NBA historians might note these two franchises were expansion partners (along with Portland) once upon a time in 1970, when the Clips entered the league as the Buffalo Braves. For Sunday, LA is likely minus Kawhi Leonard on Sunday, but as important as he can be (as when scoring 33 in the March 18 win over the Cavs), it's not as if LA doesn't have some experience playing without Kawhi. Mostly what jumps out about the Clips the past five weeks is that they are never out of a game, with the five losses since February 26 all being by seven points or fewer. LA has lots of experience being shorthanded, and given past situations this season, Sunday isn't so bad, as Norman Powell, who missed considerable time the past two months, returned to active duty a few weeks ago, and of course James Harden is still in the mix. Cleveland has also definitely cooled, losing five of eight, one of those the aforementioned 132-119 setback at the Intuit Dome. While the Clips have been in every game the past five weeks, the Cavs have had few easy games lately, so stretching this margin to nine or beyond looks a big ask. Play Clippers