The Los Angeles Clippers carry a six-game winning streak and prospects of home-court advantage to open the playoffs into a season-ending Northern California road swing that begins Friday against the Sacramento Kings.
The Clippers (48-32) swept a five-game homestand, culminating on Wednesday with a 134-117 victory over the Houston Rockets, who rested a number of key players after already clinching the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Of the seven times this season Los Angeles has scored 130 or more points, four have been since March 18, including two in the past three contests. And all four have occurred during the current red-hot stretch that has seen the Clippers win 13 of their last 15.
The late-season surge has Los Angeles tied with the Denver Nuggets for the fourth-best record in the West through games played on Wednesday, although they are in fifth via a tiebreaker.
The Clippers are just one game behind the Lakers for third place, although they do not own the tiebreaker against their cross-town rival.
With the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors just a game behind, and the Minnesota Timberwolves two games back entering play Thursday, Los Angeles has no margin for error, with the Clippers closing out the regular season at Golden State on Sunday.
“Man, it’s special (to) really just be giving yourself up for something bigger,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “Coming into this season, there were no expectations for this team, for real. You look at the standings, they predicted us to be 13th seed or 12th seed in the West.”
On Wednesday, Los Angeles center Ivica Zubac delivered his first career triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Zubac has averaged 16.7 points and 12.6 rebounds in 78 games played and has been on a roll of late with 23 double-doubles since the All-Star break.
James Harden’s 35-point, 10-assist showing on Wednesday marked the veteran’s third consecutive double-double. Harden has 22.6 points and 8.7 assists, while Kawhi Leonard is finding his form with 25.8 points over his last 13 games.
The Clippers were without Norman Powell (shoulder) on Wednesday, but he is expected to play this weekend.
The Kings (39-41) close their regular season with two more games remaining on a three-game homestand, looking to build momentum for the play-in round. Sacramento had a three-game winning streak snapped Wednesday, trailing almost the entire way in a 124-116 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
All five Kings starters scored in double-figures, led by Zach LaVine’s 27 points, but a fourth-quarter rally, after trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half, could not fully bridge the gap.
Despite the setback, LaVine’s continued scoring punch has paced the Kings offensively. He has averaged 33.0 points in the last four games and said he is finding his rhythm following a February move to Sacramento from the Chicago Bulls.
“It’s just figuring stuff out. It’s never going to be perfect when you get a trade in the middle of the season. You’re going to have some high games, some low games,” LaVine said. “We’re trending in the right direction at the right time. I’m happy with that.”
The Kings backcourt of LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Keon Ellis combined for 69 points on Wednesday. DeRozan and LaVine put up 37 and 43 points, respectively, in a 127-117 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
