The Clippers are 0-0 in meaningful games but open preseason 1-0 after beating the Warriors 104-101 on Oct. 4, with only two games on this week's slate: at Toronto on Saturday and at home against Denver four days later. Jordan Miller, Max Strus and Brandon Ingram are all out, while Kobe Sanders and Bradley Beal carry return targets that line up with the opener in Toronto.
Toronto carries more weight than a preseason game should.
The Clippers visit the Raptors on Saturday, Oct. 10, the first meeting between the clubs since the Sept. 14 trade that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and five draft picks. Ingram will not play; his partially torn Achilles has no return date before Nov. 1. Everyone else acquired in that trade will be on the floor.
The Nuggets game is the one national audiences will see.
NBA TV carries the Oct. 14 home game against Denver, the only broadcast window on this week's slate. With Ingram, Strus and Miller all sidelined, Tyronn Lue's rotation choices on that broadcast will speak to depth more than to intent. Rui Hachimura and Darius Garland, both healthy, remain the lineup's clearest building blocks across these two games.
Two questionable tags point at the same date.
Kobe Sanders, nursing a left hip issue, and Bradley Beal, working back from a right knee issue, each carry a target of Oct. 10 to return. Neither is guaranteed to suit up in Toronto, and camp has already shown how fast these tags move.
Four days separate the only two games on this week's slate.
The calendar itself asks little: a road trip to Toronto on Oct. 10, then four full days before Denver visits on Oct. 14. For a team already missing three rotation pieces, the lighter preseason schedule is the one break working in its favor.
Will Brandon Ingram play for the Clippers this week?
No. Ingram's partially torn Achilles keeps him out of both preseason games, with no return set before Nov. 1.
Which Clippers game is on national TV this week?
The Oct. 14 preseason game against the Nuggets airs on NBA TV. The Oct. 10 game at Toronto has no national broadcast listed.
