Luke Kennard Out Against Brooklyn Nets, Clippers Missing Nine Players

The LA Clippers will be incredibly shorthanded against the Brooklyn Nets. Tonight will likely be the toughest game of the season for the Clippers, from a combination of scheduling, health & safety protocols, and injuries.

Here is the list of players (and coaches) that the Clippers will be missing against the Nets:

Kawhi Leonard (knee)
Paul George (elbow)
Ivica Zubac (Health & Safety Protocols)
Nicolas Batum (ankle)
Luke Kennard (Health & Safety Protocols)
Isaiah Hartenstein (ankle)
Brandon Boston (Health & Safety Protocols)
Jason Preston (foot)
Jay Scrubb (Health & Safety Protocols)
Ty Lue (Health & Safety Protocols)

Even if the Clippers were fully healthy heading into tonight, it would still be an incredibly tough game for them due to scheduling. The team played in Canada last night and have to play a road back-to-back in New York, playing specifically on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. It's a brutal type of scheduling that interim coach Brian Shaw has never seen before.

"I think in the 34 years that I've been in the NBA, I've never played a game on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day," Brian Shaw said yesterday after playing the Toronto Raptors.

Shaw reiterated his statements from yesterday again today, so it's clearly something on the mind of his team.

"The league really didn't deal us a good hand in terms of the schedule," Shaw said. "But it is what it is."

Fortunately for the Clippers, Ivica Zubac has no symptoms and there's still no word on if Luke Kennard is as well. January was already going to be an incredibly tough month for the LA Clippers, and it's going to be a lot harder before it gets easier.