The Clippers have seven games remaining before finding out their postseason future, a final stretch that will determine where they will land in the standings.
The Clippers head into the opener of a five-game homestand on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for seventh place in the Western Conference.
At 43-32, the Clippers went into Tuesday’s schedule just one back in the loss column from the fifth-place Memphis Grizzlies (44-31) and sixth-place Golden State Warriors (43-31), and they own the head-to-head tiebreaker over both.
A good performance against three of four lower-echelon teams over the next eight days could help the Clippers avoid the Play-In Tournament, which gives teams 7-10 a chance to reach the seventh and eighth playoff seeds in each conference.
After the Pelicans (21-54) on Wednesday, the Clippers face the Dallas Mavericks (37-39) twice, the San Antonio Spurs (31-43) and the second-place Houston Rockets (47-29), the lone team with a winning record.
“Yeah, having seven games left, going back home for five in a row,” Coach Tyronn Lue told reporters after Monday’s victory in Orlando. “So, we have to take care of home, that’s going to be our main thing. If we take care of home like we are supposed to, then I think we’ll be in some really good shape.”
Their five-game homestand gives them a somewhat soft landing after a tricky four-game Eastern trip that included a rematch against the league’s second-best team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Clippers surprised the Cavs at the Intuit Dome and were looking to sweep the top team in the Eastern Conference.
But the Clippers couldn’t pull off another victory, falling 127-122 in Cleveland for their only loss on the trip. The Clippers came home with a 3-1 record, having beaten the New York Knicks (47-27), who secured a playoff spot at No. 3, the Brooklyn Nets (25-51) and Orlando Magic (36-40), who are currently No. 8 in the East.
“We’re locked in, playing good basketball lately,” center Ivica Zubac said after notching his 52nd double-double of the season against the Magic. Zubac posted 18 points and 20 rebounds – nine offensive boards – to help the Clippers outrebound Orlando, 47-32.
Lue said controlling the boards was just one factor in clinching the last game of the trip.
“Rebounding is something that we struggled with in the past,” Lue said. “This year we’ve gotten a lot better. Big Zu having 20, you know, tonight. So, just continuing to rebound the basketball, continuing to get back in transition, taking care of the basketball and those are the three things that stand out to me.”
James Harden said during the recent trip that it’s important for the players to keep their focus through the final stretch.
“We’ve been feeling the energy and turning in our favor so just want to keep that momentum,” Harden said in New York. “Like momentum is a huge thing in sports and for us actually understanding each other of what we’re trying to accomplish and how we’re going to get there is very important for us.”
Fueling the Clippers’ momentum is the return of guard Norman Powell, who has returned to form after missing 11 games because of two injuries. In his past four games, Powell averaged 21.2 points, including a 34-point performance against the Cavs.
Kawhi Leonard, who missed the first 34 games of the season, also is approaching career levels with 20.5 points and 5.8 assists per game. He is averaging more than 25 points in his past 15 games and has been getting to his spots with short bursts as well as rebounding and defending.
NEW ORLEANS AT CLIPPERS
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood
TV/radio: FDSN SoCal, 1150 AM
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