Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Back in November the Clippers turned in their biggest stinker of the season, getting run off the Pacers home floor 107-80. They shot poorly from the field (33 percent, 22 percent from three) and they defended poorly (Pacers shot 50 percent from the field and 54 percent from the beyond the arc). But that Clippers team looked so different from the one that lost to the Pacers.

Some Changes:

- Blake Griffin has had a double double in every game since that Pacers game. He logged 12 points and 8 rebounds then, but has averaged 24.6 points and 13.8 rebounds since. (Even if the steadiness of that production isn’t as even.)

- Eric Gordon has found his shot. He was largely going to the rim for his shots, but now, he’s shooting threes like everyone remembers, 14-33 in his last 5 games (42 percent).

- Return of Baron Davis, the good one. Since coming back Baron has turned into the table setter for the team, improving his shot selection (still not perfect) and even becoming feisty on occasion, just look at the game against the Lakers when Baron jumped in to scuffle with Lamar Odom and when Baron stood up to Zydrunas in the Heat game, Baron’s alive and kicking.

- DeAndre Jordan’s emergence. At the time of the first game against the Pacers, DeAndre was a center by default, but now he’s been playing really well of late, anchoring the defense and dunking all over opposing centers.

- Bledsoe and Aminu’s return to the bench combined with the decrease in minutes for Rasual Butler. ‘Sual played 20 minutes in the game against the Pacers but he hasn’t gotten off the pine recently, sitting in the last 7 games. He’s been largely inefficient and a reason for the Clippers then-stagnant offense. While Aminu isn’t shooting quite at the same clip that he was earlier in the year, the bench is stronger now.

All combined together and it’s no wonder that the Clippers are in a completely different place than the last matchup. Instead of 1-11 in recent play, the Clippers are 9-4 and learning, forming a unit and breaking bad habits. The next one to break: having let-down games.

Keys to the Game:

- Danny Granger v. Gordon. Not only is Granger a very good offensive option but his defense has improved mightily. In the last meeting, Eric Gordon lit up the Pacers for 11 first quarter points before Granger switched off of his natural matchup with Aminu and on to Gordon. EJ did finish with 19 points, but it was on 5 for 17 shooting, a large reason the Clippers were run off the floor. And then Granger’s the top option on offense, playing at a position that the Clippers have had a hard time guarding.

- Roy Hibbert. Like the Lakers’ Bynum, Hibbert is a strong low post presence with good shot-blocking capabilities. DJ is slightly shorter but he has the reach and athleticism to bother Hibbert. Being one of the only interior threats, stopping Hibbert is the best way to throw their offense off balance.

- Keep up the Intensity. The Clippers are 3-3 after big wins (Thunder, Hornets, Spurs, Bulls, Nuggets, Heat) and they just beat their in-house rivals for a huge win. It’s conceivable that the Clippers could let down for a 12:30 game the day after a big victory, but if they continue to learn from their mistakes over the course of the year, then they’ll play a focused game today.

Injury Report:
Brian Cook right ankle, doubtful
Craig Smith herniated disc, out
Chris Kaman left ankle, out

The Clippers raced out to an early lead, paced by a great first half from Blake and DeAndre and then Nuggets started chipping away. First it was a long J.R. Smith three, then it was Chauncey Billups’ four point play and the Nuggets brought a fifteen point lead down to 8 to close the second quarter. Then the Nuggets came out of break, the Clippers gave up five straight points on three free throws from Chauncey Billups and an easy Nene Hilario steal that lead to a fast break where Blake, again looked confused on transition defense. Considering the recent history, it would be easy to expect the Clippers to get away from Blake, start hoisting bad shots and letting their offensive missteps transfer into a paranoid and lackadaisical defense. However, that wasn’t the case tonight as the Clippers even extended their first half lead and won by thirteen.

The disturbing trend of the opponents shooting a high percentage from three continued, and the Nuggets even got within 3 within three minutes of the third quarter, but there was a spurt from Eric Bledsoe that put the Nuggets back on their heels. He started the run with a right handed floater on the right side of the lane, then he nailed a three and then went back to the rim for another deuce and the foul (although he didn’t convert). Bledsoe benefitted from the zippy Nuggets guard Ty Lawson’s absence, but his play still required the gumption to make those shots, even if the shots were more open than normal because he had the slower Chauncey Billups guarding him. It’s been what the Clippers have been missing in the recent losses to Utah and Atlanta, that resilient ability to stare down a charging foe and make a steely move. They have harnessed this ability in certain spots, like the wins against the Hornets, Spurs and Bulls, but the win over the Nuggets felt different. It wasn’t like the Clippers survived the game, but that they actually won it.

DeAndre Jordan provided a surprisingly big lift on the interior and his play, beyond the Nuggets game, begs more attention. Yes, he turned in a Camby-esque 14 point, 20 rebound, 6 block performance in a win, but even in the recent losses he’s had a positive effect. In the last 3 games, he’s had 19 blocks. Yes, that’s right, 19 blocks. He’s still swatting at some of the shots like little kid exploding harmless soap bubbles, but there are some that lead to fast breaks. It’s no coincidence that the Clippers highlight of the game (a fast break, give-and-go alley-oop between Blake and Baron) started from a DeAndre block to his teammates. Granted, it was a mistake, as he clearly out-jumped the shot and swatted it off of his forearm, but it worked. That potential of defensive awareness will vastly improve his effectiveness. What’s most crucial is that he’s learning, becoming that low usage defensive anchor that compliments his front court partner and friend Blake Griffin.

Speaking of Blake, he again had a monster game, coming close to his first 20-20 game as he racked up 22 points, 18 rebounds and 7 assists (capped by a beautiful lob thrown to DeAndre), those assists a testament to his quick ability to adapt to the competition. His second half let downs, let downs at least in comparison to his first halves, continue to beguile. Maybe it’s just the teams figuring how to deal with his energy and bring Blake down to earth, even if his 7 points and 8 rebounds in the second half are what some centers average for a game, but he needs to figure out how to maintain his effectiveness. It’s crazy to pick the nits of a player that has the potential to be historically great (I had an argument with Daily Dime Live Host Zach Harper whether Blake could has the potential to be a Top-50 all time player), but if Blake wants to improve beyond a great player on a bad team, then he’s going to have to continually address his faults. I’m not even saying that he’s resting on his laurels, obviously he’s a hard worker, but his current situation is extremely difficult. Beyond just being on a bad team, he has to deal with the consistent negative stigmas associated with the owner and the franchise. Unfair or not, there is the extra push that he’ll have to endure to overcome the trivialities of an anomalous highlight machine on a bad team.

Watching this game, I began to wonder how closely Blake’s first half dominance is related to Baron Davis’ play. In the first half, Baron already had amassed his 8 assists, but in the second? None. It potentially provides a template for the answer to Jordan Heimer’s question brought up the other day, if Baron is healthy, then why isn’t he getting big minutes? This may be the answer, that he’s not able to sustain his play in the second half and those minutes need to go to Bledsoe in order to provide Baron with whatever rest is needed for him to finish out the ball game. Maybe Baron the facilitator requires a certain equilibrium, not too much playing time before he searches for his own shot rather than serving up passes to the rest of his teammates. It may just be something Baron needs to simply focus on, but the correlation and the trend is at least worthy of addressing.

Good news is that it didn’t have an effect on Eric Gordon who played another quietly impressive game. If Blake, DeAndre, Baron and Bledsoe are taking a chunk of the highlights, it’s largely because Eric Gordon allows them to be there. I’d bet that if you asked the casual NBA fan who was the scoring leader on the Clippers, few would answer Eric Gordon. And it’s not like he doesn’t contribute to the “big” plays. In the third, when the Nuggets were still fighting, Eric drove strong to the hole for a decisive lay-up and the foul. It was stabilizing, even if it didn’t completely prevent the slide that allowed for Bledsoe’s hot streak. Instead, Gordon has become a wonder in spite of his excellence, his handle down the stretch rightly questioned even though he has displayed the propensity to take over games (see November Jazz game in Utah and the second matchup with the Kings). He clearly hasn’t finished his development, which will involve the steadying of his handle so that he’s jerky dribble penetrations doesn’t fool himself more than the defenders.

But for now, Clippers fans should enjoy the solace of the win over the Nuggets. The two games prior showed that the Clippers are not going to make constant improvements, there will be setbacks against good teams, but they are learning enough where they can continue to bounce back and show very real progress.

Perhaps understanding the excitement they have garnered across the NBA, the Clippers did their part to entertain the local fans in the state’s capitol on the way to a 100-99 victory over the Kings. During the start of the season, they managed to be fun to watch despite the near inevitability of defeat, but things have certainly changed since their tough start. And while they have been much more successful of late, they are still improving in many areas. Having won five of six games, the theme recently has been the Clippers outplaying opponents but not being able to sustain big leads. Even when they look like the better team, they have struggled to show consistent effort on defense and limit their own turnovers. On Sunday, the Clips allowed the Suns to come back from an 18-point deficit to tie the game before they eventually prevailed. Against Sacramento, it was Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin leading the way, but continuous lapses of effort on Kings shooters, combined with 19 Clipper turnovers, left the outcome undetermined until the final seconds.

With 5.1 seconds left, and the Kings down three, it looked like Tyreke Evans was going to have to make a contested three-pointer to tie the game and send it to overtime. Instead, with a foul to give, Ryan Gomes committed one at the top of the key. Evans, as you can do in the NBA, took another dribble and threw up a shot, giving the refs reason to call it a shooting foul and send him to the line for three free throws. After making the first two, he missed the third and, two frantic tips later, the Clippers emerged with a victory, their first at Arco Arena since December 7, 2007. It wasn’t “pretty,” but as Vinny Del Negro said, “We were fortunate at the end, but we’ll take it. We’re finding ways to win. You’ve got to learn how to win games like that in this league.”

Winning is better than the alternative, regardless of opponent, and it should be noted that the Clippers are doing it far more frequently these days. After starting the season 1-13, they have played .500 basketball (9-9). They have improved their efficiency on both ends of the floor (23rd in offensive and 20th in defensive) after starting the year at or near the bottom in each. But most importantly, have begun to form an identity by playing to their strengths. Primary among those strengths is rebounding. The Clippers who rank 2nd in the league in total rebound rate, outrebounded the Kings, 48-34, tonight, a huge key to the win. Obviously Griffin is a big part of this (14 boards to go with his 24 points), but the dominance on the glass has been a team effort. Al-Farouq Aminu, last year’s leading rebounder in the ACC, has proven to have a nose for the ball, despite shifting to the small forward from power forward, which he played primarily in college. On this night, he pulls down eight rebounds while chipping in 11 points, and showing the potential to be a viable third option to Gordon and Griffin. The newest Clipper, Ike Diogu, also came up huge in the win, battling hard, especially in the second half, for six big boards to go with eight points. And perhaps the most impressive number of all – one that had many Clipper fans (including the leader of this blog) concerned – was the starting backcourt of Gordon (six) and Baron Davis (five) combining for 11 rebounds to go with their 13 assists. It was, indeed, a team effort on the glass, and they needed every last one of them to compensate for their turnover issues, which assistant coach, Dean Demopolous, called, “insanity.”

Without a doubt, the star of the game was Gordon, who is playing like we expected he would now that he is back to draining threes like he has his whole career. He tied his career high with six makes on seven attempts, on his way to 31 points on 12 of 19 from the floor. He continues to amaze with his silky smooth touch, and ability to adapt his offensive game to the defense. On a night where he only got to the free throw line once, Gordon went to his old bread and butter to carry the team from deep. He has become so difficult to guard, in large part, because his approach, after the game saying he’s, “just letting it come to me. Teams sometimes try to go under a screen under me so I won’t be able to get to the basket so I gotta knock down the outside shot.” He did have three turnovers, including a costly one down the stretch where he just dribbled out of bounds, but his performance was a key for the team’s strong half court execution.

Griffin had another great game, tying Michael Cage for the franchise record with 19 consecutive double-doubles. He continued to show the diversity of his game, with a three-pointer and a couple of mid range jumpers to go with his usual paint dominance. He, along with Diogu and DeAndre Jordan, helped the Clippers to a 50-26 advantage in points in the paint. The Clips continue to show good spacing in their half court sets, and guys like Aminu, Baron, Foye, Diagu and Gomes are reaping the benefits of the attention defenses have to pay to Gordon and Griffin.

With a five-game homestand coming up against quality teams like Utah, Atlanta and Miami, the Clippers will have to tighten up their defensive rotations and limit turnovers if they hope to continue their winning ways. Against the Kings, they really didn’t commit to defending shooters like Francisco Garcia and Omri Casspi until it was almost too late, but they did turn in some pretty strong defensive possessions down the stretch that helped secure the win. Despite the best efforts of Evans (32 points) and his shooters, as well as the Clippers’ issues with protecting the ball, the Clippers appear to have become a team that can win close games. It is a step, with the next one being the ability to prevent games that shouldn’t be close from getting there.

Special guest Brian Kamenetzky from Land O’Lakers Blog and I talk ball about tonight’s teams and matchup.

Know thy opponent:

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