Their latest winning streak is only three wins long, but at home, the Los Angeles Clippers, enjoying another huge day from their MVP Chris Paul, are almost impossible to beat.
They’re 18-3 this season at home, and their 99-93 win against the Dallas Mavericks makes it their 13th consecutive victory at the Staples Center. It’s not that big of an accomplishment beating the Dallas Mavericks these days, but I don’t think anyone was complaining. about it being too easy.
Chris Paul, as usual, led the way with 19 points and 16 assists. There have been voices in the media recently calling for Paul to be recognized as one of the leading candidates to win the MVP. He has certainly been on a tear since the two defeated against the Warriors and the Nuggets, averaging 25.3 points and 12.7 assists, helping the Clippers back to the best record in the NBA, currently at 28-8.
We’ll take the win, but we know we can play better. We came out a little flat, but it’s not going to be merry every night. It’s a good win for us to grit it out and fight it out against a tough team. We’re not going to win pretty all the time.
Putting Dirk Nowitzki back in the starting lineup didn’t really change anything for the Mavs. They’ve lost 10 of their last 11 games, 13 of their last 15. Still, they were pretty close in this one, but offensive rebounds, giving up 15 on the night, were simply too much to overcome, especially late in the game. That, and not having the second unit the Clippers do.
It was Matt Barnes who came through big time from the Clippers’ bench, scoring 19 points and adding 7 rebounds, having a big night from beyond the arc, finishing with 5-8. The man who usually steps up for the bench is Jamal Crawford, finishing with “only” 11 points and getting a little less time on the floor than usual.
Vinny Del Negro isn’t a coach that draws great praise, not being considered a major reason as to why the Clippers are so successful over the last couple of years. Chris Paul is usually attributed with that change.
Responsible or not, Del Negro won his 100th game for the franchise in just 184 games, making him the fastest coach in Clippers history to reach the 100 mark. The Clippers’ all-time leader in wins, Jack Ramsay, need 223 games to get to 100. The previous head coach, Mike Dunleavy, needed 224.