Rowan Kavner
OKLAHOMA CITY – The road doesn’t get any easier.
Four of the Clippers’ (41-23) last five road opponents have included the Rockets, Grizzlies, Bulls and Warriors, as they now embark on a two-game road trip with the first matchup Wednesday night in Oklahoma City (35-28) and the second Friday in Dallas.
“We’ve had a tough stretch of games going back to pre-All-Star break, finishing with a bunch of teams that are in the playoff hunt,” said J.J. Redick. “It then started post-All-Star break with a bunch of teams that are in the playoff hunt. It doesn’t seem like there are a ton of easy games for us.”
If Redick and the Clippers are going to start the trip on a high note, they’ll have to do it against a player Redick believes is this season’s MVP.
“I don’t know what position OKC ends up in, but I would give the MVP to Russell Westbrook,” Redick said. “James (Harden) and Steph (Curry) are deserving, but what he’s done the last two months is incredible.”
Westbrook’s posted triple-doubles in five of his last six games. Meanwhile, the Clippers continue to play without Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford. Head coach Doc Rivers said the Clippers have to play the way they did in Chicago, when they held the Bulls to 86 points, and the way they did Monday, holding the Timberwolves to 76.
If they’re going to do that, DeAndre Jordan knows it starts with limiting Westbrook.
“It’s tough,” Jordan said. “He’s in attack mode all the time. We just have to do our job early and make it tough for him…Once he gets the rebound, he’s pushing it. We just have to load up.”
Tipoff: 5:00PM PT
LAST TIME OUT
Clippers 89, Timberwolves 76 – Chris Paul persevered through a banged up knee to dish out 15 assists and let the rest of the offensive weapons do their jobs scoring. J.J. Redick had 26 points and DeAndre Jordan added 20, as the Clippers held the Timberwolves to two different 14-point quarters.
Thunder 108, Raptors 104 – Russell Westbrook continues to be a near unstoppable force, and his game against Toronto was no exception, scoring 30 points, dishing out 17 assists and pulling down 11 rebounds. Westbrook did have nine turnovers, but the Thunder still won by shooting 51.2 percent.
NOTEWORTHY MATCHUP
Chris Paul vs. Russell Westbrook – Russell Westbrook had three straight triple-doubles before undergoing a facial procedure on his cheek. He missed one game, then proceeded to notch triple-doubles in two of his next three games. Meanwhile, Paul’s fighting through a bruised knee that had him questionable to play Monday, but he gritted out the performance and the win. Paul will get round-the-clock treatment the next couple days to try to be ready for Oklahoma City.
“Russ has been killing it, but luckily it’s not a 1-on-1 game,” Paul said. “It’s Clippers vs. Thunder, and that’s all we’re worried about right now.”
TWO THINGS TO WATCH
Who’s Healthy? Chris Paul’s banged up. Rivers already ruled out Crawford for the road trip, and both Crawford and Griffin are listed as out. Meanwhile, the Thunder continue to play without Kevin Durant. As good as Westbrook’s been, the Thunder have split their last six games. Whether or not Paul can play and look like himself against Westbrook could be the difference in Oklahoma City.
On The Boards – The Thunder pulled down 25 more rebounds than the Clippers in the last matchup, leading to plenty of second chances. Oklahoma City’s a top three team in the league in second-chance points, and they can be lethal when gifted extra opportunities. That last matchup was before Jordan went on his ridiculous stretch on the glass. He had 17 rebounds Monday, and the Clippers will need him to patrol the paint that way to pull out a win.
NOTES: Paul leads the league in assists per game (10.2), while Westbrook is fourth (8.3) … Westbrook leads the league with 27.4 points per game … Jordan leads the league with 14.5 rebounds per game and a 72 percent field goal percentage … Serge Ibaka is second in the league in blocks per game (2.5), while Jordan is fourth (2.2) … Both teams enter having won three of their last five games … The regular season series between the Clippers and Thunder is 1-1, with both teams winning at home …