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The Los Angeles Clippers returned to Staples Center following a successful 6-1 road trip and picked up right where they left off. The Clippers utilized a balanced attack with five players scoring in double figures and rolled to an easy 127-101 victory over the helpless Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
After a string of alternating wins and losses early in the season, the Clippers are finding their stride with victories in seven of their past eight games. They have surpassed the century mark in each of those wins, with Blake Griffin leading the way. Griffin is leading the Clippers with 22.6 PPG while adding 7.5 RPG on the season. He was recently named the Western Conference Player of the Week for leading the Clippers to a 4-0 week.
The Clippers will need to continue their string of solid play in order to keep pace with the red-hot Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have jumped out to a 14-2 record in Steve Kerr‘s first year at the helm, and currently have a 2.5-game lead over the Clippers for first place in the Pacific Division.
The most exciting development for the Clippers was the improved play of Spencer Hawes off the bench. Hawes has struggled since signing with the Clippers as a free agent this summer, only averaging 6.3 PPG. Hawes contributed 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
While Los Angeles has feasted on some mediocre teams during this stretch, they need to use this time to round their game into form. The Clippers have struggled this year against the NBA’s elite teams, including blowout losses to the Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls and the Warriors. They will need to turn that trend around if they want to challenge for a top spot in the highly competitive Western Conference.
If the Clippers can continue to follow the lead of Griffin and Chris Paul, Los Angeles will remain stride-for-stride with Golden State all season long.
Patrick Leiva is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter and add him to your network on Google.
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