
| Owners | Steve Ballmer |
| Arena | Staples Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 49–23 (.681) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 2nd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Conference semifinals (lost to Nuggets 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KCOP-TV Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket |
| Radio | KLAC |
On July 5, 2019, 2-time NBA champion, Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard agreed to join the Clippers, on the condition that the team trade for 6-time NBA All-Star Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Also during the offseason, they re-signed two-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection Patrick Beverley and three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner Lou Williams.[1][2] Entering the season, many analysts expected the Clippers to contend for an NBA championship.[3][4]
Despite a nagging shoulder injury and "load management" policy that caused stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, respectively, to sit out multiple games, the Clippers were consistently at the top of the Western Conference standings. The Clippers improved on their 48–34 record last year after making the 8th seed in the Western Conference standings, finishing with a record of 49–23 (the equivalent of 56–26 in a full season) as the 2nd seed in the Western Conference, their highest seeded placement in franchise history. Kawhi Leonard was named a starter for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game by fans, current players, and media, and was later named the game's MVP.[5] Montrezl Harrell won the 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, joining Jamal Crawford and teammate Lou Williams as one of three players to win the award as members of the Clippers.[6]
The season was suspended by the league officials following the games of March 11[7] after it was reported that Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.[8] On July 5, the NBA announced a return of the season which would involve 22 teams playing in the NBA Bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.[9] Each of the remaining 22 teams played eight seeding games to determine positioning for the NBA playoffs.[9] Play resumed on July 30.[10]
The Clippers had a 5–3 record for their bubble seeding games to earn the 2nd seed in the Western Conference and then faced off against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. It was the first ever meeting between the two teams in the playoffs. The Clippers defeated the Mavericks in six games to win their first playoff series since 2015, advancing to the semifinals. In Game 5 of the series, the Clippers set a franchise record for scoring 154 points in the NBA Playoffs. The 154-point mark was the third most of any team in NBA playoff history.[11] In the conference semifinals against the 3rd-seeded Denver Nuggets, the Clippers took a 3–1 series lead before ultimately losing in 7 games. The Clippers failed to hold double-digit leads in all three potential closeout games. Their elimination extends their drought of failing to reach the conference finals to 50 years, the longest amongst the four major professional sports leagues.
Following the Clippers' elimination from the playoffs, the team was roundly mocked on social media for their failure to win the championship.[12] The 2019–20 Clippers team has since been viewed as having one of the greatest postseason collapses in NBA history.[13][14][15]
The ensuing fallout from the Nuggets series caused Rivers to lose his position as head coach on September 28.[16]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 48 | Terance Mann | SF |  United States |
Florida State |
| 2 | 56 | Jaylen Hands | PG | United States |
UCLA |
The Clippers hold no first-round picks but holds two second-round picks. The 56th pick was traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with a 2020 second round draft pick for Mfiondu Kabengele.[17]
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Roster |
Division
| Pacific Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c – Los Angeles Lakers | 52 | 19 | .732 | – | 25–10 | 27–9 | 10–3 | 71 |
| x – Los Angeles Clippers | 49 | 23 | .681 | 3.5 | 27–9 | 22–14 | 8–6 | 72 |
| Phoenix Suns | 34 | 39 | .466 | 19.0 | 17–22 | 17–17 | 6–9 | 73 |
| Sacramento Kings | 31 | 41 | .431 | 21.5 | 16–19 | 15–22 | 8–5 | 72 |
| Golden State Warriors | 15 | 50 | .231 | 34.0 | 8–26 | 7–24 | 2–11 | 65 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Los Angeles Lakers * | 52 | 19 | .732 | – | 71 |
| 2 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 49 | 23 | .681 | 3.5 | 72 |
| 3 | y – Denver Nuggets * | 46 | 27 | .630 | 7.0 | 73 |
| 4 | y – Houston Rockets * | 44 | 28 | .611 | 8.5 | 72 |
| 5 | x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 44 | 28 | .611 | 8.5 | 72 |
| 6 | x – Utah Jazz | 44 | 28 | .611 | 8.5 | 72 |
| 7 | x – Dallas Mavericks | 43 | 32 | .573 | 11.0 | 75 |
| 8 | x – Portland Trail Blazers | 35 | 39 | .473 | 18.5 | 74 |
| 9 | pi – Memphis Grizzlies | 34 | 39 | .466 | 19.0 | 73 |
| 10 | Phoenix Suns | 34 | 39 | .466 | 19.0 | 73 |
| 11 | San Antonio Spurs | 32 | 39 | .451 | 20.0 | 71 |
| 12 | Sacramento Kings | 31 | 41 | .431 | 21.5 | 72 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 30 | 42 | .417 | 22.5 | 72 |
| 14 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 19 | 45 | .297 | 29.5 | 64 |
| 15 | Golden State Warriors | 15 | 50 | .231 | 34.0 | 65 |
Preseason
Regular season
Playoffs
| 2020 playoff game log Total: 7–6 (home: 3–4; road: 4–2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First round: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
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Conference semifinals: 3–4 (home: 1–3; road: 2–1)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivica Zubac | 72 | 70 | 18.4 | .613 | .000 | .747 | 7.5 | 1.1 | .2 | .9 | 8.3 |
| Lou Williams | 65 | 8 | 28.7 | .418 | .352 | .861 | 3.1 | 5.6 | .7 | .2 | 18.2 |
| Montrezl Harrell | 63 | 2 | 27.8 | .580 | .000 | .658 | 7.1 | 1.7 | .6 | 1.1 | 18.6 |
| JaMychal Green | 63 | 1 | 20.7 | .429 | .387 | .750 | 6.2 | .8 | .5 | .4 | 6.8 |
| Patrick Patterson | 59 | 18 | 13.2 | .408 | .390 | .814 | 2.6 | .7 | .1 | .1 | 4.9 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 57 | 57 | 32.4 | .470 | .378 | .886 | 7.1 | 4.9 | 1.8 | .6 | 27.1 |
| Rodney McGruder | 56 | 4 | 15.6 | .398 | .270 | .559 | 2.7 | .6 | .5 | .1 | 3.3 |
| Landry Shamet | 53 | 30 | 27.4 | .404 | .375 | .855 | 1.9 | 1.9 | .4 | .2 | 9.3 |
| Patrick Beverley | 51 | 50 | 26.3 | .431 | .388 | .660 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 1.1 | .5 | 7.9 |
| Maurice Harkless† | 50 | 38 | 22.8 | .516 | .370 | .571 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .6 | 5.5 |
| Paul George | 48 | 48 | 29.6 | .439 | .412 | .876 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 1.4 | .4 | 21.5 |
| Jerome Robinson† | 42 | 1 | 11.3 | .338 | .284 | .579 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .3 | .2 | 2.9 |
| Terance Mann | 41 | 6 | 8.8 | .468 | .350 | .667 | 1.3 | 1.3 | .3 | .1 | 2.4 |
| Derrick Walton† | 23 | 1 | 9.7 | .472 | .429 | .778 | .7 | 1.0 | .2 | .0 | 2.2 |
| Marcus Morris Sr.† | 19 | 19 | 28.9 | .425 | .310 | .818 | 4.1 | 1.4 | .7 | .7 | 10.1 |
| Amir Coffey | 18 | 1 | 8.8 | .426 | .316 | .545 | .9 | .8 | .3 | .1 | 3.2 |
| Reggie Jackson† | 17 | 6 | 21.3 | .453 | .413 | .905 | 3.0 | 3.2 | .3 | .2 | 9.5 |
| Johnathan Motley | 13 | 0 | 3.2 | .733 | 1.000 | .714 | .8 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 2.2 |
| Mfiondu Kabengele | 12 | 0 | 5.3 | .438 | .450 | 1.000 | .9 | .2 | .2 | .2 | 3.5 |
| Joakim Noah | 5 | 0 | 10.0 | .500 | .750 | 3.2 | 1.4 | .2 | .2 | 2.8 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawhi Leonard | 13 | 13 | 39.3 | .489 | .329 | .862 | 9.3 | 5.5 | 2.3 | .8 | 28.2 |
| Paul George | 13 | 13 | 36.8 | .398 | .333 | .909 | 6.1 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .5 | 20.2 |
| Marcus Morris Sr. | 13 | 13 | 29.8 | .505 | .475 | .929 | 4.8 | 1.6 | .8 | .1 | 11.8 |
| Ivica Zubac | 13 | 13 | 24.6 | .564 | .811 | 7.2 | .6 | .2 | .8 | 9.1 | |
| Landry Shamet | 13 | 4 | 18.7 | .407 | .357 | .714 | 1.7 | 1.3 | .5 | .2 | 5.2 |
| Lou Williams | 13 | 0 | 26.2 | .425 | .235 | .811 | 3.2 | 4.2 | .8 | .2 | 12.8 |
| Montrezl Harrell | 13 | 0 | 18.7 | .573 | .200 | .603 | 2.9 | .4 | .4 | .5 | 10.5 |
| JaMychal Green | 13 | 0 | 17.1 | .564 | .435 | .778 | 3.8 | .5 | .2 | .2 | 6.1 |
| Terance Mann | 13 | 0 | 2.1 | .400 | .000 | .5 | .1 | .1 | .0 | .3 | |
| Reggie Jackson | 12 | 1 | 14.2 | .438 | .531 | 1.8 | .9 | .2 | .1 | 4.9 | |
| Patrick Beverley | 8 | 8 | 20.8 | .513 | .364 | .500 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 1.0 | .4 | 6.3 |
| Rodney McGruder | 5 | 0 | 3.2 | .600 | .667 | .8 | .4 | .0 | .0 | 1.6 | |
| Amir Coffey | 3 | 0 | 2.3 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | .0 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | .7 |
| Patrick Patterson | 2 | 0 | 5.0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | .5 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | 4.5 | |
| Joakim Noah | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Clippers only.
Overview
| Players Added Draft Trade Free agency Two-way contract |
Players Lost Trade Free agency Waived |
Trades
| June 20, 2019 | To Los Angeles Clippers Draft rights to Mfiondu Kabengele |
To Brooklyn Nets Draft rights to Jaylen Hands 2020 first-round pick |
| July 6, 2019 | To Los Angeles Clippers Maurice Harkless (from Portland) Draft rights to Mathias Lessort (from Philadelphia) 2023 first-round pick (from Miami) |
To Portland Trail Blazers Hassan Whiteside (from Miami) |
| To Philadelphia 76ers Josh Richardson (from Miami) |
To Miami Heat Jimmy Butler (from Philadelphia) Meyers Leonard (from Portland) Cash considerations (from Los Angeles) | |
| July 10, 2019 | To Los Angeles Clippers Paul George |
To Oklahoma City Thunder Danilo Gallinari Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2021 first-round pick (from Miami) 2022 first-round pick 2023 first-round pick (from Miami) 2024 first-round pick 2026 first-round pick Right to swap first-round picks in 2023 and 2025 |
| February 6, 2020 | To Los Angeles Clippers Protected 2022 second-round pick |
To Atlanta Hawks Derrick Walton, Jr. Cash considerations |
| February 6, 2020 | To Los Angeles Clippers Marcus Morris (from New York) Isaiah Thomas (from Washington) |
To New York Knicks Maurice Harkless (from LA Clippers) 2020 LAC first-round pick 2021 LAC first-round pick swap[a] 2021 DET second-round pick (from LA Clippers) Draft rights to Issuf Sanon (2018 #44) (from Washington) |
| To Washington Wizards Jerome Robinson (from LA Clippers) | ||
Free agency
Re-signed
| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Ivica Zubac | July 10, 2019 |
| Rodney McGruder | July 10, 2019 |
| Patrick Beverley | July 11, 2019 |
| JaMychal Green | July 18, 2019 |
| Johnathan Motley | July 25, 2019, Two-way contract |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| Amir Coffey | July 9, 2019, Two-way contract | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA) |
| Kawhi Leonard[20] | July 10, 2019, 3-year contract worth $103 million | Toronto Raptors |
| Patrick Patterson | August 15, 2019 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Derrick Walton, Jr. | October 21, 2019, Exhibit 10 contract | Alba Berlin (BBL) |
| Reggie Jackson | February 20, 2020 | Detroit Pistons |
| Joakim Noah | March 9, 2020, 10-day contract June 28, 2020, signed for rest of the season |
Memphis Grizzlies |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Tyrone Wallace | Waived, July 6, 2019 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Sindarius Thornwell | Waived, July 6, 2019 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Garrett Temple | Free agency, July 8, 2019 | Brooklyn Nets |
| Wilson Chandler | Free agency, July 8, 2019 | Brooklyn Nets |
| Angel Delgado | Free agency, August 8, 2019 | Beijing Royal Fighters (CBA) |
| Isaiah Thomas | Waived, February 8, 2020 | New Orleans Pelicans |
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