Time: 07:00 P.M. EST Venue: Madison Square Garden
The surging Los Angeles Clippers like where they're at with three weeks to go in the regular season. Facing the Eastern Conference's worst team isn't likely to slow them down. Los Angeles goes for a fifth consecutive win and sixth in a row over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. With a fourth straight postseason berth all but secured, the Clippers (46-25) are one of several Western Conference teams battling for home-court advantage in the first round. They're set to play three straight and six of their next seven on the road, a stretch likely to go a long way in determining their seeding." The last time I checked the standings, we went from seven to five," center DeAndre Jordan said. "I think it's important to get home-court advantage, but the playoffs are just about matchups and how we come out and play. You still have to win a game on the road if you want to advance. So (coach Doc Rivers) has told us to just worry about getting better as a team, and everything will work itself out." Los Angeles had dropped four of six before winning its last four, including Sunday's 107-100 victory over New Orleans. Chris Paul had 23 points and 11 assists while Blake Griffin - playing in his fifth game back from a staph infection - scored eight of his 23 in the fourth quarter. The Clippers scored 30 points off 18 turnovers and held a 21-8 edge in transition. They've averaged 19.8 fast-break points during their run, well above their season mark of 14.1." I like where we are right now. ... We're one of the few teams in the league that every night we control our own destiny," said Paul, who's totaled 37 assists with only five turnovers the last three games. "Just keep playing with the right spirit. Right now is when you sort of start to find those plays that you know you're going to run in the playoffs, those go-to plays. But all-in-all we just have to keep playing." Getting the ball to J. J. Redick figures to remain a priority, too. Redick is averaging 22.3 points over the last 10 games, and he's 14 of 25 from 3-point range in the last three. Redick led the way with 20 points while shooting 4 of 8 from long distance in an easy 99-78 victory over New York on Dec. 31. The Clippers have outscored the Knicks by an average of 15.0 points during their five-game run in the series. New York (14-57) enters having lost four in a row, including its last three by an average of 18.0 points. The Knicks are trying to avoid a ninth loss in 11 home games after Monday's 103-82 defeat to Memphis. Langston Galloway had 19 points and Andrea Bargnani added 18, but New York committed 19 turnovers to the Grizzlies' 10. Galloway played 43 minutes for his second-highest total this season while Shane Larkin logged a career-high 44 minutes." We're pushing these guys to at least what the perceived limits can be in terms of minutes, the schedule, the demands, the expectations," coach Derek Fisher said. "I think these are great opportunities, but at the same time, they're really in this position for the first time in their careers." Alexey Shved could return after sitting out Monday with a rib injury suffered the day before. He was averaging 22.0 points and 38.0 minutes over a three-game stretch before getting hurt. Tim Hardaway Jr. (wrist) and Cleanthony Early (ankle) are uncertain to be available, and Jose Calderon remains out with an Achilles injury.
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